How Do After-School Activities Affect My Child's Grades?

How After-School Activities Affect Grades

Overview of After-School Activity

Like other strategies used to help students with their grades, participating in after-school activities does not guarantee academic success. Often, factors such as family history and self-motivation play major roles in how well students do in school. However, participation in after-school activities is generally a positive experience, whether your child plays a sport or is a member of an academic club.

Test Scores and Grade Improvement

The type of activity your child is involved in will often dictate how much his grades are affected. When children are involved in extracurricular activities, they're usually required to maintain certain grades to stay active, so they tend to make a better effort in school. Some after-school activities are also educationally based, which can lead to better grades because these clubs encourage students to be interested in learning.

Attendance and Engagement

When your child is involved with an activity she genuinely likes, she will usually be more energized and excited about school. Academic clubs may inspire your child to be curious about the world around her. Additionally, students typically realize that if they want to continue participating in the activity, they must succeed in school. As a result, your child is likely to take more of an active role in class and stay on top of her school responsibilities.

Better Social Skills

Through after-school activities, your child will often learn the importance of treating people with respect. He will also learn how to work well with others. Sports teams and academic teams alike require students to work together and support one another. Both skills will help him stay out of trouble at school, which helps him do better academically.

Work Ethic

Depending on the activity, there may also be a lot of hard work and practice involved. Often, this work ethic spills over into the work she does for school and can help improve her grades.