How do you find out which after school activities are effective with so many to choose from? You want to choose those that the children will find enjoyable and at the same time providing educational value.
Lets discover how to find those golden nuggets of educational but fun activities.
The most important things to consider are: what are the objectives of the program? How many children are in the program? What are the results and how are they achieved? You are the one that is paying for the program so ask lots of questions.
Good after school activities include opportunities for the child to learn new and complex ideas that blend into recreational activities as well. Getting practice in throwing and catching balls, or dodging a ball thrown at them or computer skills are examples of learning new things. These types of activities when taught to them instead of just letting them go out and do these things themselves, teach them the right way to perform these activities. This keeps down the boredom while at the same time increases the child’s self-esteem as new skills develop.
Boosting the child’s sense of competence is what after school activities are about. Effective, good after school activities, encourages the child to grow mentally, physically and emotionally.
One of the first considerations of any after school activity is in the area of safety. The teachers should stay alert and be qualified to adequately instruct in the given exercises. They should also be friendly and genuinely interested in the child. They should be professional in appearance and action and love children. A structured supportive environment that encourages cooperation is very important.
These kinds of activities should have enough variety to be fun for the child without the appearance of just all work and no fun. After all, the most important of these factors that come into play while choosing after school activities is………is it FUN.
