Although some might argue that extracurricular activities are useless or have no purpose, they can prove to be quite the opposite. I agree that all students should be required to participate in an extracurricular activity because it teaches time management skills and encourages students to pursue hobbies.

Time management skills are vital to succeed in school and work environments, especially later on in life. Balancing time between school and hobbies is a great way to teach these skills early on. Once students reach a higher level of school, like college, they need to know how to balance time between hobbies, going out with friends, having fun, studying, and getting their homework done. If they can't manage time, they might devote too much time towards homework and studying and lose motivation from overworking without breaks. A loss of motivation could then lead to dropping out of college. On the other hand, if they put too much time towards having fun, their grades could plummet from not completing homework, and they would then risk being removed from their college due to a low GPA. In either case, the final result would be the student losing their chance at earning a college degree. Additionally, students who don't participate in extracurricular activities will be used to having all of their time to do work, and won't have learned proper time management skills. Without these skills, it's nearly impossible to move forward in life. Cultivating these skills before reaching college and high school could be the difference between earning or losing a college degree.

Secondly, if students are required to participate in an extracurricular activity, it would encourage them to pursue hobbies and talents. Without a rule requiring students participate in activities, they might have had no reason to try new things in the past. With a rule, however, students would have a reason to try the hobby they had always thought about but never put into action. If they don't like what they try, it's easy to move on and choose something new. For students who already have a hobby, this would simply give them a reason to continue to practice and improve in it. Students might find that they have a talent for something, or it could even become a lifelong passion. Cultivating talents at a younger age allows more time to practice and improve them before you need to use them. If your hobby is soccer, for example, then starting young would give you years to develop soccer skills, practice, and play games before you are being reviewed for a college soccer scholarship. Whether it's trying something new or continuing to improve in something, having a hobby can expose talent or develop skills that you can use later in life.

Overall, students should be required to participate in an extracurricular activity because it teaches them how to manage their time and encourages them to pursue hobbies. Time management skills are extremely important, and developing these skills at a younger age would benefit students greatly. It's important to try new things as well, because you might find that you love what you tried or have a talent for it. If you never try new things, then you'll never know if you would have liked them or not. Your hobbies and time management skills are two things that will follow you through life, and there's no better time to learn and practice them than now.