Schools, while primarily viewed as academic hubs, help children and teens cultivate more than just scholastic skills. School can be the perfect location for students to learn important social skills, and build the confidence they need to become successful, in more than just the intellectual sense, but in the world in general.

Eva Carlston Academy reviews that this is especially true for school-aged children going through a particularly difficult period of time in their life. Extracurricular activities can make all the difference in their outlook of their future, and more importantly, their present.

A Sense of Community

Regardless of what the extracurricular activity is, be it a choir, sports team, sewing club, or the like, there’s no dismissing the sense of family that comes with joining a team. Not only are students bonded by a singular passion, but they’re also given an opportunity to share their interests in a safe environment.

There are also many activities also allow students to help outside of the school grounds. Whether it be volunteering at a home for the elderly, doing trash or beach clean-up, etc. – these activities help young people understand the world around them, and that life is more than what they experience in their everyday routine.

Outside involvement also allows these young individuals to build relationships with mentors and community members that could serve as role models in their lives. Also, building a sense of empathy in the growing minds of students that sitting in a desk can’t replicate.

Builds A Feeling of Belonging

To make a student feel like they truly belong, multiple areas of development need to be addressed. Young people need to establish a sense of personal identity, have healthy social skills, cultivate their ability to truly listen to others, and understand what true respect for others looks like. Extracurricular settings are great ways to teach these skills.

Because these clubs and activities are sought by the student, it’s likely that they’ll find it easy to fulfill club commitments and responsibilities. Outside of understanding what it’s like to work in a group setting, students will also learn to build individual importance and self-esteem.

This can be especially seen in second year college students who undergo something called the “sophomore slump”. When a student feels disengaged with their environment and surrounding community, they are likely to dissociate from others. This fosters an unhealthy mental environment. This is why joining clubs, even in college, is vital to development.

Educates On Life Skills

While some view extracurriculars as a distraction from education, what they fail to see is that clubs and teams help foster skills that students will carry into the workforce, into the relationships they hold with other people, and in other aspects of their lives.

Many times, when younger individuals experience times of strife, the bulk of their troubles can be rooted in a lack of understanding how to properly express their emotions to others, a lack of self-worth/esteem, and untapped creative potential. Clubs can help remedy these areas and build them to ideal strength.

Children enter schools as diamonds in the rough, and though education wildly important, extracurricular activities and clubs are what polish students and help them grow into the world with confidence.