Some students decide to put academics first and not do any other activities. Although academics are important to focus on, it is also vital to have other hobbies and manage one’s time efficiently. Doing these activities can help one find a hobby they did not know they enjoyed prior and keep enjoying the current hobby they do. Some hobbies besides focusing on schoolwork could be sports, performing arts, a job or clubs.
Playing a sport is one activity that someone could participate in. Participating in a sport can improve one’s mental and physical health, help with social connections and teach valuable life lessons like resilience, teamwork, discipline and leadership. Being a captain of your sport shows leadership, persevering through games or matches shows resilience and working with your team or other players shows teamwork through one’s sport. Doing a sport can help boost one’s confidence and could help one discover a sport they did not know they enjoyed.
Another extracurricular activity that one could take part in is performing arts, which includes dance, theater and music. Dance is a very popular activity that has different styles like hip-hop, tap, jazz or ballroom. Dance can help one’s confidence because they can go on stage and perform while not being afraid of being in front of many people. Theater is another fun activity which falls under performing arts. This hobby improves communication skills one could benefit from. Theater boosts creativity because of the creative play ideas. Additionally under the category of performing arts is musical performance. Through musical performance, one can express themselves through what they listen to and the way they create their music. Both ways to enjoy music shows creativity. Performing arts is a great way for one to show who they are and improve one’s confidence.
A job is another hobby one could take part in. Working at a job can be both enjoyable and unenjoyable for people; however, it is a great way to spend one’s time. A job allows one to earn and manage money, experience time management skills and be independent. When beginning a job, one can feel unconfined because they have the ability to spend their own money on whatever they would like to. Time management skills are helpful to everyone at the moment, but are beneficial in the long run because this skill can provide valuable lessons for the future like being able to budget your time appropriately. Starting a job at a young age helps one manage their money because they can start with a good foundation to build up for the future. When starting with a good foundation, one can save up money while still being able to spend the right amount of money.
Another activity that one could do is after school clubs. There are multiple clubs at Walpole High School (WHS) including UNICEF, HOSA, languages clubs and Girl Up. Joining a club is beneficial for one because they are able to do something they enjoy while meeting new friends and fostering personal growth. Clubs can help one meet new friends because of the range of ages that could be in the club. Personal growth can be developed because they are actively engaging in challenges and taking leadership roles within these clubs.
Experiencing extracurricular activities can be beneficial to all in multiple different ways like boosting confidence and creativity. Academics are very important to do but it is also good to take on a couple more hobbies one could find interesting. Doing these activities can help with future skills and make one have a busier schedule that is enjoyable for them.
