Benefit of after school activities: Benefits of After-School Activities | PikMyKid

Benefits of After-School Activities | PikMyKid

Benefits of Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities are a great way for students to participate in a safe and productive environment after school has ended. When the bell rings, it doesn’t mean your child’s day is over. In fact, that time of the day typically is the most stressful because of trying to get your child home safely and in a timely manner. That time after school is filled with ample opportunities for you child to continue their development and save you the hassle of picking up your child when the car line becomes messy. After school activities are shown to provide a number of benefits for your child. Getting involved in activities is shown to help children be more extroverted and responsible. Children are overall happier and healthier when they are engaged in things they enjoy doing. Lets discuss some of the greatest benefits after-school activities have to offer.

Safety

When your child has an activity to do after school, you know exactly where they will be. There is no possibility of them leaving school unattended or unaccounted for if they have a scheduled activity to go to. Activities are supervised and organized allowing students to be monitored. They allow children to do something they enjoy and be safe while doing it. This also lessens their chances of skipping school. If your child has something fun with their friends to look forward to at the end of the day, it creates an incentive for them to participate in the whole school day in order to go to their activity afterwards. It has been proven that involvement in after school activities improves attendance and aspirations for continuing school in the future.

Healthier and more active

Activities allow your child to be active, that is obvious, but this can also translate to their everyday life. Having some sort of physical activity everyday is extremely important for the overall well being of children and adults. Starting to be active at a young age will promote a healthier lifestyle for the future and allow your child to begin making healthy choices daily. A healthy body equals a healthy mind, which brings us to our next benefit. After-school involvement can even prevent drug use and bad or criminal behavior in future years. When children have an understanding of what is right for their body, they are able to carry this out the rest of their lives.

Emotional stability and overall happiness

Relationships in and out of school are crucial to your child staying consistently emotionally secure. The relationship your child forms with their teacher or other staff members are nurtured in after school programs. Participating in an after school program can become a time that a child can learn how to interact with others, develop interpersonal skills, and learn how to be respectful toward others. Activities promote practicing good character traits as well as teamwork. Forming a strong bond between teacher and student will make them feel more comfortable. Being able to trust adult figures in school makes them more willing to ask questions or express problems they are having. Opening up this dialogue between a child and a trusted adult has prevented children from having to deal with things like bullying, low self esteem, or issues at home, on their own.

Increases academics and test scores

Children are shown to be more involved in school and achieve better grades if they participate in activities outside of the classroom. Youth.gov* states that “a national evaluation found that over 40 percent of students attending 21st Century Community Learning Center programs improved their reading and math grades, and that those who attended more regularly were more likely to make gains (Naftzger et. al., 2007).” Better grades means more confidence, higher self-esteem, and a desire to continue to succeed. Activities are so beneficial to academics because they offer children an outlet outside of studying and school that they can do well in. They are also practicing their use of proper time management. When homework and an activity is on their plate, children quickly learn how to multitask and make the best use of their time. After-school programs can push them to be their best in all aspects of their life, not just in the classroom.

Exploring new interests/hobbies

After school activities are all about variety. There are hundreds of different programs to explore in order to find the right fit for your child. Your child may not always enjoy the first activity they try, but don’t worry, there are plenty more to explore and it is guaranteed they will find one they like. When children have a clear idea of their hobbies and interests from an early age, it can help them make better decisions for their future. If your child has always enjoyed math club and learning math they may want to consider a career in engineering or IT. Maybe your child loves to read or explain things to their peers, they could consider a future job in teaching. Activities are much more than a way to fill time after school, they can tell you and your child a lot about their likes and dislikes along with their strengths and weaknesses.

Creating friendships/ builds confidence

Confidence is something that many children struggle with, particularly in their pre-teen into their teen years. Participating in activities with their peers allows relationships to be cultivated and sustained. Some of the closest friends a child has are developed in elementary/middle school. Getting out and getting involved while interacting with classmates is a great use of time. There are also opportunities for children to become leaders in their specific activity. Having good communication skills and being outspoken will help your child have a more active voice. According to noodle.com* “The Boys and Girls Club study revealed that 82% of teens in the program took part in leadership roles such as student council, being in charge of activities or assisting in the office.” The vast majority of students who participate in activities are setting themselves up to stand out in the future.

Teamwork

Everyone must learn to work well with others. Practically every job requires communication skills and working alongside others. Giving your child the experience of working toward a common goal or to accomplish a task with others is priceless. This will be a transferable skill they will take with them the rest of their lives. What is particularly important is having your child learn to work with someone they may not necessarily like. This allows them to become independent problem solvers and move past a situation they may find uncomfortable.

Helps working families

One of the ways in which these activities can be beneficial is by helping you, the parent. Working, raising children, and running a household can be extremely demanding. But, being able to have a schedule of activities for you child every week can take a lot of the stress off of you. Knowing that your child is engaged in something productive that they enjoy after school is reassuring. According to youth.gov* “Parents concerned about their children’s afterschool care miss an average of eight days of work per year, and this decreased worker productivity costs businesses up to $300 billion annually (Brandeis University, Community, Families and Work Program, 2004 and Catalyst & Brandeis University, 2006). ”That two or three hours after school that they spend at their activity can make all the difference for you and what you need to get done for the day. It is a situation in which both you and your child are able to benefit from.

So how do you get your child involved in these activities? There are a number of resources to find an activity tailored to your child’s interests. Start by looking into activities your school provides. Ask the principal what activities they have to offer. Many times your search will stop here because schools tend to offer a wide range of programs. If your child is looking to do something a little different or more out of the ordinary, begin by asking parents, teachers, administrators, neighbors, or even coworkers. Next, contact community organizations. There are a ton of resources right in your own neighborhood that are often overlooked. Try places like the YMCA, The Boys and Girls Club of America, parks and recreation departments, and even local churches. Libraries and museums are also a good resource. Many times, an activity is associated with a bigger company. Doing a little research to find out what company that activity is affiliated with can open the door to even more program options. It is important to keep in mind through this process that you are finding the activity that works best for your child. If you feel your school is offering only activities that your child would not be interested in, don’t settle. Don’t give up after looking into your school’s programs. There are plenty of ways your child can be happily involved.

After-school activities keep children on a path toward success. They allow your child to find what they are passionate about and strive to do their best in it. Getting them involved helps to ensure their safety, productivity, and long-term happiness. The time they spend doing a healthy activity will teach them to make good decisions later on in their life. Making the most out of their present helps them to make the most out of their future.

https://www. noodle.com/articles/why-kids-benefit-from-after-school-programs

https://youth.gov/youth-topics/afterschool-programs/benefits-youth-families-and-communities/

6 Benefits Of After-school Activities

Are after-school activities important? After a year without these activities, we have truly learned how important time for leisure is for our children and families.

These are exciting times for the field of after-school education. Something has changed from last year: luckily, after-school activities are back and St. Peter’s School has increased the possibilities for our families to get involved in different activities and clubs beyond the school day. Robotics, chess, trail running or family yoga, among others, are added to our Afterschool Hub to strengthen learning, support social, emotional and cognitive skills, promote healthy habits, boost new talents, and provide a safe and supportive environment for children and youth. 

After a year without these activities, we have truly learned how important time for leisure and after-school activities are for our children and families. We are not the only ones that think so. According to different authors and studies, effective afterschool programs not only provide learning settings but also bring a wider range of benefits for children, families and communities. 

Discover the six most important benefits of participating in afterschool programs: 

1-Strengthen lifelong learning at any age:

A good after-school program can be a productive learning time. This is a great benefit, especially for those kids who learn and think differently. According to Gardner, people are not born with all the intelligences they will ever have. Therefore, experience and practice are important. For this reason, an afterschool program with a wide offer of activities that can foster multiple intelligences (linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical…) and offer your child a variety of ways to learn is a good way to set your child up for success. Which types of intelligence would you like to reinforce in your child?

2-Improve brain function and school performance:

Participating in after-school activities is directly linked to better brain function and better school performance. A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Illinois and published in the journal Pediatrics concluded that elementary school students who exercised for about an hour a day in an afterschool program had better cognitive skills and were more focused than students who did not engage in much physical activity. 

3-Improve social and emotional skills:

There is growing evidence that the social and emotional competencies children and young people develop while in after-school programs can contribute to their success in school and life. Called ‘Life skills’, these valuable skills include from communication skills to problem solving through critical thinking, self-awareness or assertiveness. Kids learn how to work as a team and be self-reliant. 

Moreover, after-school activities offer the ideal condition for this kind of social learning with small groups, sense of connectedness, opportunities to forge strong relationships among peers from the same or even different age groups… 

4-Promote healthy habits:

Active kids make active adults. Maintaining a physically active lifestyle across a lifespan is a key component of optimal health and well-being. There is some evidence to suggest that high activity during early childhood may ‘track’ into high activity during early adulthood. More specifically, researchers have found that quality after-school programs are an important contributor to children’s physical activity.

5-Boost new talents

Beyond the bell, kids may be more willing to try new things, discover new passions and take positive risks. This, in turn, can lead to higher self-esteem and self-awareness. Psychologists often promote the importance of learning as much as possible about yourself to find your passions in life. 

6-Provide a safe and supportive environment

Positive relationships with others in the afterschool hub or clubs foster a sense of belonging and acceptance. School provides a safe, positive and supportive environment where kids can spend the last hours of the day doing something meaningful and productive. Moreover, keeping kids busy can prevent them from engaging in high risk behaviour. This is great news for working parents, who can have a sigh of relief and round off the day with good quality childcare at your child’s school.

Finding the right afterschool activity for your child is key. Check all the after-school activities we have at St. Peter’s School and if you need help, do not hesitate to contact us [email protected] 

Verónica Guerra
After-school Activities Coordinator I Communication

RESOURCES

• Gardner, Howard (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. 
• Noam,G; Biancarosa, B; Dechausay, N (2003). Afterschool Education: Approaches to an Emerging Field. Harvard Education Press. Book available 

• Youth.gov (https://youth.gov/youth-topics/) 
•  C. H. Hillman, M. B. Pontifex, D. M. Castelli, N. A. Khan, L. B. Raine, M. R. Scudder, E. S. Drollette, R. D. Moore, C.-T. Wu, K. Kamijo. Effects of the FITKids Randomized Controlled Trial on Executive Control and Brain Function. PEDIATRICS, 2014; 134 (4): e1063 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2013-3219
• Fitness.org.au ( https://fitness.org.au/articles)

“Lessons” after lessons: benefit or harm?



I and my schoolchildren friends are not busy with studying alone! We are interested in everything: sports, art, science. Here and there you can hear in the corridor of my school: “Where did the paper come from?”, “Is there a dragon hiding in the teacher’s room?” After the lessons, without feeling tired, we run to draw, sculpt, sing, dance, play football, basketball, etc.

However, there are guys who will say: “Why do you need this? Lessons after class! It’s better to watch TV or play on the phone!” Moms echo them: “Yes, yes, there is such a load in schools! I’ll buy a tablet for my son, let him relax after a hard day … ”

Who is right? I decided to find the answer to this question.

Part 1. “Lessons” after the lessons – good!

Leaving school

There are many places in our city where you can usefully entertain yourself after school. Here are some of them:

– “Children’s Art School No. 4” – in this school you can learn to play a musical instrument, draw and dance;

− “Krugozor Teenage Club” – here children are taught to sew, draw, sculpt, knit;

– House of Folk Art – here children are taught clay modeling, embroidering, knitting, drawing, painting and origami;

– Leisure center “Builder” – here children are taught to dance, circus art, singing;

– Sports complex “Olimp” – here children go in for sambo, boxing and football;

− “Sports school of the Olympic reserve No. 2” – in this school, children go in for boxing, judo and sambo;

− Sports school of the Olympic reserve “Vertical” – here children learn rock climbing;

− Pool “Dolphin” – here children learn to swim

You can, of course, quickly learn your homework and play phone, computer or watch TV all evening. But doctors say that excessive passion for gadgets will not help you relax, but will only harm your health.

Therefore, many students choose a different path – they enroll in additional schools, circles, sections and studios. I have made observations and agree with them. That’s why I think that sections, circles and additional classes are great:

– they don’t give bad marks, they don’t scold if something doesn’t work out, there are no tests, control ones;

– You like to go there. If you understand that this occupation is not yours, you can safely change it to another. You can try everything – dancing, sports, drawing, music and choose what you really like;

– in such classes you can meet friends with whom you have common hobbies;

– it is possible that additional lessons and sections will help you find a business that will become the meaning of life in the future! Where did the footballers, singers, dancers come from? The beginning of their career was the same classes in additional schools and sections.

When researching on the Internet, it turned out that psychologists advise mothers to choose two types of additional classes. The first is mobile, the second is creative.

There is a result!

I did a survey at my school. The purpose of the survey: what do the guys from my school do after school and what would they like to do.

Questions for the survey:

1. What do you do after lessons?
2. What would you like to do?

We have provided answers for each question.

To the first question “What do you do after school?” There were such answers: you read, study in a circle, listen to music, play computer games, study in the sports section, watch TV.

Thus, we can conclude that, having studied the answers to the second question, what would you like to do? I realized that all the guys interviewed want to study somewhere else besides school.

It is noteworthy that almost all the guys who do not go to additional schools and sections now would like to do outdoor activities – mainly swimming and wrestling. Hope they make it!

So, the main conclusion from the survey is that everyone wants to go beyond schoolwork: to become stronger, faster, show their creativity and just have fun in their free time with friends.

Another discovery!

It turns out that not only students have lessons in our school. The same goes for teachers and school staff. And after school “lessons” they also go in for sports and creativity. For example, they enjoy reading, swimming, knitting, gardening, planting flowers, painting, doing arts and crafts, and traveling with their families.

Based on the survey, the information studied on social networks and my personal observations, it can be concluded that in our school both children and adults recognize the fact that the best rest is a change of activity.

My “lessons” after class

One of my hobbies is judo, when I was little, I looked with great admiration at the guys in kimonos. And I also wanted to learn how to do tricks, like them. At the age of five, I asked my dad to enroll me in the judo section. When I came to the first training session, I realized that judo is a beautiful and spectacular sport. For the fourth year I have been studying in the section of Sergey Nikolaevich Undozerov. I dream of being great.

I also love to swim, and so my parents sent me to swim. It helps me to relax, gain strength after a hard day. I have been visiting the pool three times a week for three years now, my trainer is Anna Petrovna Shlyakhova. Swimming helps me feel energized and happy. It makes me stronger.

“Lessons” after school – harm

It would seem that additional schools and sections help the development of various human abilities. Why do so many people talk about harm?

I came to the following conclusion: additional schools, sections and studios bring harm only when they are treated incorrectly. To avoid harm, you need to know the following:

– you can not sign up for all classes at once;

– there is no benefit when you attend classes from time to time – according to your mood;

– it is difficult to succeed when parents do not support children;

– the most important thing! The student must have a great desire to study!

You need to have a daily routine to plan all things, and then you can do everything – go to school, learn lessons, visit a circle, and meet friends.

Conclusion

In the course of my research, I learned about additional schools, circles and sections:

1. Since ancient times, it so happened that a person cannot live by one work. Everyone needs inspiration, which cannot be obtained from doing nothing. Inspiration can only be given by other activities that are fundamentally different from the main work: songs, dances, music, drawing, sports and much more. So there is a benefit!
2. In our city, institutions of additional education are organized, where a lot of people go – from kids to pensioners. So there is a benefit!
3. As the survey showed, almost all the guys want to attend additional developmental classes, and those who attend want to develop even more. So there is a benefit!
4. I take extra classes myself. They bring me pleasure, and my parents support me. So there is a benefit!
5. But! Schools, circles and sections need to be treated correctly: you don’t need to grab onto everything at once, you can’t attend classes only “by mood” and you can’t do something without desire.

Circles, sections and additional schools help people of all ages to develop, to be distracted from problems. And if you use them correctly, they will bring only joy and happiness.

With my work, I want to speak to my classmates so that those guys who study in circles do not lose faith in themselves. And those who spend time watching TV and playing games on the phone thought – maybe they are future musicians, dancers or athletes?!

Literature:

1. “Golden tales of the Russian people” Publishing house “Astrel”, 2006

2. “What? For what? Why?” E. O. Khomich, M. N. Yakusheva—Minsk2011

3. “Russian folk tales” Publishing house “Prof-Press” 2012

4.https://ru.wikipedia.org

5. https://alatyr.chvs.muzkult.ru/

6. http://alatyrdk.ru/

7. http://gov.cap.ru/?gov_id=741

8. https://vk.com/znajka.alatyr

9. http://dop-obrazovanie.com/dlya-roditelej/sovet-i-konsultatsii/sovety-psikhologov/3389-rebenok-dolzhen-byt-zanyat-no-psycholog-o-vybore-sektsii-dlya-rebenka

Basic terms (automatically generated) : school, occupation, section, lesson, my school, circle, child, sports school, Olympic reserve, answer option.

Benefits of circles and sections. Why does a child need additional education — RVS Newspaper

On the eve of the upcoming new school year, parents face an urgent question: whether to send the child to a children’s art school, the Center for Creative Development, enroll in a sports club or simply prepare well for school.

Some parents are sure of the need for additional education and upbringing and are ready to spend money, do everything possible for the development of their child, while others doubt the child’s creative abilities or simply do not want to spend money.

In addition, many people worry that the child will be too busy, unable to cope with the load.

So, what gives a child additional education – attending art schools, creative centers or clubs, sports clubs? What is the use of them?

Expert’s opinion

Here is what Elena Khozina, deputy director of secondary school No. 1 for education, says on this topic.

“Additional education is another stimulus to the life success of any child, it is necessary for fruitful development and personality formation. After all, not everyone is talented in some subject area, someone can clearly express themselves in creativity, someone in sports.

Modern life, its rhythm, skills of the 21st century dictate completely different qualitatively new requirements for the individual. Now, without the additional skills that children receive by studying in circles or sections, you will not be successful. Here the child socializes, communicates with children who are actively and successfully engaged in various areas, and subsequently he will definitely show interest and abilities in creativity and sports. This is his additional development.”

Development of skills

Studies of scientific educators have shown that children who go in for arts and sports learn better than their peers. Music, drawing and dancing, as well as gymnastics and sports, develop the student’s self-discipline. With proper time planning, the child will have time to do homework, study in circles and sections, and go out with friends.

Children who go in for music or sports are more sociable, responsible, able to plan their time on their own, they are more optimistic and friendly.

Joint researches of scientists have shown that children who attend clubs or sections, art schools, creativity centers have better reactions, they learn counting more easily, think faster, they have a good memory.

In addition, music, creativity, and sports activities bring parents and children closer: they prepare together for concerts, trainings, and competitions.

For example, gymnastics, choreography, sports help develop correct posture, flexibility, artistry, develop muscle memory, coordination of movements, and the vestibular apparatus works well.

Or, for example, drawing also has a great influence on the formation of a child’s personality. Develops memory, attention, fine motor skills, imagination.

Theatrical art is a huge opportunity for the development of creativity, the development of creative abilities.

Psychologists note that the social prestige of the intellect has increased in modern society. Being smart, well-read, athletic, able to play musical instruments or draw well is fashionable. Such people are more in demand, they are more successful.

Parents, give your child the opportunity to choose any interesting direction for additional creative education. In a few years, he will thank you, because the knowledge and skills acquired in additional education centers can become a profession or simply help in different situations, become an additional bonus at some point in life.

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