At Meres School, we firmly believe that extracurricular activities are an excellent tool to complement the overall development of our children. As well as being a way of occupying children’s free time, they can also help to considerably improve their academic performance.

Extracurricular activities are an excellent tool for complementing the overall development of our children. Besides being a way of occupying children’s free time, they can also help to considerably improve their academic performance.

Extracurricular activities are all those activities that students take part in outside school hours and that encourage the development of emotional, social and cognitive skills that have a direct influence on their academic performance.

In this article, we will explain some of the most common types of extracurricular activities at school and how they can promote the development of our children. We will also discuss which ones are the most beneficial.

What are extracurricular activities?

Extracurricular activities are those that take place outside school hours, but are directly related to the learning and comprehensive development of children. Through them, they can enjoy experiences that are not found within the formal academic framework.

However, these are not mere pastimes, but activities that stimulate different areas of a child’s personal, social and academic development. These range from language classes to team sports, art workshops, robotics, music and drama.

Activities take place in a more relaxed and less strict environment than the school classroom, allowing children to express themselves freely and develop their social and emotional skills. In this way, they can strengthen their self-esteem, improve their communication, learn to work in groups and discover new hobbies, which positively influences their academic performance.

Types of extracurricular activities at school

Here are some examples of extracurricular activities so that you know what options are available:

Sports activities

Sports activities are the most common and popular among children. From team sports, such as football or basketball, to individual sports, such as swimming or athletics, they encourage the development of skills and abilities and other aspects such as discipline, perseverance, teamwork and the ability to overcome challenges.

In addition, regular physical exercise has been shown to improve academic performance, reduce stress and increase memory and concentration.

Artistic and cultural activities

Artistic activities, such as dance, theatre, painting or music, also provide many benefits for a child’s development, strengthening self-confidence and self-esteem, and stimulating creativity, emotional expression and abstract thinking.

For example, learning to play an instrument improves memory and cognitive skills, which also positively influences academic performance. The relationship between the patterns that children learn to identify and organise in music can also be reflected in other aspects of their lives, such as in the realm of mathematics.

Academic and cognitive activities

Extracurricular academic activities are those that focus on complementing school learning, for example language classes, robotics workshops, mathematics or reading and writing programmes. These activities help children to reinforce what they have learnt in the classroom and also provide them with new tools to improve their academic performance.

For example, robotics workshops encourage problem-solving skills, logical thinking and teamwork.

Emotional development activities

Emotional development activities, such as yoga or emotional intelligence programmes, are particularly useful in promoting children’s well-being. It teaches them to handle their emotions better, increase their ability to concentrate, resolve conflicts and develop social skills.

Yoga, for example, can be an excellent way to improve breathing control, reduce anxiety and increase flexibility. In this way, children learn to relax and stay focused, which can have a very positive impact on their academic performance.

Extracurricular activities best suited to your child’s needs

Not all extracurricular activities are suitable for all children. That’s why, when it comes to choosing the best extracurricular activities for your child, it’s important to take into account their interests and their emotional, social and academic needs so that they feel motivated and can develop different skills to complement their schooling.

For example, if your child is very active, sports activities could be an excellent choice. But if your child is quieter and more creative, other activities such as painting, music or dance may be more to his or her liking. The best thing to do is to present them with different options and see which ones arouse their interest and enthusiasm.

As your child participates in these activities, they will not only be learning new skills, but also discovering themselves and developing their emotional and social intelligence, which in turn will lead to greater autonomy, concentration and motivation when studying. Providing them with the necessary tools to face challenges both inside and outside the classroom. If you want to know more about our educational offer and available activities, you can visit the main page of Colegio Meres.