The average school kid in the U.S. will spend about six hours a day at school. That adds up to around 943 hours over the course of the school year
That seems like a lot, but there are countries where students spend a lot less time at home and a lot more time in school.
For many students, however, this isn’t enough time. Depending on their home lives, it might be ideal if students have the option to stay in school longer each day. Luckily, more and more schools are adding extracurricular activities to accommodate them.
School activities after the standard class period ends are pretty basic at most schools. Sports teams are the most common. But not every student who needs a longer school day is interested in team sports.
Keep reading below to see our activity list to add to your school’s offerings for maximum variety.
1. Volunteering
Many students have the heart to serve but don’t know how to get started. They want to make the world a better place and help their communities but need someone to help facilitate that.
A volunteering club can be the perfect after-school example. Whether they meet every day, or just once a week, students can spend time together planning out which local organizations they want to partner with.
They can plan on spending a day physically serving. And they can also come up with various ways to raise funds and make a large donation. This will also help them exceed their community service commitments required for graduation in many school districts.
2. Outdoor Pursuits
Students spend most of their time inside during their school years. But being outside, as much as possible, is vital for mental and physical health.
One of the best extracurricular activities you can offer is an outdoor club of some sort. By getting students out in nature, you can help them discover a passion for the outdoors, which many students don’t have access to, particularly in inner cities.
The club can be focused on just one activity, such as a hiking group. Each week, the group can travel to a different hiking trail, experiencing all that their local area has to offer.
Or you can offer a group that exposes students to a different activity each week or month. First, it might be hiking. Then it might be kayaking, and then it might be rock climbing.
You can do monthly excursions that involve camping and combine multiple activities into one trip.
3. Academic Clubs
The most common type of extracurricular activity is academic clubs. There are countless options to make available to your students. Math club, science club, history club, writing club, robotics club, or any other subject matter can create a club where students can dive deeper into their particular passions.
These clubs can help them prepare for their major in college. Or it can help them get hands-on job experiences, such as a programming or web design club.
4. Art
Everyone likes art, whether they realize it or not. And every student can benefit from the opportunity to create art with other, like-minded people around them.
Art clubs can provide a safe place for students to express themselves and create the work they feel strongly about, from painting to graphic design. They can even explore new creative outlets, such as fashion design, animation, or woodworking.
5. Activism and Occupy Student Clubs
High school is the time when the heart of an activist starts burning. By giving these natural activities a place to learn, grow, and take action, you can help fuel a healthy fire, encouraging students to fight for a better world.
Specific clubs or causes can be student-led, depending on who wants to participate in the club. It’s common to see high school groups fighting for the environment, women, or helping kids their age avoid poor decisions like partying, doing drugs, or other destructive behaviors.
6. Gaming
Some students just need a safe space to play games after school. Whether it’s video games, card-based games like Magic the Gathering, or board games, a gaming club will provide a healthy opportunity to build relationships.
If providing an opportunity to play video games, can help if the games have learning components to them. Many new games help students develop knowledge of programming and coding, which can lead them down the path of becoming a programmer in the future.
7. Media
Giving students the opportunity to create and promote various forms of media is one of the best ways to give them future job experience. Media can come in the form of writing, video, and social media content.
Any company they work for in the future will need marketing and media experts. By offering a media club at your school, you can give students who enjoy photography, filing, editing, and content creation an opportunity to express themselves and create something of value for their school.
They can spend their after-school hours planning content, writing scripts, and learning how to use various tools and equipment. Then, when a school event comes up, they can pull out their cameras and make magic.
For example, your student media team can be responsible for streaming sporting events. Not everyone will be able to show up but may want to watch their kids play. Sports streaming services for schools make it simple to broadcast live sporting events online.
8. ROTC
Many active students have a desire to join the military after graduating high school. It’s a noble pursuit, and it comes with many educational benefits as well, as getting a college degree while in the military is often free.
Student activities like ROTC provide kids with military training to help them have a better idea of what they are getting into by joining the military. It’s much less intense, but the physical training, along with the mental preparation, will help students determine if the military is right for them in the future.
Programs like ROTC also teach respect, teamwork, and patience, and can help troubled or lazy students.
School Activities Provide a Richer Learning Environment
Standard education classes will help students pass tests and graduate high school. But rarely will these basic subjects help students discover what they’re passionate about in life.
By offering extracurricular school activities of all kinds, you can provide a healthy environment for students to continue learning about things they enjoy and to gain new, valuable experiences to prepare them for their future.
Looking for more ideas like this? Head to our blog now to keep reading.
