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Top Things to Consider When Selecting After School
Activities for Kids
Special to The Truth
Parents seeking positive,
meaningful extracurricular activities for their children may
struggle to identify the right programs for their kids,
especially if busy family schedules limit options. While
many youth programs help children socialize and learn new
skills, some go further to help shape who kids may become as
adults.
When choosing activities
for young children, consider the following:
• Diverse experiences:
Keep things interesting and engaging for your child. Select
programs that offer a range of activities and adventures.
• Talented volunteers or
staff: Ask, “What type of training do volunteers and staff
members receive?” The answer to this is key as you help
ensure your child will be mentored by positive role models.
• Program values: Learn
what the organization’s goals are, how it teaches children
about building character and good citizenship, and how it
helps youth explore their goals.
• Scheduling:
Extracurricular activities can be time consuming. Find out
what meetings and activities are required to ensure the
program works for your family.
• Starting now: Today’s
parents are more likely to engage their children in
activities at a younger age, according to a survey by
Forrester. Consider enrolling your children in
extracurricular activities early, perhaps even before formal
education begins. This can help foster their long-term
development.
Still not sure what
activities are right for your children? One choice with
compelling outcomes is Scouting. Kids who participate in
Scouting exhibit strong moral values and positive character
attributes, allowing them to embrace new opportunities,
overcome obstacles and become better prepared for future
success, suggests a study of kids age 6 to 12 conducted by
Tufts University.
For this reason, parents
looking to create a strong foundation of leadership,
service, and community in their children may consider Boy
Scouts and Cub Scouts. While many people associate these
programs with camping and outdoor adventures, the Boy Scouts
of America also offers programs for youth with other unique
interests. Here are some highlights:
• Lion: This pilot program
for 5 and 6-year-old or kindergarten-age boys and their
parents, combines concepts of character development,
leadership skills, personal fitness and citizenship, with
age-appropriate, fun activities.
• STEM Scouts: To keep
pace with the growing importance of STEM-related careers,
the STEM Scouts pilot program helps boys and girls in grades
3 through 12 learn more about science, technology,
engineering and math through interactive, hands-on
activities and experiments.
• Exploring: The expanded
Exploring program offers young men and women ages 14-20,
real-world career experiences that help build confidence and
discover interests in fields like law enforcement,
firefighting, aviation, engineering, and medicine.
Learn more about Scouting
programs and how to get involved in your community at
beascout.org.
Before enrolling in a
program, it’s important to ensure the time is well spent. Do
your research and seek out programs that help your child
build character and have fun in the process.
Courtesy StatePoint
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