Fun & Easy After-School Activities
For many parents, finding ways to keep the children busy after school is a real problem. With schools cutting back on extracurricular activities and fees for private instruction always on the rise, many families simply cannot afford organized sports and music lessons. However, there are many other options for families on a budget. With a little help from your community, you can form your own after school club. In this article, we’ve got some great tips for fun and educational after-school activities.
After-school activities like a sport or dance class are very important to get kids up and moving. Some children only get one or two hours of physical exercise a week and that’s not enough for a growing body. If a sports league is too expensive for your family, then encourage your children to play outside as much as possible. Penny In A Cup is a fun and energetic game to play with a group of friends. Split up into teams and give each person a penny to place between his/her knees. On signal, one player from each team will walk to a cup and without using their hands, and attempt to drop the penny in. If the player makes it in on the first attempt, he/she must tag the next person in line then sit down. If the player does not make the penny in the cup on the first attempt, then he/she must tag the next player and go to the end of the line and try again. Each player must keep trying until he/she gets their penny in the cup. The team with everyone sitting first wins.
Arts and kids crafts can introduce children to a wide range of subjects like art, music, science and nature. You’ll be able to find countless ideas on the Internet. To teach your kids how to tell time, have them make clock-face place mats with moving pipe cleaner parts. All you need is some construction paper, a marker, and some pipe cleaners. Want to share your love of gardening? Have the kids grow a bean sprout in a paper cup. Or, combine cooking and science by making homemade ice cream!
Filling kids with nutritious food is as important to child development as making sure they get enough physical activity. However, getting them to eat what’s good for them can be mission impossible! It helps to have your children participate in building a healthy menu for the family. Homemade granola bars are a healthy treat and making them teaches kids how to follow a recipe and introduces them to measurements. In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of quick cooking rolled oats, a can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup of wheat germ, 3/4 cup natural bran, 1/2 cup of oat bran and 1/2 cup of melted margarine. If you wish, you can also add a handful of raisins, nuts, shredded coconut, or your favorite dried fruit. For a sweeter treat, add chocolate chips. Press the mixture into a metal baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree over for about 15-20 minutes. When it’s cool, cut it into bars and serve with milk or juice.
After-school activities are an essential part of a child’s personal development. It teaches them skills that they may not learn in the classroom, encourages them to develop socially by forming friendships with other children, and it may also give you the chance to spend more time together. Speak to your child about subjects that interest them and find a project that develops that interest. Whether it’s sports, music, the arts or science, getting your child involved with a variety of programs outside of school is sure to enhance their life.
Being a professional, Matthew McMillan only recommends the best genital wart cure. His methods are highly recommended and information genital wart remedies can be found at treatmentforgenitalwarts.com.
Tags: activities after school, community center, community resources, educational resources, school art programs