Did you know that the first extracurricular activities began in the United States in

the 19th century? In the beginning they were an additional part to the normal
academic schedule and included some practical or vocational interests. The first
well known extracurricular activities where literacy clubs at Harvard and Yale
University. Later, debate clubs and sororities and fraternities began to emerge.
Athletic activities designated as extracurricular were also first offered in the U.S.
and remain popular today. During the WWI era, clubs focused on the creation of
newspapers and yearbooks became popular extracurricular activities and today
students have many other extracurricular choices to provide positive
opportunities for personal and social growth and development.

It is estimated that 1 in 4 students participate in extracurricular activities in the

U.S. (Miller, Zittleman, 2010, 189) The cost to establish these programs in rural
and inner city schools is around $250 million. (Girod et al., 2005, 64) With this in
mind, one might wonder why we spend so much to offer extracurricular activities
for kids? Are there benefits to having kids participate in these programs and if so,
what are they? The evidence on how these types of programs benefit children
and youth is abundant. According to the National Center for Educational
Statistics (NCES), indicators of successful participation in extracurricular activities
includes improved and consistent attendance in school as well as higher levels of
academic achievement, and aspirations for continuing education beyond high
school. While it cannot be known from collected data whether participation in
extracurricular activities leads to success, or if successful students are just more
inclined to participate, more than likely it's a combination of both.

Education expert Mary Daniels Brown says, Participation in school activities,

especially athletics, leads to higher self esteem and enhanced status among
peers, which some argue is deterrent to antisocial behavior.

And John H. Holloway, a consultant with the Educational Testing Service, identifies
he most common time for negative behavior to occur is the time after school and
before parents get home, which is usually the time between three oclock and
seven oclock. This is the time kids are most at risk to commit violent acts and
victimization. Youth between the ages of nine and seventeen are highly
vulnerable to the influences of their peers and must learn to make their own
decisions and control their behavior. This is why it is a crucial time for them to
participate in extracurricular activities because these activities provide
supervision, guidance, and engage youth in enriched learning experiences. By
participating in these activities, youth are better able to resist unsafe behaviors
such as drug and alcohol use, gang involvement, and criminal activities.

Girls on the Run is one of the many extra curricular activities available to youth,
specifically female youth, at schools and community centers across the U.S. and
Canada. Through outcomes based lessons, Girls on the Run provides a physical
activity based positive youth development program (PA-PYD) like no other that
inspires girls to define their lives on their own terms by helping them build their
confidence and celebrate all that makes them unique.
Aren't you glad that the smart folks at Harvard and Yale began offering
extracurricular activities some 150 years ago as an enhancement to normal
academic programming? The benefits of these programs has reached far and
wide in ways probably never imagined by these pioneers. Knowing your child can
benefit from participation in such activities should make that extra bit of time,
money and effort necessary to make these activities possible seem like a great
investment in their future!

https://studymoose.com/history-of-extracurricular-activities-essay

Did you know that the first extracurricular activities began in the United States in
the 19th century? In the beginning they were an additional part to the normal
academic schedule and included some practical or vocational interests. The first
well known extracurricular activities where literacy clubs at Harvard and Yale
University. Later, debate clubs and sororities and fraternities began to emerge.
Athletic activities designated as extracurricular were also first offered in the U.S.
and remain popular today. During the WWI era, clubs focused on the creation of
newspapers and yearbooks became popular extracurricular activities and today
students have many other extracurricular choices to provide positive
opportunities for personal and social growth and development.

It is estimated that 1 in 4 students participate in extracurricular activities in the

U.S. (Miller, Zittleman, 2010, 189) The cost to establish these programs in rural
and inner city schools is around $250 million. (Girod et al., 2005, 64) With this in
mind, one might wonder why we spend so much to offer extracurricular activities
for kids? Are there benefits to having kids participate in these programs and if so,
what are they? The evidence on how these types of programs benefit children
and youth is abundant. According to the National Center for Educational
Statistics (NCES), indicators of successful participation in extracurricular activities
includes improved and consistent attendance in school as well as higher levels of
academic achievement, and aspirations for continuing education beyond high
school. While it cannot be known from collected data whether participation in
extracurricular activities leads to success, or if successful students are just more
inclined to participate, more than likely it's a combination of both.

Education expert Mary Daniels Brown says, Participation in school activities,

especially athletics, leads to higher self esteem and enhanced status among
peers, which some argue is deterrent to antisocial behavior.

And John H. Holloway, a consultant with the Educational Testing Service, identifies
he most common time for negative behavior to occur is the time after school and
before parents get home, which is usually the time between three oclock and
seven oclock. This is the time kids are most at risk to commit violent acts and
victimization. Youth between the ages of nine and seventeen are highly
vulnerable to the influences of their peers and must learn to make their own
decisions and control their behavior. This is why it is a crucial time for them to
participate in extracurricular activities because these activities provide
supervision, guidance, and engage youth in enriched learning experiences. By
participating in these activities, youth are better able to resist unsafe behaviors
such as drug and alcohol use, gang involvement, and criminal activities.

Girls on the Run is one of the many extra curricular activities available to youth,
specifically female youth, at schools and community centers across the U.S. and
Canada. Through outcomes based lessons, Girls on the Run provides a physical
activity based positive youth development program (PA-PYD) like no other that
inspires girls to define their lives on their own terms by helping them build their
confidence and celebrate all that makes them unique.

Aren't you glad that the smart folks at Harvard and Yale began offering
extracurricular activities some 150 years ago as an enhancement to normal
academic programming? The benefits of these programs has reached far and
wide in ways probably never imagined by these pioneers. Knowing your child can
benefit from participation in such activities should make that extra bit of time,
money and effort necessary to make these activities possible seem like a great
investment in their future!