Taking Part in Non-Academic Activities for a Vibrant School Life

This article was contributed by Mr Ngoh Choon Ho, Principal of Hong Wen School.

School life should always be rich and vibrant. A school, like a big family, should be engaging and offer delightful learning experiences so that children will look forward to school each day. For this reason, school life should not be restricted to standard school hours and the child’s learning should not be confined to the classroom. So far, there is no other learning method that allows the child to learn and develop more holistically than a well-rounded school life.

The importance of co-curricular activities

The formal curriculum is inadequate if you want to fully develop the moral, intellectual, physical, social and aesthetic aspects of the child. Co-curricular activities (CCAs) help to fill this gap and are integral to school life. Although they are not compulsory in primary school, participation in CCAs is strongly encouraged. Some schools also encourage their students to take part in one activity.

Participation in CCAs can help your child to:

? Inculcate team spirit
Society is one big unit. Your child should learn how to interact and communicate with others from a young age. He should also learn to play different roles within a team, either as a leader or a keen participant. These useful life skills will stand him in good stead for life.

? Acquire new knowledge and skills
No matter which activity your child is in, be it sports, performing arts, visual arts, IT or Uniformed Groups, CCAs will equip your child with knowledge and skills that cannot be learnt in the classroom. It will also allow your child to cultivate healthy hobbies and interests.

? Persevere and overcome difficulties
Your child will likely encounter various problems in the course of his participation in the CCAs. How will your child cope with failure and how will your child strive to improve? How will he motivate his teammates? How will he strike a balance between his academic studies and CCAs? Overcoming these difficulties will mould your child to be a stronger, more resilient person. Parents should never let their child give up in face of setbacks such as deteriorating results or a lost match. Life is full of challenges and a child should never expect it to be plain-sailing.

? Encourage a sense of responsibility
When a child is part of a team, his behaviour and decisions not only affect himself but his team. The performance of a team will be impacted if a member is absent or uncooperative. By allowing your child to learn about his responsibilities and obligations within the team, you will imbue a sense of responsibility in the child. This is important for his own development as a person and to his family and society.

Types of co-curricular activities

There is a wide range of co-curricular activities and no one school is able to offer all the activities. A school will usually decide on the activities it will offer based on the resources available. Some of the typical CCAs include;

Sports: Basketball, Volleyball, Badminton, Table-tennis, Wushu, Soccer, Swimming, Rope-skipping, Gymnastics etc.

Arts: Chinese Orchestra, Music Ensemble, Choir, Dance, Art, Calligraphy, Pottery etc.

Uniformed groups: Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, St John Ambulance Brigade etc.

Others: Chess, Computer, Gardening, Library Management etc.

CCAs usually take place up to twice a week, although training sessions may increase prior to a competition or performance. The duration of each session is about two to three hours. Some students who are very active and have varied interests may wish to take part in more than one activity. Parents of these students should speak to the school to determine if their child is suited to take part in more than one activity.

Other activities outside of class

In addition to co-curricular activities, schools organise activities all year round. These include sports meets, camps, celebrations for National Day, Children’s Day, Teacher’s Day etc, National Education events, community service activities, charity activities as well as celebratory activities for the different cultures in Singapore. These activities enrich school life. As students enthusiastically participate in these activities, they will develop and learn a wide range of skills and values which will enable the child to thrive and grow.

Of course, learning is not just confined to schools. In line with various learning objectives, teachers may also organise learning activities outside of school to broaden the scope of learning and increase the child’s interest in learning.

In short, school life should be varied and not be restricted to the classroom. Parents should approach activities outside of school with the right attitude if they want their children to grow up healthy and develop holistically. Do not be overly concerned with the child’s academic performance and restrict his growth in other areas. Instead, parents should strongly encourage their children to participate in co-curriculum activities and other activities organised by the school so that their child’s learning experience in school will be an interesting and fulfilling one!

Contributed by:
Mr Ngoh Choon Ho
Principal
Hong Wen School

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