text: Not only that, but participating in an extracurricular activity will increase a student's self-esteem. "Students that have taken part in extracurricular activities show higher signs of happiness and self accomplishment," says Robert Hilton, a pediatric physiologist and expert in child behaviors. Put simply, students that have been in out-of-school activities are happier and appreciate themselves more. This means that if students were required to take part in extracurricular activities, they would all have increased self-esteems.