Youth Development in Extracurricular Activities: the Importance of Adolescent Participation in Extracurricular Activities

2238 Words9 Pages
Abstract Team-oriented extracurricular activities are looked at as all fun and games by many professors and parents, yet they are key in developing the student’s character and setting them up for success later in life. Important character traits such as confidence, the ability to consider the interests of others, and good decision-making are all skills that will be beneficial to a student as they enter adulthood. Extracurricular activities also help students academically by developing problem solving skills in they can apply to their class word. Schools, there job being to teaching students and prepare them for the future, are failing to stress the importance of these activities that should be considered mandatory rather than “extra.” Extracurricular activities are developing life skills not touched on by the core subjects and there importance needs to be stressed more in a child’s life. Keywords: Team, Extracurricular, Development, Character Grade school is a stressful time period for many adolescents. When popularity becomes overwhelmingly important, the combination of constantly being cut down and the everyday stress of school can be detrimental to the child’s self-esteem. A strong self-esteem is an essential quality a competing adult must have when looking to enter any type of workforce, and it should be nurtured rather than compromised in his or her adolescent years. Extracurricular activities are able to help children to harness self-esteem by developing their confidence to take on leadership roles as well as helping them participate in something they can exceed in. These additional activities offer children the ability to participate in an activity they enjoy, develop their skills, and excel, therefore boosting their self-esteem (Chessman, 2011). It is not uncommon in recent times for children to be broken down on social media websites, or even in the

More about Youth Development in Extracurricular Activities: the Importance of Adolescent Participation in Extracurricular Activities

Open Document