Exploring After School Activities

Few children like homework, but as your child enters elementary school, he will quickly discover that it will be a way of life for the next decade or so. Getting the most out of every worksheet or book report may be difficult, but choosing after school activities to explore new interests, will keep your child active and learning without even realizing it.

Exploring New After School Activities

During this elementary school years, your child will still be exploring new interests. With a broader understanding of sports, the arts, and other activities, your child should be more equipped to choose his own interests. Let you child decide what activities he wants to participate in after school, but give him choices that will keep his mind and body engaged and which will reinforce his natural curiosity.

• School-related options. Elementary schools often provide after school activities that your child can opt to join. From science clubs to sports groups, these activities can keep your child active in the school community and allow him a safe and secure space in which to improve his social relationships and explore new interests.
• Independent activities. Many sports, such as gymnastics and swimming, offer kids the opportunity to interact with a group while improving their own abilities. If your child isn't too interested in sports, try a reading club, art classes, or other academic-based activities that are great for building knowledge and social skills.
• Group activities. Many team sports, such as soccer, baseball, and softball offer a great atmosphere in which kids can learn responsibility, teamwork, and how to depend on the people around you. Additionally, group swimming lessons, dance classes, or even board game activities can bring a diverse body of kids together—encuraging each of them to meet new people and learn to appreciate the differences from one person to the next.

Choosing an after school activity to stick to may be difficult, as your child's interests are still developing. If you child switches from activity to activity, enforce a policy that he must stick with one activity for a set amount of time before he can switch, so that one bad class or uninteresting lesson doesn't drive him away from an interest that could last a lifetime. Otherwise, support and encourage your child to cultivate a variety of interests and after school activities.