Is it a good idea to force students to participate in an extracurricular activity? I do not believe so. There are many reasons why not to force after school activities. It is not necessary to force students into taking an extracurricular activity because: the student could already be participating in a non-school related activity, the student's family might not be able to afford the activity, and the student might be unable to handle the extra work.

A lot of students actively participate in activities after they leave school,that are mostly run by the school they attend. However some activities are run by separate organizations. An example is the Y.M.C.A. They have swim teams for both adults and children to take part in and enjoy. If every student had to do some sort of school regulated extracurricular activity, then practices, or competitions could be scheduled at the same time. That would most likely cause those students to drop out of an activity they had enjoyed, to attend a school activity that is mandatory.

School activities are not always free. Sadly many families cannot afford more than what they use to survive. Unless the school pays for all the expenses, the student's family could have a hard time getting what is needed for that activity. If the student were to serve on the student council, money may be needed to start fundraisers, or give extra supplies for an event they set up. With most sports, the gear has to be bought in order for the student to play. To try out a current physical is needed, and that costs money that the family might not have to spare. Then if the student did not make the team the money was wasted. If the gas money to transport the student was unavailable, then they could not go.

Making kids participate in extracurricular activities could make them more active, but the student could have enough work to handle as it is. There are very many students around the globe who are very stressed about school. Adding activities that they have to prepare for and worry about could just add to their torment. A hardworking honor student that gets three packets of homework every night, will not have time to practice for volleyball, or prepare a speech for their school's student council. Perhaps there is a student who does their best but is not excelled at learning. to understand and pass his classes he might have to take extra time on homework. Maybe he has a tutor that he goes to after school to help him with difficult subjects. That student would not have much time to do anything but work if he had three hours of baseball practice when he got home.

In conclusion, schools should not force students to participate in an after school activity. It would cause more damage than good. Schools should not have mandatory extracurricular activities because: many students are already in non-school based activities, the family of a student might not be able to afford the activity, and students are overwhelmed with work as it is.