text: First off, mandatory participation for extracurricular activities can help boost social skills for students. Many students suffer from social anxiety, and "having any sort of extracurricular activity in a child's life can majorly boost the development of social skills due to working with others, especially in the 10-16 year old range," according to an article by psychologist Kathryn Wilson. This means that if children participate in extracurricular activities with peers, then they will most likely develop friendships with said peers.