Team and club sports, as well as gym classes and recess play times are all considered cocurricular activities. Students in elementary school benefit from recess time, returning to classroom studies with a renewed ability to focus and concentrate after running and playing. For middle and high school students, learning the cooperative rules of group sports and physical activities can inspire cooperation throughout the school day and in all other classroom activities. Good sportsmanship may be a lesson students learn through participation in sports, but it's one they use in all areas of life and study.
Students who learn to play a musical instrument not only develop musical expertise, they also gain an understanding of the benefits of practice and step-by-step persistence in achieving a goal. Music appreciation classes can enhance the abilities of those students who are auditory in their learning preferences. Students who participate in chorus activities learn to work as part of a team at the same time that they are exploring the joy of artistic expression through singing.
Students benefit from the opportunity presented in art classes to explore their creativity through drawing, painting and sculpting. They also, however, benefit in traditional classroom subjects through enhanced abilities to perceive spatially and solve problems. Their ability to creatively is also enhanced through participation in art classes. Art classes are especially beneficial to students whose learning style is kinesthetic or hands-on in nature. The opportunity to do the assignment rather than read, write or discuss, suits the natural inclinations of these students, boosting confidence and reinforcing a sense of success.
Drama classes can benefit students by offering them an opportunity for self-expression while also enhancing their level of comfort performing and speaking before groups. Drama classes involve exercises that enhance students' abilities to cooperate within a group, as well as individual opportunities for exploration on a personal level. Students in drama classes at the upper school levels also have the opportunity to explore the technical aspects of play production through learning about set, costume and lighting design and construction and operation.