If your child’s extracurricular choices and after school programs are only based on availability at school, then it may not be the best strategy for maximizing growth or developing skills. While getting involved in extracurriculars contributes value on its own, carefully selecting activities aligned with your child's interests and strengths can help unlock their potential and put them on a path towards lifelong achievement early on.
This article will provide the best methods for helping you and your child choose impactful extracurricular activities that have lasting benefits beyond school.
But first, it is crucial to understand why extracurriculars matter so much
Extracurricular activities can help define your child’s passions and hone skills/ talents that will serve them for their lifetime. They could play a guiding role behind future education and career decisions down the line.
In recent times, extracurriculars have increased relevance in the college application process. Top schools and universities are not just looking at academic performance anymore; extracurricular portfolios and leadership roles are among the top factors determining admission success as they are capable of showcasing an applicant's true character beyond grades and academic competency. Extracurriculars are the differentiating factor that can set your child apart from other applicants and demonstrate invaluable qualities such as personal growth, character, leadership, and a drive to create impact - qualities that admission officers want to see in their desired candidates. Therefore extracurriculars are to be chosen both purposefully and strategically from the get go especially if your child is aiming at elite universities such as Ivy leagues, Stanford, Oxford and so on.
Strategies for Parents: Help Middle Schoolers in Extracurricular Selection
Choosing extracurriculars is not easy! There are more than a hundred choices and activities across more than ten plus broad categories. But knowing what will best suit your child or what activities could help your child shine through only takes simple efforts like close observation or probing for answers by asking the right questions.
Here are some easy indicators that we have identified to make things easier for you and your teen:
A. Personality Traits
Personality traits not only define an individual’s behavior, temperament, or nature of social interaction, but they are also capable of bringing out core strengths and natural inclinations.
Understanding your child’s personality can help you tailor extracurricular activities to their individual learning style, social preferences, interests, and core strengths. For example, an introverted and imaginative child may be suited to thrive in an art or music class, while an extroverted and energetic child is more likely to enjoy team sports.
One of the approaches we take at Crimson Rise is to analyze the personality traits of our students through a simple test called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI is a psychological tool designed to categorize individuals into one of 16 personality types based on how they perceive and interact with the world. You can take the test with your child to understand their various personality traits. These classifications are based on four dichotomies, each representing contrasting characteristics. Choosing extracurriculars is not easy! There are more than a hundred choices and activities across more than ten plus broad categories. But knowing what will best suit your child or what activities could help your child shine through only takes simple efforts like close observation or probing for answers by asking the right questions.
Here are some easy indicators that we have identified to make things easier for you and your teen:Choosing extracurriculars is not easy! There are more than a hundred choices and activities across more than ten plus broad categories. But knowing what will best suit your child or what activities could help your child shine through only takes simple efforts like close observation or probing for answers by asking the right questions.
Here are some easy indicators that we have identified to make things easier for you and your teen:Choosing extracurriculars is not easy! There are more than a hundred choices and activities across more than ten plus broad categories. But knowing what will best suit your child or what activities could help your child shine through only takes simple efforts like close observation or probing for answers by asking the right questions.
Here are some easy indicators that we have identified to make things easier for you and your teen:
Extracurricular options based on personality traits:
In the end, it's essential to consider personal interests and passions when selecting extracurricular activities. Do not force your kids to pick any of these extracurriculars simply based on their personality traits alone, always speak to your child about their interests and passion before making a final choice.
B. Hobbies
Hobbies are self-directed interests pursued independently, and extracurriculars allow for skill and leadership development in a structured group setting through the school.
Hobbies offer early insight into the interests and passions of your child as these are self-directed activities your child engages in without any compulsion, force, or guidance. It rather represents the natural inclination of your child. Observing how your child likes to spend their unscheduled or unstructured part of the day also offers insights into potential educational or career paths, as they are based on strong interests and intrinsic motivation.
Other Factors to Consider While Selecting Extracurriculars
Showcase passion and skill
Choosing extracurriculars based on your passion allows your child to demonstrate commitment and excellence, as chances are your child is willing to put effort into really developing the skill or talent that they are passionate about. An added advantage this way is that colleges and universities often look for students who are enthusiastic and committed to their extracurricular pursuits.
As discussed in our previous section, personality traits and hobbies can be great indicators for parents to help their child find their passion. While some kids find their passion early on, there are others who need a little more guidance to get there. Using personality traits and hobbies as a starting point allows you to keep a close watch on their core strengths and interests, respectively. Once you have formed an idea about their strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, you can introduce and discuss different choices that they would like to pursue at a time.
Balance
Striking a balance between passion, physical activity, and community service is a great start for building a well-rounded profile that most top universities look for in their applicants. Encourage your child to pick a minimum of one activity from each of these domains and ensure they commit to it for a minimum period of four to six months.
For example, if your child has an introverted trait, introduce them to solo sports like gymnastics or swimming instead of team sports and let them choose any one of the activities they prefer. Similarly, have them select community services based on a mission or cause that they deeply care about. If your child is a nature lover, a good initiative could be starting a cleanliness drive in your community or neighborhood that recurs every week. Coding club, swimming, and a neighbourhood cleanliness drive are effective examples of a well-balanced extracurricular profile.
Finding balance is not just about selecting different types of extracurriculars; students also need to find a balance between extracurriculars, academics, and their personal time. Parents could ensure that their child is not overscheduled. Three extracurricular pursuits at a time is a good number of activities to maintain, but it is important to ensure that they are not getting stressed out under the pressure of managing extracurriculars and academics. Such stress can often lead to poor quality, especially in terms of participation, which is not favorable when it comes to building a standout portfolio.
Choosing Impactful Activities
Being part of a popular sports team or school club may not be enough to differentiate your child’s profile from the rest of the applicants. Standing out from the crowd requires your child to demonstrate more than just their passion; admission officers look for students who can show growth and drive to create change or make an impact through their extracurriculars. The best way to do this is through independent or passion projects.
Leadership positions like student council, holding positions such as president or secretary in a school club, are great opportunities to showcase positive impact and changes made through one’s efforts. There are also other ways to achieve this, such as finding meaningful and purpose-driven projects that your child is highly passionate about.
At Crimson Rise, we emphasize the development of independent projects based on students' personal strengths and interests. For example, our students have built apps from scratch, co-founded non-profit organizations, and created art showcases with the guidance and mentorship of our community of academic and field experts during their middle school years. Read more about these projects and their achievements in our student stories
Related reads: Extracurricular activities to boost college applications
How to Get Started?
Consider the four broad categories of extracurricular options : academics, arts, sports, and community services when you first begin your exploration journey with your child. Understanding their personality traits and the topics that pique their curiosity can help you guide your child in navigating extracurricular selection and participation meaningfully and purposefully.
Our Crimson Rise programs are designed to help students find a sense of direction and passion without compromising overall academic performance. Our team of experts meets with your child to gain a deeper understanding of their goals and challenges, which allows them to chart out an individualized academic pathway. With our community of academic and field experts, each student gets an opportunity to explore possible career choices of interest while understanding the educational rigor, scope, and other factors.
Book a free consultation today with our academic advisor to learn how our programs could specifically help your child.
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