6 Co-Curricular Activities Your Child Can Enjoy at an International School
International schools are known for their emphasis on academic rigor, and many parents enroll their children in these schools precisely so that the latter can strengthen their academic performance. But studies aren’t the only thing that should characterize a student’s life in international school. It’s just as important for them to have a healthy social life and to hone their innate talents and skills outside of the classroom—both of which they can do through involvement in co-curricular activities.
Luckily, the best international secondary schools in Singapore also offer a wide array of enriching co-curricular options. There may be no better environment than an international school for your child to learn the value of co-curricular activities, as these activities may also involve the chance to go overseas, to compete at the highest levels, and to network with leaders in various global disciplines.
What are the best co-curricular activities that you can encourage your child to sign up for? Here are some of the best examples, many of which you will find in an international school environment.
Co-Curricular Activities That Reflect Their Academic Inclinations
Does your child have a special inclination towards a particular school subject? If so, an excellent way for them to get even better at the subject—as well as explore different possibilities than what they’ve encountered in the classroom—is through an academic club. Students who do well in their science or math subjects can join the math team or the IT club, while students who love their English and literature subjects can apply for a book club or the school paper. Involvement in these co-curricular activities will definitely help students achieve important learning outcomes before they graduate from their school. Let your child play to their academic strengths by encouraging them to join related clubs, teams, or societies.
Co-Curricular Activities That Encourage Their Love for Sport
It may also be good for your child to join an athletics club or sports team during their time in international school. On top of keeping your child physically healthy, sports can help them learn how to manage their time, how to work well with other people, and how to understand and eventually surpass their personal limits. All of these will serve them quite well in their tertiary education and in their professional lives. You can nudge them to take up a new athletic activity or continue the ones they were interested in when they were in elementary school.
Co-Curricular Activities That Bring Out Their Creative Side
Many international schools are quite proactive about nurturing their students’ creativity. As such, you and your child will likely find a lot of co-curricular options for nurturing their creative side. If they’re natural performers, they can sign up for the school’s drama club, dance troupe, or orchestra; if they want to get better at crafts related to the visual arts or visual storytelling, they could join the art club or film club. What’s important is that they get the chance to widen their imagination and approach a broad range of topics like the human condition and the interconnectedness of the world in their own unique way.
Co-Curricular Activities That Involve Cultural Appreciation
Though being enrolled in an international school may, on its own, develop your child’s appreciation for other cultures and traditions, it would be good for them to take that even further through their co-curricular activities. Clubs and societies of this nature can expand your child’s worldview and help them learn about 21st century global values. They can pursue co-curricular outlets like model United Nations, the debate team, a foreign language club, and the like. If they plan to study overseas, this kind of co-curricular involvement may also stand out in their curriculum vitae.
Co-Curricular Activities That Enhance Their Leadership Abilities
Your child may still be young, but they may also demonstrate exceptional initiative and leadership ability as early as in their high school years. Knowing how important these qualities will be to them when they take up further education or start their own careers, don’t hold them back from trying out co-curricular activities that will build their leadership skills. If they have any such inclination, motivate them to run for a student council position or to apply to a young leaders’ program. For this kind of involvement, your encouragement may mean the world to them.
Co-Curricular Activities That Inspire Greater Community Engagement
No child is ever too young to make a positive contribution to their local community, even if it’s a simple one. Most international school programs acknowledge this and therefore have ample opportunities for co-curricular civic engagement. Your child can join a club or society whose core activities involve fundraising for an underprivileged community, caring for the environment, or advocating for the rights of a particular sector. Being involved in this type of co-curricular activity can help them practice values like integrity and generosity of spirit, and it will strengthen their moral compass well into adulthood.
Your child’s international school life may be different from how you imagine it to be due to factors like the global pandemic. But schools have also gotten creative at adapting co-curricular activities in the age of blended learning. This means that your child will still have the opportunity to meet new people, take up a new skill, or nurture their current interests in their current learning paradigm. Take the additional step to support them through their co-curricular life and ensure that they have a happy and holistic international school experience.
