Broadly speaking we can classify co-curricular activities as.
(i) Indoor activities, and
(ii) Outdoor activities.
1. Indoor Activities
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Some of these are discussed here:
(a) Cooperative Stores
It is always possible to run a cooperative store in the school under the guidance of commerce teacher. Such store can act as a laboratory for commerce students as they can apply most of the principles of commerce learnt by them in a commerce class (e.g. Elements of Commerce). The running of cooperative store provides the commerce students a practical training in planning orders for books and stationery, purchasing and selling, maintaining and settling accounts with persons and different firms. They also get an opportunity to be trained in various stores activities. Thus we find that the school cooperative store may have far reaching practical values. They also help to train the students on democratic principles.
(b) School Bank
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It would be desirable if such a bank is run by all the schools imparting instruction in commerce. The commerce teacher may be asked to give proper direction and work as director of such a bank. If such a bank is run carefully it will help to familiarize the students about the operations and functioning of a bank. It is also possible to provide training to students in different banking activities such as; issuing of cheques, clearing of cheques, depositing money in the bank, filling in pay slips for cash and cheques, maintaining and settling accounts and preparing final accounts and balance-sheet. Commerce teacher has to see that all commerce students work in such a bank by rotation.
(c) Cottage Industries
If possible attempts are made by commerce teacher to start some cottage industry in school where willing students may be permitted to work on remunerative basis. In such an industry opportunities may be provided for proper training of students to start and manage such units. Some suggested industries are manufacture of chalk, cosmetics, wooden articles etc.
(d) Debates, Discussions and Competitions
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The organisations of debates, discussions etc., and help in improving the vocal power of the students it also help in enriching their ideas. It is also desirable to invite some specialists from different fields in commerce to preside over such functions. They can also be requested to give a brief talk to inspire the students. Inter school contests can be organised for this purpose.
(e) School Magazine
Commerce teacher can make a successful use of should magazine for shaping students, thoughts and for dynamiting students thinking processes. Commerce teacher should encourage his students to contribute articles in the school magazines on various economical and commercial topics in which they are interested and have inclination. The teacher may also train his students in editing and laying out the magazine.
To start with “Wall magazine” be introduced and students be asked to contribute articles for it in their own hand, writing their contribution could also be in the form of sketches, cartoons, designs or paintings. All the contributions from the students are scrutinized by the commerce teacher before being displayed on the wall magazine. The articles selected for display may be allowed to remain on the board for 2-3 days and then replaced by new ones. Some of the articles displayed are selected for publication in school magazine.
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For a good article it is desirable that it has different sections dealing with the syllabus, objectives, history, vocational skills, and new trends in commerce learning, work-experience, vocationalisation, programmed learning, objective based learning and teaching. It should throw light on various aspects of the commerce programme.
The school magazine should provide a wide variety in its contents and an effort be made to include in it short stories, essays, poems, sketches, cartoons, paintings etc. It should also have articles providing useful information on current topics, humorous skits, tidbits etc.