When your child gets out of school, they often have a lot of energy after a long day of learning! Luckily, there is a way for your child to participate in fun activities that helps them to get moving, active, and away from screen time. After-school programs involve your child in a multitude of physical activities that will be fun and engaging but will also make your child a better learner.
An after-school program will often involve physical activity in the form of sports, structured games, or even dancing around! These fun games will help kids build muscle and become physically fit, but they will also drastically affect how they behave and perform in their classroom. Many studies have found that children who participate in physical activity have improved academic performance. On top of that, physical activity can also improve how your child behaves and engages in the classroom. This means that if your child is having difficulty behaving in the classroom, an after-school program will be beneficial in boosting your child’s learning; however, every child can benefit from being active!
Many after-school programs can also spark your child’s interest in learning- especially if the after-school program is specific to a subject that your child is interested in. After-school programs can help your child develop hobbies that can not only enrich your child’s life but also help children practice learning outside of the traditional classroom setting. For example, if your child attends an after-school ballet or martial arts program, they will likely become interested in it and inspired to want to learn more about it. This intrigue will boost your child’s ability to learn outside the classroom, but they will also bring that inquisitive nature when they step into their classroom.
Physical after-school programs can also introduce different ranks, responsibilities, and roles within the program, which teaches your child about goal-setting. Your child will learn that practice makes perfect and that they must work hard to achieve their goals. When children learn how to set and achieve goals in their extracurriculars, they will learn how to set and achieve goals in the classroom.
Additionally, physical activity in an after-school program can reduce stress and anxiety in children. It has been proven that more active children are less stressed and anxious compared to kids who are not as busy. Making opportunities for your child to be active empowers your child to learn better and handle stressful situations more calmly. Active children are calmer and can enter the classroom feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day!
After-school programs encourage kids to get their bodies moving entertainingly. Your child will have so much fun they won’t even realize they’re getting a workout and boosting their learning simultaneously! Signing your child up for an after-school program that facilitates physical activity will provide you with the comfort that your child is staying active and building healthy habits that boost their learning!
~Coach Clarenza