What are the benefits of extra-curricular activities?
To foster well-rounded development, we offer a diverse range of extra-curricular activities that support children’s learning, growth and wellbeing. From swimming to football and yoga, to music and gymnastics, we offer an array of activities here at Pilgrims.
Our Headteacher, Jo Webster, explains how extra-curricular activities offer a wealth of benefits that extend far beyond the classroom, impacting the children’s social, emotional and cognitive growth. They provide a safe, supportive and nurturing environment for children to try something new and challenge themselves that may be outside of their comfort zone.
Enhancing social skills
One of the primary benefits of extra-curricular activities is the opportunity they provide for children to develop their social skills.
Whether it’s collaborating in arts and crafts, playing on a football team or participating in a LAMDA drama club, these activities teach children how to interact with their peers, work as part of a team and communicate effectively.
These experiences also foster a sense of belonging and community, which is essential for building confidence and self-esteem.
Encouraging physical and mental wellbeing
Participation in physical activities, such as sports or dance, is vital for a child’s physical and mental health.
Regular exercise helps children improve their cardiovascular health and build strong bones and muscles. Additionally, physical activity has been shown to reduce stress, improve mood and enhance cognitive function, contributing to better academic performance.
Extra-curricular activities also support mental wellbeing by providing a creative outlet for self-expression. Whether it’s painting, dancing or playing a musical instrument, these activities allow children to explore their passions and interests.
Providing a sense of achievement, purpose and skills for life
Extracurricular activities offer children a sense of achievement that is separate from their academic success.
Whether it’s scoring a goal or mastering a difficult piece of music, these accomplishments give children a sense of pride and purpose.
This positive reinforcement encourages children to set and pursue goals, not only within their chosen activities but also in other areas of their lives.
The skills they develop are transferable and beneficial across all aspects of their education and personal development. These include discipline in attendance and practice, resilience to bounce back from failure and perseverance to continue through the ebbs and flows of their learning journey.
Joining extra-curricular activities at Pilgrims
At Pilgrims we encourage all children to take advantage of the opportunities available, explore new skills, interest and passions, while discovering the many benefits that extra-curricular activities have to offer.
We strive to ensure that every child has the opportunity to participate in their chosen extra-curricular activities.
Nurturing talent
We understand how a keen interest in an activity can go hand in hand with development, so we inspire our children to build a lifelong love of the activities they enjoy. Our advice to parents would be to sit with their children and discuss the activities on offer to find out what each child might like and want to try. Sometimes this involves trying more than one activity to find out what they really enjoy.
If staff at Pilgrims notice a child’s keen interest or natural ability towards an activity, we will mention this to parents, which can form the basis for a discussion. Alternatively, parents are welcome to approach staff to understand what might be suitable for their child.
Due to the popularity of some clubs and the limited number of places available, we encourage our parents to book early to avoid disappointment.
For information on availability and bookings, please contact Mrs. Cole in the main office, either in person or via email at s.cole@pilgrims-school.org.uk.