The Role of Extracurricular Activities in Child Developmental Outcomes

Abstract

Childrens’ participation in extracurricular activities has been shown to be associated with increased academic performance and social-emotional skills. Further, participation in extracurriculars more closely correlates with career success than grades. An even better indicator of school performance and other child developmental outcomes, however, can perhaps be derived from looking at a child’s extracurricular profile or the collection of activities that the child is primarily involved in. This article examines the impact of a child’s extracurricular profile on their development including academic, behavioural, and health outcomes from students in British Columbia and New York State.