Kids need more than just regular classroom learning
to nurture their minds as research has shown that children who participate in
extracurricular activities perform better academically and grow to become
better adults. However, the dilemma for most teachers is how to incorporate
these activities into classroom hours and which activities are most suitable.
There are a lot of things to consider; fitting these activities into the
regular curriculum.
Considering the above factors, we decided to come up with some tips to consider when you are looking to carry out incorporate extracurricular activities into school time
1). BE FLEXIBLE - Sports is an enjoyable extracurricular
activity for kids, but the truth is that not every child loves sports and there
need to be activities for such kids.
There are a lot other activities which can be incorporated into the extracurricular curriculum of a school. Such activities include setting up coding clubs, poetry clubs, eco-clubs, Pi club, debate clubs, among other things.
Codemoji is one platform which offers many fun programming related activities which kids can enjoy, and they are currently working on an after school coding club program.
2). CONSIDER SAFETY- Safety is a major factor to consider when planning extracurricular activities. Thus the safety of a particular event has to be considered and safety measures like helmets, shin guards, ankle guards, rubber gloves and much more.
Creating a safe environment for kids to participate in these extracurricular activities would encourage participation from even the most reluctant students. It also makes the parents encouraged to allow their children participate in such programs because sometimes, parents can be unwilling to consent to their kid's involvement in these activities.
3). GET SENIORS INVOLVED - One way to make extracurricular activities fun is by getting seniors involved. Some children have their elder siblings in senior classes and seeing familiar faces around help calm them down during pensive situations. Also, these senior students would have a lot of ideas to contribute to these activities to make them more fun and innovative.
There are a lot other activities which can be incorporated into the extracurricular curriculum of a school. Such activities include setting up coding clubs, poetry clubs, eco-clubs, Pi club, debate clubs, among other things.
Codemoji is one platform which offers many fun programming related activities which kids can enjoy, and they are currently working on an after school coding club program.
2). CONSIDER SAFETY- Safety is a major factor to consider when planning extracurricular activities. Thus the safety of a particular event has to be considered and safety measures like helmets, shin guards, ankle guards, rubber gloves and much more.
Creating a safe environment for kids to participate in these extracurricular activities would encourage participation from even the most reluctant students. It also makes the parents encouraged to allow their children participate in such programs because sometimes, parents can be unwilling to consent to their kid's involvement in these activities.
3). GET SENIORS INVOLVED - One way to make extracurricular activities fun is by getting seniors involved. Some children have their elder siblings in senior classes and seeing familiar faces around help calm them down during pensive situations. Also, these senior students would have a lot of ideas to contribute to these activities to make them more fun and innovative.
In societies like debating clubs, poetry clubs, and science clubs, the presence of a senior role model gives everyone something to gain. The seniors get good experience while the younger kids have persons to guide them on the activities.
4). GET EVERYONE INVOLVED - Getting everyone involved with out of school offerings. Cover supervisors, teaching assistants, mentors, parents, students, etc. has a significant impact on the overall quality of the event or activity. You would also find that many locals are happy to support in school closure periods, holidays and weekends. Also, they won’t mind joining as they won’t feel the pressure of results as teachers do and this helps create a relaxed and tension-free environment.
5). SCHOOL CULTURE IS IMPORTANT - A competitive school culture helps promote healthy competition and give extracurricular activities a sense of direction. This school culture can extend from sports to debate, heptathlon, etc.
School houses should be set up and extracurricular activities should be done side-by-side with teaching as it helps in fostering unity in the school. Also, special school days should not be ignored when planning these events particularly as it gives the kids something to look forward to every school term.
6). GET TEACHERS TO RUN THE ACTIVITIES THEY LOVE - When making plans for school extracurricular, the individual preferences of the teachers should be considered. In a way, this ensures that squares are in squares and ensures that the students and educators enjoy what they are both doing.
7). CREATE A BUDGET AND STICK WITH IT -
This is one critical factor to be considered when planning extracurricular
activities. It’s often common to find the budget quite stretched when planning
and even executing extracurricular activities.
Prices for tools required for any extracurricular activity should be ascertained long before the event and just before the event to avoid any surprises. Also, purchase of equipment’s should be made in discounted periods and on online deals.
Prices for tools required for any extracurricular activity should be ascertained long before the event and just before the event to avoid any surprises. Also, purchase of equipment’s should be made in discounted periods and on online deals.
Ideally, these things will also be something you're
interested in – even passionate about. The ideal is that over the course of
your four years of high school, you will have explored different interests,
developed them, and then decided to dedicate significant amounts of time to an
activity.
College admissions officers like to see these kinds
of activities because they say a lot about what makes you tick, and what kind
of person you are when you're committed to something. You can also show certain
“intangible” qualities through your activities, such as leadership and the
ability to follow through on something.
Many students who think that they don’t have any
extracurricular activities actually do, but they don’t think of their
activities as “real” extracurriculars.
How do you like to spend your time after school? Did
you know that how you choose to spend this time could be one of the most
important ways you shape your future?
Extracurricular
activities are a critical component of your college application, and you need
to impress colleges with your interests. But you might
not know what good extracurricular activities look like or what you should be
spending your time on.
We've got you covered here in our guide of hundreds
of examples of extracurricular activities. Read on to get some inspiration for
how to spend your valuable free time during high school!
An extracurricular activity
can be almost anything that isn’t required for high school credit or paid
employment. These activities will become very important later, such as when you
are applying to colleges, because they help you develop your talents,
interests, and passions. They can also teach you practical skills like time
management.
Attend
the local Worldwide Quiz. September is the best
time to set up your club, not just because it is the beginning of the school
year, but because the local round of the Geographical Association’s Worldwide
Quiz will be taking place in your area in the autumn term. This is an excellent
way to create a strong base of interested pupils. We spend the first few weeks
of ‘GeogSoc’ completing the past quizzes (available on the WorldWise website)
and running qualification rounds. This is easy to prepare and enthusiastic
pupils will love demonstrating their varied geographical knowledge.
Engage
the assistance of keen sixth formers. It is useful to
find some helpers who are looking to study geography at university. My sixth formers
sometimes deliver the club and run activities, all of which looks great on
their UCAS application form.
Play
geographical games. It’s important for the club not to
be extra work for pupils. Every few weeks, we play games involving atlases or
capital cities. For example, my pupils have found ‘the country with the most
borders’, ‘countries with only one border’, ‘biggest countries’, ‘smallest
countries’, and ‘countries beginning with certain letters’. We particularly
like the capital city game where pupils stand in a circle and each take it in
turns to ask the person to their left what the capital of a country is. If the
person to their left answers correctly, the first person is out. However, if
the person gets it wrong, as long as the first person knows the correct answer,
the second person is out. We go around the circle until there is just one
person left!
Play
Kahoot! One of my favourite activities is a quiz
website called Kahoot. It involves students playing along to a quiz shown on
the whiteboard using their smartphones. You log on to
and select a quiz. The pupils log on to kahoot.it, enter the game pin for your quiz, and
play along. You can make your own personalized quizzes easily, but if you are
short on time, there are thousands of quizzes already on there to choose from.
Find
some special guests. Whilst it might be hard to enlist
the help of external speakers, use the talent already in your school. This is
particularly good if you have a large department and I have invited the other
geography teachers along as ‘special guests’ to give a short talk on their
geographical specialism.
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