Enrolling your child in aftercare and enrichment programs can give you peace of mind while your children learn and have fun. Learn more about the benefits of enrolling your child in Afterschool Programs here.
When children get home from school, millions of them are left to take care of themselves until their parents come home. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since children are always on a road towards learning to be more independent. Unfortunately, too much unstructured time can cause kids to neglect a focus on their school-related obligations. Unproductive, unhealthy, or even dangerous behaviors can materialize seemingly out of thin air. Having a place to go before and after school can help mitigate the tendency towards inertia and provide kids with positive, character-building use of their time.
Good quality before and afterschool programs will have developed many creative ways to turn aimless hours into productive time. This is a great benefit for all kids, and especially those with learning or attention challenges. Many of these programs will also provide homework help to give children an opportunity to do their assignments and also seek an adult’s assistance, should they need it.
It is hard to list every possible positive outcome in a short blog post, but here are some of the main benefits your child can gain from participating in before and after school programs.
Increased Academic Effort, Performance, and Attendance
Most children are very likely to feel more comfortable working on an assignment when they are in a less formal, low-pressure environment but still can get help (if they need it) in finishing the assignment. Quality afterschool programs approach learning in even traditionally academic subjects, such as math and science, in a creative way, increasing a child’s interest in those subjects. Creative approaches improve the level of a child’s engagement with a subject. Whenever a child notices some progress and the positive effects of their extracurricular activities, they will gain more confidence and self-esteem and become motivated to be more active in the class. Greater interest leads to a stronger effort in school and less zoning out in subjects they find boring.
These students take the class wherever they go – be it to a cafeteria, grocery store, restaurant, or car. The on-go learners usually remain distracted and end up disturbing the teacher with background noise as well as an unsteady internet connection.
You may prevent this issue by adhering to the school’s policy. Most of the schools do not allow students to attend classes unless they are in a quiet area with proper internet.
The experts carrying out online English teaching in China for several years emphasized the significance of staying calm under all circumstances. You are the teacher; hence, you must set a positive example in the classroom. Remember, with a proper attitude and series of innovative strategies, even the most challenging students can sometimes emerge to be your brightest pupils.
Improving a Child’s Social Skills
Before and after school programs can greatly expand a child’s social circles and skills. If the program is located at your school, then your child will get the chance to connect with familiar faces but in a different environment. If it is not, then your child will get to meet new friends they wouldn’t know otherwise. By doing so, children get extra opportunities to use their social skills and build new relationships.
In addition, these activities can be a major benefit to children that are shy or more reserved. A quality program will have staffs that are trained to promote cooperation, support, and mutual respect.
Do not be scared to organize scavenger hunts or other games. These, after all, allow young students to utilize all of their stamina while still practicing the English vocabulary.
Through little fault of their own, some students hardly come to the class alone. They have family members watching them or conducting chores in the background.
Be it the overambitious parent who always wishes to keep an eye on the child, a spouse cooking breakfast, a sibling doing cartwheels, or a dog barking – they tend to be distracting for the teacher.
You may request your students to move to a quiet location or ask them to turn their camera and microphone off. Just be sure not to leave them out when playing games or taking quizzes.
Ensured Safety and Supervision
Teens who do not take part in afterschool programs are more likely to use drugs, drink alcohol, and smoke cigarettes. All children, not only teens, are likely to engage in risky behavior when left unsupervised.
Conclusion: After School Programs are a great way to ensure that your children spend time in a safe environment, get to finish all their school assignments, and also manage to have some fun time. These programs are not only likely to improve a child’s academic performance but also mitigate the risks of sedentary behavior, reduce the opportunities for mischief to visit them, and help them develop useful skills.
