Co-Scholastic Activities

Here in this article, you find Co-Scholastic Activities for School Students to develop Life Skills, Work Education, Visual and Performing Arts, Attitudes and Values.

“Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words.

Keep your words positive, because your words become your behaviour.

Keep your behaviour positive, because your behaviour becomes your habits.

Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values.

Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.”

                                                                                           -Mahatma Gandhi

“If there is to be peace in the world,

There must be peace in the nations,

If there is to be peace in the nations,

There must be peace in the cities,

If there is to be peace in the cities,

There must be peace between neighbours,

If there is to be peace between neighbours,

There must be peace in the home,

If there is to be peace in the home,

There must be peace in the heart”.

                                                 –  Lao Tzu

Scholastic and co-scholastic Activities in Schools:

In order to implement Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) in school education, both Scholastic and Co-Scholastic activities aspects need to be given due recognition.  The word ‘comprehensive’ of CCE indicates the assessment of all-round development of the child’s personality which includes the assessment in Scholastic as well as Co-Scholastic aspects. Scholastic activities have been classified into two categories namely Formative and Summative Assessments where the students get knowledge of the academic subjects.  Whereas Co-Scholastic Activities, on the other hand, develop knowledge of the society which involves Life Skills, Work Education, Visual and Performing Arts, Attitudes and Values, specified Co-Curricular Areas, Health and Physical Education. So, the schools need to design the curriculum including scholastic and co-scholastic activities so as to facilitate the students acquire skills to face the challenges in their life.

As per the CBSE suggested Curriculum Manuals Co-Scholastic Areas are classified into several categories as mentioned below.

Part 1 deals with the Scholastic Areas of Assessment

Part 2 consists of Co-Scholastic Activities where students’ are assessed in four parts on a Five Point Grading Scale once in a session.

Part 3 (A) Co-Curricular Activities (any two): (B) Health and Physical Education

Part 2: Types of Co-Scholastic Activities:

(A): Life Skills consists of

Thinking Skills

• Self Awareness
• Problem Solving
• Decision Making
• Critical Thinking
• Creative Thinking

Social Skills

• Interpersonal Relationships
• Effective Communication
• Empathy

Emotional Skills

• Managing Emotions
• Coping with Stress

(B): Work Education

(C): Visual and Performing Arts

(D): Attitudes & Values

• Attitudes towards Teachers
• Attitudes towards Schoolmates
• Attitudes towards School Programmes
• Attitudes towards Environment

Part 3:

(A) Co-Curricular Activities

• Literary and Creative Skills
• Scientific Skills
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
• Organizational and Leadership Skills (Clubs)

(B) Health and Physical Activities

• Sports/ Indigenous sports (Kho-Kho etc.)
• NCC / NSS
• Scouting and Guiding
• Swimming
• Gymnastics
• Yoga
• First Aid
• Gardening/Shramdaan

Details of Co-Scholastic Activities:

(A): Life Skills

Life Skills are the skills that enable the children to keep their body, mind and emotions healthy. With the help of these skills, students can be able to understand themselves and develop a rapport with peers and others. If these life skills are properly designed and implemented the students will be able to develop a positive attitude, self-reliance, psychosocial competencies and interpersonal.  There are ten Life Skills incorporated in Co-Scholastic Areas which are categorized under three heads namely – Thinking Skills, Social Skills and Emotional Skills.

Thinking Skills

• Self Awareness

Knowing one’s own likes, dislikes, strengths, weakness, behavior, stressful situations and act appropriately is self-awareness. Self-awareness helps one to know one’s self and get along well with fellow beings.

• Problem Solving

This skill helps the children identify the problems faced in daily life situations and invent the right strategies to solve the same with their peers in the groups.

• Decision Making

This skill will develop in the children a decisive mind and train them to think practically. They can plan for the activities, seeking the cooperation of the peer group and judge the course of action with a satisfying decision.

• Critical Thinking

Critical thinking involves the ideals of self-discipline, self-direction, self-monitoring. With the help of critical thinking, the children will be able to evaluate the pros and cons and judge the facts with objective analysis. They continue with a contented decision and take the help of the peer group.

• Creative thinking

It is a novel way by which the children will develop four essential components – fluency (generating new ideas), flexibility (shifting perspective easily), originality (conceiving of something new), and elaboration (building on other ideas).  This enables students to express themselves to bring out their innate capacity in a composed and flexible manner.

Social Skills

Social skills are required for creating a rapport with others and for sharing information with peers and elders appropriately. These social skills help the students in learning substantially and help them in interacting with others without anger and fear.

• Interpersonal Relationships

With the help of this skill, the children will be able to learn to maintain rapport with others in the family and society and strengthen the relationship.  Through this, they develop excellent communication skills and participate in all activities with confidence.

• Effective Communication

Communication is an expression of one’s inner ideas both verbally and non-verbally in a clear and appropriate manner. The important features of communication are viz. expressing one’s thoughts, wishes, needs and fears in a simple language, sharing relevant ideas, respecting ideas and listening to others.

• Empathy

The skill of Empathy helps children enable the ability to understand and share the feelings of another and improves social interactions even in situations of cultural diversity.

Emotional Skills

These skills help the children understand and handle their emotions, anger and stress.

• Managing Emotions

This skill enables the children to be aware of the factors which cause agitation and restlessness and realize the impact of stress. Thereby they develop a positive approach and find various strategies to manage emotions.

• Coping with Stress

The skill helps the children understand the impact of one’s emotions on self and on others. It also enables the children to understand how to express emotions and how they would affect health if they are suppressed. The children also learn here how to relax so that tensions created by unavoidable stress do not give rise to health problems.

How Life Skills help the children/Learning outcomes of Like Skills

Suggested Activities

Teachers can assess the life skills of students by observing many activities done by students and during interactions and discussions.  The following suggested activities can be helpful to the teachers to plan, execute and develop life skills among the students.

• Class Room Discussion, debate
• Brainstorming
• Demonstration and guided practice
•  Games
• Their point of view after seeing a video clip
• The feelings they express after they read news/events/information
• The effort to find solutions for day-to-day problems
• Roleplay
• Involving in the arrangements for organizing school functions
• Coordinating/participating in school functions
• Involvement and enthusiasm showed in morning assembly activities
• Coming forward to participate in competitions
• Being supportive to teachers in doing experiments and in operating OHP / LCD or using ICT
• Club activities
• Interaction with people in the marketplace
• The behaviour observed at the bus stand / during bus travel
• Students’ feelings during games
• The capacity to treat both success and failure alike
• Daily interaction with fellow students
• Rapport with fellow students, the common public and teachers
• The ability to communicate on different occasions
• Competitions / Acting in dramas and giving solo performances in which individual talents can be demonstrated
• Classroom management, decoration, cleaning activities
• Activities revealing aesthetic sense. (Map, Science Record, Geometry, Drawing, Tailoring)
• Preparing projects / Presentation of project work, Mind Maps, Student’s behavior during a crisis situation

Life Skills Manuals

Life Skills Teachers’ Manual VI Class

Life Skills Teachers’ Manual VII Class

Life Skills Teachers’ Manual VIII Class

Life Skills Teachers’ Manual IX and X Classes

Activities for Creativity and Problem Solving

Stress Reduction Activities for Students

(B): Work Education

Work Education Activities should be promoted by the schools for the holistic development of the children. These activities help the students to participate in social, economic and welfare activities. Student gets a sense of community service and develops self-reliance.

Areas to develop skills in Work Education:

• Cookery Skills
• Preparation of stationery items
• Tieing and dyeing and screen printing
• Recycling of paper
• Hand embroidery
• Running a book bank
• Repair and maintenance of domestic electrical gadgets
• Computer operation and maintenance
• Photography etc.,

Work Education Syllabus and Activities

(C) Visual and Performing Arts

These skills help the children identify their artistic skills and enhance their identified talents.  It gives the right platform to express their novel thoughts, sense of beauty and creative potential.

These skills can be developed through the following areas:

• Music (Vocal, Instrumental)
• Dance
• Drama
• Drawing
• Painting
• Craft
• Sculpture
• Puppetry
• Folk Art forms etc.,

Suggested activities:

• Drawing and Colouring with waters colours/ pencils –  Fruits, Flowers, Vegetables, Animals, Birds.. and arranging exhibitions
• Drawing natural scenery
• Drawing on the Computer
• Leaves – painting
• Pencil Shading
• Paper Collage
• Paper Collage using waste paper
• Origami/Paper folding
• Prepare models using types of soils
• Making vegetables with clay
• Making flowers using clay
• Clay model making – exhibition
• Spot Painting with a topic or theme
• Drawing cartoons on the computer
• Prepare posters, greeting cards
• Cutting according to designs/shapes
• Cutting the shapes of English letters
• Computer lab, Visual Communication activity, prepare annual bulletin in computer
• Soap carving and making images
• Preparing images on chalk piece
• Prepare images from waste materials

Art Education Syllabus and Activities

Art Education Activities and Projects

(D) Attitudes and Values

Student age is the right period to inculcate healthy attitudes and values. Great thoughts and exemplary values among young children can be developed only by the diverse stories, songs, historical events and day-to-day events. The values and attitudes of students have been brought under four dimensions.

• Attitude Towards Teachers
• Attitude Towards School-mates
• Attitude Towards School Programmes and Environment
• Attitude Towards Value Systems

Value Education – A Handbook for Teachers

Value Education – Cards:  Nursery to II Classes

Value Education – Cards:  III to V Classes

Value Education – Cards:  VI to VIII Classes

Value Education – Cards:  IX to XII Classes

Part 3: Types of Co-Curricular Activities:

(A) Co-Curricular Activities (any two)

• Literary and Creative Skills
• Debate, Declamation, Creative Writing, Recitation, Drawing, Poster Making, Slogan Writing, On-the-spot Painting
• Scientific Skills
• Science Club, Science Quiz, Science Exhibition, Projects, Math Club, Olympiads
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
• Organizational and Leadership Skills (Clubs)

(B) Health and Physical Education

Health is Wealth.  A disease-free life is boundless wealth.  The children of the present generation are becoming vulnerable to health and physical problems.  It is no surprise to see diseases like obesity, anemia diabetes etc., commonly seen among young children. So it is inevitable to provide physical education to the children to be fit and healthy so as to prevent many diseases.

 Activities:

• Sports/Indigenous sports (Kho-Kho etc.,)
• NCC/NSS
• Scouting and Guiding
• Swimming
• Gymnastics
• Yoga
• First Aid
• Gardening/Shramdaan

Health and Physical Education Manuals

• Health and Physical Education Syllabus (Classes I-X)
• Health and Physical Education: A Teachers’ Manual for Classes I-V  
• Health and Physical Education: A Teachers’ Manual for Class VI 
• Health and Physical Education: A Teachers’ Manual for Class VII
• Health and Physical Education: A Teachers’ Manual for Class VIII
• Health and Physical Education: A Text-Book for Class IX  
• Health and Physical Education: A Teachers’ Manual IX-XII
• Yoga: A Healthy Way of Living for Upper Primary Stage
• Yoga: A Healthy Way of Living for Secondary Stage

For Primary Section

Activity Book for Children(3-4years)

Activity Book for Children(4-5years)

Early Child Development Kit

Classroom Games