Any parent or teacher knows that kids don’t like to sit still for long. They’re always looking for the next project or activity to get into. This constant need for activity can be difficult for parents and teachers to keep children entertained, which is why after school activities are so important.
According to an AP study, 80% of middle and high school aged students participate in organized activities after school. If you want to engage your children or students, here are five ideas for after school activities you can set up at school.
Start a sports team
Students spend most of their day sitting at a desk in class. Introduce some physical activity by offering a recreational after school sports team or program.
After school sports don’t have to be highly organized with uniforms or even set teams. Encourage the kids to play some pickup games of their favorite sports. Some of the most popular sports for after school programs include:
- Flag football
- Soccer
- Dodgeball
- Archery
- Badminton
- Baseball
- Kickball
- Volleyball
Anything that gets the kids moving is a good idea for an after school program. However, playing sports requires plenty of space and (for some) a sunny day. Whether you start a sports team for your after school program might depend on your location.
Build your strategy with a chess club
Chess has been played for centuries to build strategy and reasoning skills. And it’s still effective today! Teaching kids to play and enjoy chess can help them develop critical skills they’ll use in the future. Plus, it’s fun!
Of course, chess isn’t for everyone. Younger kids might not be able to understand some of the more complex concepts of the game. You can always add other board games to your after school activities. Monopoly, Connect Four, and Scrabble are always popular for kids of any age group!
Arts and crafts
The world needs more art! And your after school program is the perfect place to foster the students’ love of creation.
Organize some fun arts and crafts projects to get the students’ creativity flowing. These projects can be something simple, like a popsicle stick picture frame, to something a bit more complex, like painting a self portrait.
No matter which craft project you choose, you know the students will have fun creating art in their own style!
Construction and building projects
It never hurts to bring a little healthy competition into your after school program. And one of the most fun (and educational) competitions you can organize is a building or construction project.
For example, ask the kids to build a bridge that can hold the most weight using just a set number of toothpicks and some glue. Then put the students into teams and see what kind of engineering they can come up with.
There are countless construction projects you can do in your after school program. From constructing the tallest building block tower to the fastest mousetrap car, these projects will certainly engage the kids with healthy competition and teach them valuable skills in the process.
Reading club
There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book. Teach students to love reading by starting a book club in your after school activity program.
Whether you simply set aside time for reading, bring a book cart to your after school program, or even introduce a competition to see who can read the most books, there’s no downside to fostering a love of reading!
Promote your after school activities with eye-catching flyers
Whenever you decide to fire up your after school program, let all the students, teachers, and parents know about it with some well-made flyers. Hang flyers around the school to make sure nobody can miss your amazing activities.
Since you’re busy planning an after school program, you probably don’t have time to design amazing flyers from scratch. Luckily, there are hundreds of free after school program flyer templates available online from websites like PosterMyWall.
Simply browse the designs, choose the one that best fits your school and activities, customize the information with the easy drag-and-drop editor, and you’re ready to print! Tell everyone at the school all about your fun activities and programs.
Engage students with fun after school program activities
No matter the age, children don’t like to be bored! Keep them engaged with fun activities for your after school program, like recreational sports, playing chess or other board games, arts and crafts projects, construction and building projects, or a reading club.
And no matter which activities you decide to do, use professionally designed after school program flyer templates from PosterMyWall to spread the word and get more students to participate. These activities aren’t just fun; they’ll help students develop essential skills they’ll use for the rest of their lives! But it doesn’t hurt to have a little fun, too.