Extra-curricular activities - How helpful are they for your kids?

Introduction

Today, high schools have started taking extra-curricular activities seriously and started providing a plethora of options. Earlier, extra-curricular activities were out of the school curriculum since a major portion of the teachers and parents felt dubious about them. In reality, these activities can bring many benefits and can help in career defining goals. Your children getting involved with extra-curricular activities is a great idea, since it is a very important step to help them develop many professional skills such as, people management, risk management and group tasks. 

There are many kinds of extra-curricular activities, some of them takes place before school hours, some after school and a few others during school hours and weekends as well. Around 70% of employers believe that extra-curricular activities can make a job seeker stand out from the rest. Extra curricular activities allow participants to contribute their own skills, thinking process and opinions and it can actually help them develop skills such as leadership, team-building, communication and budget management. Many schools with international syllabus in their curriculum such as ICSE residential schools in Bangalore, have started implementing these activities recently. While benefits are many, there is a limit where you should think of drawing a line between studies and these activities. A balanced combination of both can be beneficial for students. Let’s explore the possibilities below.

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The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities

A stronger mind - A participant needs a strong mental coordination, physical endurance and determination to take part in a high endurance game. In the long run, this sports will train participants to maintain patience and resilience in the most difficult situations of life.

   

Enhancement of professional skills - A classroom cannot teach professional skills always. And it’s not possible to foster skills of each and every student in a classroom. Extra-curricular activities like a debate competition or a quiz competition can help students to learn essential leadership skills and can boost their public speaking confidence. Any kind of sports have the capabilities to foster strong building and goal defining capabilities. 

Strong social engagement skills - Any kind of extra-curricular activities give enough opportunities to the students to interact and engage with each other. Students can spend their time with others of similar incidents and it can help them build strong social engagement skills. They can also meet students from different social groups with different views, and thus it helps them sharing their views over social causes. Majority of the ICSE residential schools in Bangalore allows students to interact with each other through group activities regularly.

Strong time management skills - The time management skills of a student can come down with the monotonous nature of the academics. But if a student get indulged with one or two extra-curricular activities, he is more likely to plan out dedicated time for each of the activities as it breaks the monotony. An extra-curricular activity can recharge the brain after a day of rigorous academic session. This is the reason why many of best ICSE schools in Bangalore keep sports as a mandatory session after school.

  

Exploration of career opportunities - It’s not mandatory that every student will choose careers based out on their academics. Many of them would choose interest outside of a standardized academic career. For example, music and sports. These activities let them explore their horizon of knowledge and ultimately it can help them choose preferable career options.

Demerits

While the benefits are many, you always need to consider how much is too much! Getting involved with too many activities can have negative effects, as the student may end up having academic problems or he may get confused with too many pending tasks. It’s important to talk to your children and advice them to set some limits to any of the activities they are getting involved with. Ask them to pick of their favorites and make sure they can handle them efficiently. Some kid may feel that getting involved with too many extra-curricular activities can make them prosper better, but in reality, it can hamper their improvement. Advice them to get committed to a few and keep the passion alive with them.

Conclusion 

Check with any of the best ICSE schools in Bangalore if you want your kids to get involved in extra-curricular activities. They provide plenty of options. Primarily, they provide excellent benefits for your kids to enjoy. Just make sure to share your views and put your foot down if it hampers their academic development. 

The article is brought to you by Greenwood High International School, the best international school in Bangalore

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12 ways to handle exam stress for school students 🏫

Exams are a pain, aren’t they? Not many students enjoy the pressure of exams unless coached and nurtured towards it. It’s hard to remain focused given the stakes at hand! Not much can be done about this as it requires for you to pass the examination in order to be qualified for college. It is a given that exams are a pain! Even the students of the best schools in Bangalore face the stress.

In order to combat stressful situations during the exam time, you will need to understand the reasons behind this heightened anxiety. The factors influencing stress can swell up easily if you slack attention. Some of the determining parameters are,

• Low motivation levels
• Lack of preparation and planning
• High expectations from others
• Competition from peers

The difference between a student who allows stress to overwhelm them and someone who uses it to push them harder is what the teachers of the best IB schools in Bangalore strive to do. Admirable students will pause, reflect and choose a path that will help them overcome the impasse, not just wait for the pressure wave to engulf them.This is the hallmark of a student, to be able to soak in pressure and adapt to clinical methods to surpass the test. 

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How do I know if I am stressed? 

Just like any other medical condition, stress possesses symptoms that pose threat to your scores, leaving you grades below your own personal benchmarks. The IB syllabus schools in Bangalore focus on the overall development while making the kids better students of their own emotions. Researchers have drafted the stress symptoms to help the ones who fail to cope up.  

Stress Symptoms

n Difficulty getting to sleep or difficulty waking up in the morning

n Constant tiredness

n Forgetfulness

n Unexplained aches and pains

n Poor appetite

n Loss of interest in activities

n Increased anxiety and irritability

n Increased heart rate

n Migraines/headaches

n Blurred vision

n Dizziness

In the constant quest to become a better student of your emotions, knowing the roots is one thing, and practicing it is another. Kick-off your next study season with these sharp pointers in order to remain ahead of your peers while handling stress with the help of the best school in Bangalore.

Listen to music

Medicine heals the body, music heals the soul! Take a break once in a while and play soothing music at the background or pump yourself up for the following session. Stress seems to fade when plugged-in for a few minutes or hours through the day. Take it notch up by learning an instrument. There is nothing better than a musical instrument to relieve your stress.

Sleep well (Doesn’t mean you pass out for hours at a stretch)

Sleeping doesn’t mean you pass out for hours. Take a nap for sometime, relax and rejuvenate yourself for the next session of studies. A short nap can enable you to study for long hours when you have a complicated subject at hand. IB syllabus schools in Bangalore provide with little tricks to tackle pressure while ensuring you develop a 360* angle to your learning curve.

Engage in a sports activity

Sports and games are a compulsory aspect of learning. The angle you play the shot in can come in handy while studying Math topics, and the physical drain that you experience, can help you learn about the functions of muscles, tissues, heart rate and more. Sports does help you in creating magic in studies too. It’s all about finding the right mix! The best international school in Bangalore look to create an overall learning experience without being confined to bookish knowledge.

Manage time

Time management is a life long process and no matter how old or young you are, unless you are a baby, your tasks will demand for time segregation. Allocate your time rightly for games and studies. Mix the exam stress and fun together in order to get the best out of your efforts. The last minute study does help, but even this last minute if broken down into quick-fix studies can boost your results up to your expected benchmarks.

Talk about your exam pressure to someone (family, friend, anyone)

Pressure can be overwhelming and might seem to look bigger than it actually is. All your efforts might go for a toss when you are stuck alone. Talking to someday lightens you up and ensures you are going on the right track. The somebody can be your friend, family or anyone whom you are close to. The best ISCE schools in Bangalore provide with counselling opportunities that you can benefit from.

Approach to the exam

Approach means the way you conduct yourself before the exam. Perform the rituals if you follow any, or just remain unperturbed about the surroundings before entering the exam hall. Even before all this, strategize your exam studies and tackle them one by one. For instance, if you are good in Math, you might want to spend lesser time on it, while if English is your challenge, you might want to spend more time on it. Similarly, vice-versa.

Start studying early

 

Start studying as soon as your teacher announces the exam. Even before that, read over your notes after each class to make sure you understand them. Put the notes in your own words. You can prepare even more by thinking of questions that your teacher might ask on an exam. Write the questions down and answer them after your class is finished. This will make studying easier. Ultimately, don't lose sight of the fact that there is life after exams. Things might seem intense right now, but it won't last forever.

 Pick your time phase to study 

Experiment on which time of the day yo are most comfortable studying, either night or day. If you are a day person, then getting up early in the morning can leave you with a lot of time in hand to study. While on the other hand, if you are a night person, then staying up late night and finishing your studies must be your goal. There are benefits of studying both times.

Benefits of Studying During the Day

After a good nights sleep, you’ll likely have more energy and a higher ability to concentrate the next day.

Communicate during the Day 

Most people are contactable during the day so it’s easier to communicate with your friends or teachers during the day if you have any questions.

Benefits of Studying at Night

At night, there are fewer distractions than the ones in the day. Most of your friends are asleep and your social networks will be least active.  It is true that things look different by night. The night can increase your creative efficacy and help you see concepts differently.

Top international schools in Bangalore such as Greenwood High International School take extra care to handle students' exam stress.

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