After School Care Activities for Children
Are you a super busy parent with a little Einstein at home? Certainly, you do not want him long to zone out in front of the television or kill time playing video games at the end of a long school day. The question of whether the child is receiving adequate after-school care is frequently overlooked by working parents. It might not be in the children’s best interests to simply place them at home or in after-school care. Children’s after-school or extracurricular activities are just as vital as their academic work. They will benefit greatly from using their after-school time productively. Here are some suggestions for creative and productive after-school activities for kids so they may manage their home and job obligations without or with little interruption.
Train them to a routine
A schedule gives a child’s life a sense of normality and stability while also providing comfort. Additionally, as they become familiar with a routine at the end of the day, their responsibilities get done without bothering them. So, sit down with your child and create a list of the weekly after school activities. It is important to involve children in the process since following a routine created by them will be fun and more challenging to refuse in the future.
On the internet, you can get free weekly planners. Create a weekly schedule and hang it where the entire family can see it. All family members must be informed so they may assist in adjusting to the schedule.
When setting time be realistic so your child will not be stressed out. You can do the chores on the first day without setting rigid time limits and make a note of how long each activity will take. Always be clear and specific when setting tasks to avoid your child being get confused about what is expected. For example, instead of saying “you need to clean today” you can say “Today please clean your room and hallway.” Until your child gets used to it you can check off each activity and do not forget to praise him at the end of the day.
Encourage them to do a sports
Introducing a sport to your child as an after school care activity is one of the best choices you can make as a parent. Physical activity improves attention and memory and your child will perform better in academics. Moreover, it will reduce depression, build strong muscles and endurance, improves blood pressure and the health benefits go on. Top team sports which are most popular with children aged six plus are soccer, basketball, tennis, netball, cricket, and Australian football as mentioned in a recent survey. However, there is no best one when it comes to sports, and it is up to Childs’ interests and capabilities.
Apart from physical fitness, engaging in sports allows for building important life skills such as cooperation and sharing, resilience, goal setting, and building relationships. Learning to lose is also an important skill that is often uncovered through playing sports. Children learn to control their emotions and positively channel negative feelings. It also helps children to develop patience and understand that it can take a lot of practice to improve both their physical skills and what they do in school.
There are Australian government-initiated sports programs that are designed to help schools increase children’s participation in sports and connect them with community sports opportunities. These sporting school programs are provided free to children and their families to help students build the confidence and capability to be active in life.
Now the question comes, how to select the right sport for your child? Yes, it could be tricky. A child’s interest in a given sport is the best determiner of whether he or she will enjoy it as a participant or not. So, try to introduce many sports as possible and let him choose their own cup of tea.
Enrol them in after-school programs
Sometimes your little one might not be full of beans, but a whizz kid. There are numerous after school care activities that involve more brain activity rather than physical activity. These programs provide structured curricular activities for kids which will benefit them for their future skills as well.
STEM education is highly popular among parents nowadays because it allows your child to prepare for the future world of technology and innovation. For instance, robotics and coding programs for kids have become famous after school activities. Learning robotics and coding enhances the analytical, critical, active, and practical thinking of a child. Furthermore, it could be an excellent skill for future career development. Teaching them the basics of robotics and coding could develop their interest as well as will inspire them for the technological future.
Many schools are now introducing robotic clubs, where students gather after school and get together to learn and work with their robots. Such clubs are moderated by a member of the teaching staff or school administration. In a project, students work on individual ideas and apply them all together as a group. This is a fun way to learn technical skills, such as coding, concepts of hardware, etc. which is important. Also, students learn how to express themselves and listen and relate to others.
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Below are some benefits of using robots in the early learning environment today
- Children learn to code and create algorithms. This will develop their sequencing ability and computational thinking which is a foundational mathematics skill.
- Robotics is more fun for kids than just learning to code because robotics makes coding tangible.
- Coding teaches the literacy of the 21st century and prepares your child for a future technological world.
- Introvert children may learn to value peer interaction in the process of teamwork involves in such programs
- Engaging, young children in coding and robotics activities may help to break down common engineering stereotypes. As parents, you can help them build positive associations with technology and engineering because this will boost their confidence as a creator of technology.
- The process of building a robot will enhance children’s perseverance and grit as it involves trial and error learning.
- Early education on robotics and coding helps to curtail the gender and socioeconomic achievement gap and uplift their interest in technology until adulthood.
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Encourage them to get a part-time job
In Australia, volunteering and part-time jobs are suitable for students from 13 years to 18 years. However, to work without a special permit, you must be at least 15. Doing a part-time job builds up teenagers’ confidence, self-esteem, and skills.
But as a parent, you should be extra careful when you are letting your child work part-time because with the money and the freedom they receive there is a risk that they might go down the wrong path. But with correct guidance, engaging in a part-time job can give lots of benefits. Consider what your child’s goals are; to get skills related to a future career path, to engage in something they are interested in, or just to save money for future education.
Keep these goals in mind you can assist your child to find a proper job to achieve their goals. You also should consider your specific state’s labor laws. This will help you determine age limits and the number of hours your teen can expect to work per week.
There are organizations and local employees who are offering part-time jobs to teenagers. So, help your child to build their resume, apply for job openings, and face interviews. Of course, your child’s part-time job is not for a lifetime. But, the experience of a first part-time job matters. It might help your child decide what they want to do with work and study in the future.
Involving them in home gardening
At some point in your life when you see news about the usage of dangerous chemicals for farm-grown products, you might have thought about growing your food in your home garden and serving a healthy meal for your loved ones. Yet could not get into it due to your busyness. Why don’t you start it now with your child? This way they can utilize after school hours more productive, educative, and fun way. You can include this in their routine. Encourage him to spend an hour or two after school while you finish with your office work.
Most children enjoy being outdoors and love digging in the soil, getting dirty, creating things, and watching plants grow. To encourage them more you can reward them with gifts and surprises. Gardening is educational and develops new skills like responsibility, and understanding. It helps to gain self-confidence from achieving goals while enjoying the food they have grown.
To make children interested in gardening try to keep it simple and give children their own garden space. Use lightweight, easy-to-handle, correct-sized tools and garden equipment depending on the age. Be mindful of child safety in the garden. To make the garden safe for children, keep sprays and fertilizers out of reach and do not use chemicals. Garden organically whenever possible. Also, build secure fences and gates. To get inspiration visit community gardens, children’s farms, or botanic gardens.
Conclusion
After school care is challenging for most working parents. Just placing them in after school care or in-home care might not be in the best interest of children. Introducing them to a proper routine, involving them in sports, after school care programs, and encouraging them to take a part-time job or do home gardening makes your child productive and will develop essential skills to succeed in life.
The robotics and Coding after school program offered by Aerobotics Global are specially targeted to children who have an interest in technology, engineering, and programming. We provide structured robotics and coding courses for ages 7 to 15.
Join your child in our free trial and watch how far he will go in the robotics and coding field.