In all levels of education, that is, primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, students are found participating in extracurricular activities with passion and full attentiveness. Â
Over time, students who have benefited positively from these extracurricular activities during their school days are said to hold high positions.
They also earn a living one way or the other with the skills they gained and move forward in life, all due to the impact of extracurricular activities.
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What Are Extracurricular Activities?
According to the English dictionary, Extracurricular is defined as “an activity outside the normal academic curriculum of an educational establishment.
In other words, EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES are those extra activities that do not fall within the regular academic scheme of work.
Extracurricular activities may seem nothing more than leisure activities. But, they offer a lot more. Below are the importance of extracurricular activities;Â
Importance of Extracurricular Activities
1. These activities provide a clear perception of who you are as a person, and what your interests and goals are.
2. Your record of extracurricular activities could make a great deal of first impression in your application to tertiary educational institutions.Â
3. Extracurricular activities can be incorporated into a resume when applying for a job.
In some profitable organization settings, they see value in people who hold good records in extracurricular activities.Â
They believe they would be able to add to the growth of such organizations with the amount of skill or knowledge they have acquired through indulging in extracurricular activities.Â
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4. Indulging in extracurricular activities has been recorded to strengthen an individual’s inner mind, improve self-esteem, and mental functionality and increase the level of assimilation.
5. Taking part in these activities can help an individual identify and showcase his or her innate talent and might even find a means to earn a living through it.
6. These activities usually consist of a group of individuals and this might help broaden the learning horizon, and friendship circle and help strike the right balance between studies and social life.Â
7. Some of these extracurricular activities are sponsored by the government or foreign organizations that are recognized worldwide.
Therefore, an individual’s chances of competing at the international level and earning non-academic scholarships are significantly influenced by exposure to extracurricular activities.
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8. Participation in extracurricular activities will help an individual to improve in soft skills like communication, teamwork, and leadership spirit needed in the management of both professional and academic careers.Â
9. These activities also enhance skills like Goal-setting, Time Management, Problem-solving, Analytical thinking, and confident Public speaking.
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Top 10 Beneficial Extracurricular Activities
There is more to extracurricular activities than sports and sporting activities.
Here, we will discuss the top 10 extracurricular activities including those usually endorsed by non-governmental, governmental, or foreign organizations that would be beneficial to an individual now and sometime in the future.Â
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School-sponsored extracurricular activities
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Although these activities are out of the academic curriculum, they tend to be educational and pave the way to assimilate more of your classroom or lecture room studies.Â
If you excel at a particular subject, it could be due to the related extracurricular program you joined.
For example, joining the school newspaper crew if you enjoy writing, or the debate and competition crew if you have a thing for logical reasoning.Â
School-sponsored extracurricular activities that you should join in Nigeria schools include;
- Music class/ bands
- SportsÂ
- School Clubs, e.g Rotary club, Red cross associations, Drug-free clubs, writer’s clubs, drama clubs, and so on.
- School’s newspaper crew
- Competitions and Debate crew
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Community service
This activity is supported by community groups. Community groups stand under the non-governmental organizations and they have programs well distributed in Nigeria schools.
Some of these community services are;Â
- Environmental sanitationÂ
- Woman-child’s well-being activist groups
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Volunteer work
Volunteer work is a great way to participate in extracurricular activities.
For example, you could volunteer to work and make charitable contributions to non-profit organizations like orphanages, hospitals, prisons, or animal shelters.
This can be a great addition to a job seeker’s resume.
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Political parties
Getting involved in political discussions and decisions. For example, being part of the student union governments might pave way for leadership opportunities.
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Skill acquisitions
Learning physical skills like computer operation, and fashion designing are profitable extracurricular activities you can indulge in.
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Part-time jobs
As a student, working part-time jobs at places like the school museum, the school farm, science laboratory, computer institute, botanical gardens, zoo, theater, or music studio will endow you with resourceful work experience that might be useful in the future.Â
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Practical experience
Joining internship or training programs organized by companies that take place in Nigerian schools.Â
For example, a marketing student might do an internship in the public relations department of a company, or agricultural science major getting trained on a large-scale farm.Â
These activities showcase your enthusiasm in the field and demonstrate that you have hands-on experience on a professional level.Â
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Musical training
A lot of individuals have hidden talent in music. As a student, music can take you all over the world. So, a Music class is another activity you can venture into in Nigerian schools.
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Taking extra courses
Registration for either a physical course or an online course like Digital marketing or writing is another beneficial activity you can take part in.Â
This enhances you with more knowledge and you get informed about more important topics that are not in your normal academic curriculum.Â
As a Nigerian student at the tertiary level, you can opt for taking the renowned professional course ICAN as it can boost your resume as a job seeker.
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Religious activities
 As a student planning to pursue a career in the religion aspect, joining and participating in religious activities might be helpful as your record of this activity will showcase your passion for it.
Conclusion
The advantages of participating in extracurricular activities are numerous.
But, when choosing extracurricular activities, keep these factors in mind; your desired career path and your hobbies.Â
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About Author
- Lawal Jesutofunmi Mary is a Skin care expert, hair care consultant and content writer communicating helpful information on hair and skin care through writing. She is an avid reader who loves to broaden her horizons through reading. Writing reviews of books on personal growth and self development gives her joy.
