Activities for afterschool program: 28 Fun and Engaging After-School Activities for Elementary School

28 Fun and Engaging After-School Activities for Elementary School

After a long day at school, your kids may not want to do anything but watch tv or play video games, which is detrimental to their development. Children should be engaged in various crafts or games that promote their mental and physical health. Try these 28 enchanting after-school activities to keep your elementary-aged kids off the screen and actively learning!

1. Create a Catapult

Put your thinking caps on as you challenge your elementary students to create the best catapult from Popsicle sticks and rubber bands! Children of all ages will love this activity as they can use afterward for other games.

Learn More: Kids Discovery Place

2. Spaghetti Towers 

Low on supplies? Get your children engaged in the time after school by having them towers with only spaghetti and marshmallows! If you don’t have spaghetti or marshmallows, use straws and tape. Children will learn all about the best practices for building and can compete to build the enormous tower!

Learn More: RIGB

3. Build a Ball Drop Maze

Building a ball drop is an excellent way to use recycled materials and promote critical thinking in schools. Your elementary students won’t know they are learning while creating this fun contraption.

Learn More: Google

4. Marshmallow and Pretzel Building

One excellent activity for elementary students is building houses from pretzels and marshmallows. Students can use their imagination and make them however they think is best. Then, when they’re finished, they have a snack!

Learn More: The STEM Laboratory

5. Magnetic Slime

Making slime is an activity that ALL students love. Change it up from the regular slime and make it magnetic! Students will be impressed by the new properties of their gooey toy, making it perfect for an interactive, engaging after-school activity.

Learn More: Little Bins For Little Hands

6. Minute To Win It Games

Try minute-to-win games if you want a fun way to get your children up and moving! There are hundreds of exciting games to choose from but make it into a race where they have to complete all the tasks before the other team!

Learn More: Tiny Beans

7. Can You Fit Through An Index Card?

Can you fit it through an index card? Most children will say no. They can cut circles or shapes and try to squeeze through, making it seem almost impossible! However, you can show them the magic of cutting and expanding the size of the paper. Your students will think this is magic and want to show all their friends.

Learn More: Parent Vault

8. Build a Hovercraft

Building a hovercraft is one hands-on activity your students will love to complete after school! All you need is a balloon, rubber band, straw, a CD, and tape! The process is only half the fun; they can play games and race their hoverboards all afternoons!

Learn More: PBS Kids

9. Make a Lava Lamp

Lava lamps are a great easy after-school activity suitable for any age. Plus, they can be used for mindfulness and calming down. All you need is some vegetable oil, colors, glitter, and anything else you’d like to see float around; then, you can close the jar, seal it, and watch the lava flow.

Learn More: Parent Vault

10. Egg Drop Challenge

The egg drop is a great activity for upper elementary students during their after-school program. Provide them with an egg, a cup, a bag, a string, and something to cushion the egg with. Then ask them to create their design so that when you drop the egg, it won’t break!

Learn More: There’s Just One Mommy

11. The String Lifter

String lifter is a tremendous collaborative indoor activity for all elementary-aged students! There is no I in a team, and they must learn to work together in this fun after-school activity. Teachers recommend this activity for creating a classroom community and learning to work together.

Learn More: Google

12. Pop Up Cards

Pop-up cards are an excellent craft for students that are more on the artsy side! Have your students choose a person they would like to give a card to, and they can design their pop-up!

Learn More: Tinker Lab

13. Make A Balloon Car

Balloon cars are a fun children’s activity promoting higher-level thinking and problem-solving skills. Challenge your fifth or sixth graders to make the fast car and have them race them once they are done.

Learn More: Science Buddies

14. String Puppets

String puppets are a great art activity for any age. Plus, it’s simple and requires only a few different materials. Once finished, encourage your students to put on a puppet show for their friends and teachers!

Learn More: PBS Kids

15. Human Knot

The human knot is an after-school challenge that’s perfect for older students. Have each student cross their arms and hold hands. Then, they need to untangle themselves, promoting problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Learn More: Ice Breaker Ideas

16. Frog Detective

Frog detective is a classic activity for kids that can be played indoors or outdoors! Students will have to use their critical thinking skills to determine the poison frog’s identity based on nonverbal cues and reactions from their peers.

Learn More: Great Camp Games

17. Who’s The Leader?

One fun activity for kids is Who’s The Leader? This collaborative game promotes teamwork and community in which students must follow the leader and use their critical thinking and analytical skills to guess who the leader is while the whole class follows!

Learn More: Kids Play And Create

18. Red Light, Green Light

Red Light, Green Light is an excellent gross motor outdoor activity that gets children running all over the place, lowering their energy levels. This high-energy activity teaches students to follow directions while moving simultaneously.

Learn More: Playworks

19. The Hand Game

The Hand Game is a spectacular afternoon activity for teachers that can be used with all ages! Students will have to practice their focus and attention skills to participate, which will challenge them to do better each time!

Learn More: Everything2

20. Finger Crocheting

Finger Crocheting is an excellent fine motor activity that will calm your students down after school. Elementary-aged children will be amazed that you can create your blankets, hats, and animals with yarn and your fingers! This interactive lesson with your students is perfect for a time after school.

Learn More: The Craft Train

21. Foil Art

Foil art is a fantastic art project that any student will love, especially if they are in 1st & 2nd grade. All you need is aluminum foil and some paint, and then your kids will create their very own masterpiece!

Learn More: Toddler Approved

22. Suminagashi

Suminagashi is an excellent activity for kids today trying to learn about different art or cultures. Students can use pieces of paper and dip them to create beautiful works of art.

Learn More: Inner Child Fun

23. Make A Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscopes are a super fun art project that all elementary-aged children will love! This fantastic art project will have students blown away by the different things they see.

Learn More: Buggy And Buddy

24. Rubber Band Art

Rubber band art is an excellent activity for after-school time with minimal supplies. All you need are pieces of paper, and rubber bands, and your students will be left with a magnificent piece of art!

Learn More: Babble Dabble Do

25. Popsicle Stick Weaving

Popsicle weaving is a great fine motor activity for kids in their after-school program. With just a few materials, students can learn about different art pieces and the cultures that create them.

Learn More: Pretty Opinionated

26. Popsicle Stick Harmonicas

One fantastic activity that all elementary students will love is creating their musical instrument! The easiest one to make is the popsicle stick harmonica, but you can take their learning even further by how to change the sound and other critical thinking questions.

Learn More: My Baba

27. Leaf Rubbing

Leaf rubbing is a great after-school activity during autumn. Teachers can take their elementary students on a walk to collect attractive leaves and create a beautiful collage with their leaf rubbings!

Learn More: KC Edventures

28. Salt Painting

Salt painting is a unique creative activity that can be used in school projects later in the school year. There is a wide range of applications, and children have lots of ideas for art, making it the perfect independent activity for elementary students.

Learn More: Artful Parent

25 Fun After-School Activities for Kids & Teens

There are so many cool STEM activities you can organize by yourself to stay mentally stimulated no matter the time of day! With that in mind, we’ve come up with a list of fun things to do after school by yourself and fun after-school activities.

Discover fun after-school activities you can do by yourself for kids and teens

Enrichment activities help children learn and grow outside of the structure of classes and homework. These pastimes give students the chance to make, build, and learn without the pressure of exams and grades. Examples of amazing after-school hobbies include casual and organized sports, AI clubs, coding lessons, museum visits, music lessons, and book clubs.

1. DIY engineering

Designed by the Gelfand Center, the Bridge Building Challenge challenges students with engineering a functional, load-bearing bridge. Use a range of materials – spaghetti noodles, popsicle sticks, twigs, LEGO, toothpicks, gumdrops, etc. and challenge kids to discover which materials and designs bear the most weight. Remember to document and photograph your build before testing, since they might fall apart as you increase the load. Remember also that if you use marshmallows or gumdrops, try not to eat your building materials!

2. Game building club

Let’s create fun games together! Make a new project each week from a spinning dart game to a soccer pong game and much more. Join along in this live video club series as an expert guides a small group of students through a different project from start to finish in a 50-minute session each week. There’s always an expert on hand to answer any questions live over video, so your student can figure things out without getting stuck.

3. Cloud in a jar

The Gift of Curiosity website teaches about water cycles using this super simple project to study condensation, evaporation, and states of matter. Fill a glass jar with hot water. Swirl it around to heat the glass. Then cover the top of the jar and place several ice cubes on top of the lid, and let it alone for about twenty seconds. Then take off the cover and spray hairspray into the jar. When you replace the lid, watch the clouds form!

4. Fibonacci numbers

Fibonacci numbers, otherwise known as fractals, are mathematical patterns of self-similarity found often in natural phenomena like the branching of leaves, veins, flowers, and rivers, as well as in swirling patterns such as hurricanes and cyclones. They are fascinating to observe! While not normally taught in lower grades, even elementary school-aged children can understand them through observation. Counting the number of spirals in the yellow center of a daisy, for example, or the spirals in a pinecone are good ways to explain them. Mensa for Kids has more ideas.

5. Oil spill cleanup

This activity teaches how oil spills impact the environment and how chemical and environmental engineers play a role. Use trays filled with a few inches of water, feathers, straws, cotton balls and sponges. Add some oil. Students can devise strategies to get oil off a feather and other “wildlife” in their “ocean.” Read more in this post by the Coalition for Science After School.

6. Start a garden

Gardening is a great way to learn about food, nutrition, soil, and weather. Children can easily learn about planting times, watering schedules, and saving seeds, while also gaining greater autonomy and outdoor time, as well as contributing to the family with meaningful work, something that gives confidence and a sense of accomplishment. The patience required for gardening is a skill in itself that teaches delaying gratification. There’s something for everyone: grow flowers, herbs, or vegetables. There’s nothing like fresh strawberries or tomatoes straight from the summer garden! If you have the space, consider making a small plot in the yard and start with something simple like marigolds, radishes, and tomatoes. Even kids living in high-rise apartments or a low-light area can grow certain plants in containers on a balcony.

7. Beginner-friendly coding class

Scratch Ninja teaches children the fundamentals of coding such as loops, conditionals, functions, and variables. Using inquiry-based learning, instructors guide students through the creation, design, and testing programs in this beginner friendly class. Children can design their own games and animations, while mastering problem solving skills in this exciting program designed by pros from Google and Stanford. You can even take the first session for free!

8. NASA STEM Club

Discover the wonder of deep space with fun weekly projects. From Mars and the moon, to black holes and aliens, space enraptures kids and adults alike. Stargazing is a source of powerful dreams. In this series of live online sessions, your kids will learn a wide range of topics related to astrophysics, NASA, and engineering. In each session, they will learn new facts about outer space, build small projects, and play games to reinforce the lessons.

9. Canva for kids

Does your child love art, painting, and drawing? This project allows students to create beautiful digital cards, posters, slides or videos for their school projects using Canva – a powerful graphic design platform with a user-friendly interface. Did we mention the Canva is free? This exciting online live course explores examples of great graphic design and visual storytelling.

10. Book club for kids

This podcast is aimed at kids that love reading. Through a variety of activities and interesting people within the podcast, kids can learn about the elements of storytelling while developing critical reading and analytical skills. With more than 100 free episodes there’s something for all book-loving children and families to enjoy!

11. Digital art club

In this online art club, kids learn how to create a different art project in each session. For example, they might learn the architectural design of medieval castles and design their own, or even create their own character and comic. In each of these hands-on activities, students are guided through understanding artistic elements in life such as patterns and symmetry, exploring emotions and feelings, and learning about art basics such as color palettes.

12. Kids do ecology

All children can understand the importance of ecology and environmental protection. By learning about biomes, marine mammals, reptiles, and data science, kids can even create their own classroom experiments on this interactive website. It is also available in Español.

13. Kids.gov

From imaginary rainforests to electricity experiments, Kids.gov has plenty of resources for a rainy day. Watch an animation on thunderstorms or take a virtual field trip to the National Zoo.

14. The Kids’ Science Challenge

This website is chock full of cool after-school activities. KSC hosts a free, nationwide science competition for students in grades three to six as well as informal activities like hands-on science experiments, games, cool videos, and scavenger hunts. Or check out more fun STEM competitions.

15. NASA Kids’ Club and Space Place

NASA Kids’ Club is the perfect place for kids to have fun while learning about outer space. You can use your science and math skills to explore Mars, construct a fleet of rockets or search for NASA spinoffs in your garage. At NASA Space Place, kids build their own spacecraft, play space volcanoes or browse through a gallery of sun images to explore the galaxy and the limits of the universe.

16. National Geographic Kids

At National Geographic Kids you can vote in polls, (which is cuter: the pufferfish or the clown fish?), take part in egg-speriments, watch geographic videos, play puzzles and learn amazing facts about the cultures and customs of people around the world.

17. Python for AI

Python is a high-level coding language with many applications. Netflix and Google use this coding language extensively in their products and it has become an industry standard for data-science and AI projects around the world. Throughout the course, students learn the basics of Python and how it can be applied to AI. You can even get started with a free Python class session.

18. PBS Kids

This online platform has a huge range of activities for kids after school. As a leader of informal childhood education for more than half a century, PBS has some of the most engaging and fun content around for kids of all ages. In Cyberchase, Jackie, Matt and Inez use math to protect the digital universe from evil. Don’t worry: Cyberchase has lots of math games, videos and activities to aid you in your quest. For Dr. Seuss lovers, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! offers great Pre-K STEM games, activities and videos galore. Explore the biological world in Lifeboat to Mars with this free online game. In one simulation (Microland) you control hungry microbes. In another (Ecoland), you have to balance out the space station’s ecosystem.

19. Junior Hackers

Learn all about computer security and how to use the internet safely. This will be the most exciting cybersecurity class for kids with real-world applications, delivered through a combination of project and inquiry-based learning. You’ll enjoy fun videos, games, and security tools, as well as build projects of your own.

20. Tech Expert Events

These free events offer an exciting window into the lives of tech experts from all over the world! Topics cover everything from filmmaking, Minecraft, and AI. See what free events are upcoming, and register anytime. If you can’t attend the live event, you’ll receive a link to download the recording to watch at your convenience.

21. AI Explorers

This free AI course shows kids how to use fun, innovative AI applications in a virtual classroom setting. Students learn about self-driving cars and the purpose of AI in the real world, while getting involved in hands-on activities and immersive discussions.

22. Weather Wiz Kids

At Weather Wiz Kids you will get to know meteorologist Crystal Wicker, who has designed a website explaining everything about the weather. Find fun facts, games, flashcards and photos, plus get answers to your meteorological questions.

23. Junior Robotics

In Junior Robotics, introduce your students to the fascinating world of robotics! In this live virtual class, your student will program a robot to move, draw, turn, and more, all guided by an experienced teacher. Don’t worry, no physical robot is needed.

24. Minecraft Modding Quest

Chances are your child loves playing Minecraft! It’s the best selling video game ever, and it’s super fun. But aside from that, it is an amazing learning tool, showcased in Create & Learn’s Minecraft Modding Quest. In this online class, students can actually code their own Minecraft games. Students learn the basics of coding through solving puzzles. Once they have mastered the coding concepts, children start designing their own games.

25. Roblox Coding

Aside from Minecraft, Roblox is one of the most popular online activities with kids today! Through a combination of design and coding, this Roblox course will teach your child to create their own games using a 3D design tool and coding the interactions with the world. Coding is done via Lua, a programming language that is intuitive and easy to use. There’s also a free Roblox class if you want to give it a try.

Try after-school activities you can do by yourself

As you can see, there are tons of options out there for fun after school activities that kids can do by themselves. Whether or not they have tried coding before, many kids will be surprised and excited to design and execute their own programs while experimenting with important STEM concepts. These activities can be done alone or with a friend, and they are sure to make your summer time both fun and educational. If you would like to read more, check out some creative STEM spring activities and indoor activities for kids.

Written by Bryan Gordon, a Create & Learn instructor. After ten years of working as an English teacher, Bryan began studying Math and Computer Science over the past few years. Aside from writing and teaching, he likes cooking, gardening, playing guitar, and hanging out with his cats, Baguette and Wally.

Quincy After School Care

QCARE’s well-designed after-school programs provide a safe and enjoyable environment for school-aged children to make friends, play games and sports, work on homework, and participate in a variety of creative projects and activities. interesting events.
The daily curriculum is planned to meet the needs of both the individual and the group. Our caring educators are focused on building positive relationships with each child and supporting the growth and development of self-esteem in each individual.

Children are encouraged to develop and pursue their own interests while respecting the rights of others. Educators involve children in cultural enrichment activities and help them understand the diversity that exists in our world. We focus on social development, personal and intellectual growth, exciting new passions and building new skills.
Our programs also focus on physical health and mental well-being as foundations for a happy childhood.

All of our afterschool sites are licensed and reviewed by the Department of Early Childhood Education and Care (EEC). QCARE operates throughout the school year at nine elementary schools in Quincy. Our post-school hours each day are as follows:

For an example of a daily after-school schedule, please view our PARENT GUIDE

Quincy After School will be open from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm during the holidays. Children are divided into groups according to age and class.
8:00-9:00	Arrival of children, attendance, “Morning Stations” and free play
9:00-9:30	Clean up and sort into groups, wash your hands, have a snack
9:30-11:45	Groups rotate through 45-minute scheduled activities.
11:45-12:30	Tidy up, wash your hands, have lunch with your group, brush your teeth and read time.
12:30-2:45	Groups rotate through 45-minute scheduled activities.
2:45-3:15	Clean up, wash hands, have an afternoon snack
3:15-5:00	Sign up for pool swimming groups, non-swimmers enjoy outdoor activities.
5:00-5:30	Afternoon Stations, Free to Play
5:30	Closing time

Our vacation programs are carefully planned to be fun, enriching and educational. A full day vacation program is offered during the school holiday weeks of February and April. The summer program is available to children aged thirteen and under who are eligible for admission to the first grade of Quincy Public School. Holiday programs run from 8:00 to 5:30 and offer a wide range of activities and excursions. Quincy After School Child Care (QCARE), Inc. closed for all observable holidays, Winter/Christmas holidays and any emergency closed/snow days.

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