Extracurricular activities are an essential part of the school experience. So, your school should have a healthy roster of these for all levels. Make sure you have something for all sorts of students. Some students prefer physical activities, while others may benefit more from cerebral activities. Work with your faculty and staff to offer a wide range of extracurriculars.
These will also help your students get into good colleges. In addition, if your students do well in these activities, your school will gain a good reputation. So, you should include as many extracurriculars in your roster as you can, and promote them as well.
Here are a few you must include, to start off with.
Table of Contents
Student government
This is particularly popular with students aiming for Ivy League colleges. Student government gives youngsters the skills and experience to learn about leadership. They get to simulate elections, run various bodies, and do well by their school.
Student government is essential for the personal and professional development of future leaders. It will give them a stepping stone for their college and career goals. So, make sure you arrange student government elections at the beginning of the school year.
Also Read: Best Exam Preparation Tips and Tricks for Students
Sports & fitness
Physical fitness is necessary for a well-balanced student life. So, you should have a few sports and fitness clubs on campus. Include a mixture of competitive and non-competitive activities for the best results. This is also a great way to be part of varsity leagues.
Competitive sports like football and basketball pave the way for future scholarships as well. They also instill healthy values in your students. So, you should offer decent sports and fitness facilities. Make sure there are PE classes as well, so that all students get to participate at some level. The more serious students can then actually participate in competitions or clubs.
Performing arts
The performing arts are necessary for a school to instill good values and creativity in students. So, make sure you have a range of performing activities. These can be music clubs, drama clubs, or dance. Make sure you offer a diverse set of performing arts options.
These will also help students figure out their passions. The performing arts also promote organization and collaboration, so they develop students’ personalities as well. Offer the right facilities for these, and your school may well become well-known for their performances.
Visual arts
The visual arts are also important when it comes to extracurricular activities. There are many students interested in arts, design and other visual arts. So, you need to offer them good avenues. Run a variety of arts clubs like painting, sculpture, and drawing.
These will polish your students’ talents and prepare them for possible future success as well. Arts programs are often not given enough funding to do well, but you shouldn’t make the same mistake.
Volunteer work
It is important to show your students that humanitarian activities are necessary. So, you should also have volunteer work clubs on campus. These can cover a wide range of causes. These causes can be philanthropic, environmental, or animal-oriented.
Let students choose what causes they’re interested in and partner with related organizations. This will not only help you give back to the community, but also let your students develop as thoughtful members of society. Reach out to local organizations to find out what causes need volunteers. Then, have your students sign up and contribute. Also run fundraisers for these organizations. All of this will make your students into decent human beings.
STEM activities
These days, STEM education is highly important. In addition, there are new advancements every day. You might have some highly talented students on campus interested in fields like robotics or physics. Promote their interest through various STEM clubs.
These clubs will encourage innovation and technological education in your student body. They will also make it easier for students to apply for the top colleges of their choice. They might even come up with ideas that will make your school famous, so you should encourage these activities.
Outdoor skills
Outdoor activities are important to encourage all-round healthy activities. This is especially true if your school is in an area conducive to activities like hiking. Outdoor survival skills are also important for young people to learn.
So, you should have clubs for outdoor and survival skills. Prepare your students with the right equipment and briefing to minimize liability. This ensures that they learn outdoor skills and learn the value of the great outdoors too.
Academic clubs
There are many students who are passionate about their academics. So, you should encourage their passions with after-school academic clubs. Clubs like mathletes, spellathons, and others are quite popular.
These clubs are also a great way to amp up college applications. So, encourage teachers and students to form these clubs, and give them the resources they need to perform well.
Peer tutoring
Students should really learn how to help each other out as well. So, pair strong students with less proficient ones in peer tutoring. This will encourage a sense of camaraderie and social responsibility as well.
In addition, this will help boost your school’s academic performance as well. Make sure this peer tutoring is done through proper channels to prevent any bullying from taking place. This way, you’ll be rewarding both the tutors and the ones getting tutored. This tutoring will beef up the tutors’ college applications and the students’ results, so it is beneficial for everyone.
Also Read: All About the USMLE Step 1 Exam
How to promote these activities?
Of course, you need to offer as many activities as you can, depending on your budget. However, you also need to promote these on and off campus. Make sure both parents and students know about these. Spread the word in your community as well, to maximize your school’s reputation.
Use the educational poster templates on PosterMyWall to create posters. Then, put them up on and off campus. Also share them online to spread the word as much as possible. These activities are a must for your school, and will set your students up for success.
