A home-based after school program

So, your son’s school does not offer any extracurricular activities. You
are worried of depriving your child of all that extra knowledge and fun.
What should you do?

After school activities need not be taught in a school-like environment by
professional teachers in a structured and timely manner. There is a lot
YOU can do to support your child’s academic, physical and social
development. Do not be too concerned about formal programs, as many of our
children are already over-scheduled.

Obviously, school is top priority for children. They need to go to school,
and finish their homework. They should then do their daily reading or
writing work etc. This may take about 30-60 minutes. In the course of his
daily work, your child may develop certain academic preferences and
interests. In that case, you can try and find a program in a college or a
community center that will help him and encourage him. In the age of the
Internet, information is really not a rarity. Allow him to use the net to
find more information about thing that he likes. Encouraging the child to
do independent research to gain in-depth knowledge is something that no
formal program does.

If you are concerned about the lack of social life, enroll him or her in a
club - a reading club maybe. Visit public libraries or even the theatre,
if your child is interested. It is not necessary for your child to make
friends with children his own age. A parent-child book club is another
interesting option. If you can round up a number of like-minded children
and their parents, you may well start your own after-school program.

When there is no organized group activity, look to your community. Many
children love to get involved in social problems. They get their first
real taste of suffering, charity and community help from such experiences.
Volunteering for clean-up sessions, adult education programs etc could be
a real eye-opener for your child. The lessons thus learnt are invaluable.

If physical activity or the lack of it is your major concern, enroll your
child for some dancing classes. If organized sports are impossible to get,
try to enroll her in a gym. She may find friends there and may take to the
treadmill.

Your child does not necessarily have to be a part of an organized group to
benefit from after-school activities. There are various avenues open in
front of you. Roping in the enthusiasm of your children in daily household
activities like cooking, cleaning etc can also provide them with a
refreshing extracurricular experience. Moreover, it will improve family
ties too.

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Potentials of after school programs

With children becoming the primary focus of society, ways and means to
ensure their safety and development are being researched. The Government
too has pooled in to make a success of such programs. Here are some of the
reasons why after school programs have become so popular:

1) Preventing Juvenile Delinquency, crime and violent victimization:
About 10% of juvenile crimes happen between 3 P.M. - 4 P.M. Children need
to be kept safe and out of trouble at such times
2) Preventing alcohol, drug and tobacco use.
Risk-taking behavior that seeks to establish superiority in a clan is
mostly seen in ‘latchkey’ children. Children in their pre-teens, if they
have a meaningful relationship with a mentor, are less likely to indulge
in these kinds of destructive behavior
3) Decreases appetite for Television:
An average child watches about 23 hours of TV per week. When enrolled for
some activity, the child utilizes his mental and physical skills to meet
challenges.
4) Improving academic achievements
5) Improving school attendance:
More confidence in self and increased interest in school leads to greater
attendance in school. A program that helps children with their homework
also gives the child a much-needed feeling of self-achievement.
6) Improved behavior and inter-personal skills
Children who attend after school activities handle conflict better and
cooperate more with authority figures.
7) Closer family and community ties.

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Too much of school

When my mom finally decided to take that plum posting as a Divisional
Head, I knew I was in trouble. Her office hours stretched way beyond my
school hours. And anyway, I was privy to the many discussions my parents
had about ‘Honey, what do we do with the kids?’ Well, finally they struck
gold - an educational after school program. Won’t that be just grand? Kids
are learning new things while parents are happily minting greenbacks!

And so, we went directly to another class after our school. The brochure
said that they would be ‘using fun activities and innovative teaching
methods to fill the gap in your child’s understanding’. I suppose they
meant that the teacher would write down the homework and we were to copy
it. At least, this is what happened most of the time. Of course, we didn’t
tell our parents. How would that help? They’d simply get smart and shift us to a class that would actually make us solve our homework.

I hated the classes. Mostly, I was bored to tears or falling asleep.
After so many hours at school who’d want to spend the entire afternoon
with the same books? But, as a child, one had little choice in these
matters. Especially when one’s parents were cleverly telling one that
mommy’s salary will help get us that spanking new TV or that video game.
Lose some, win some!

Then, one day, my sister decided to rock the proverbial boat. She decided
she had enough of studying and refused to go to the after school program.
That’s when my parents began to smell something stale. Shortly after that,
they put us in a better program (o, yes, another educational one). This
was bigger, brighter and somehow more fun. We had some interesting games,
and a COMPUTER too. Each of us got a chance to do something on the PC
(this, when PCs were just beginning to make their presence felt). We
somehow managed to blaze through our homework, most of which had to be
done by us. Then it was time to have fun. We had a little bit of
everything. Acting classes, speech, games and of course painting. Those
hours we spent splashing color on pages and laughing at silly jokes were
really the highlight of an otherwise boring day. Ironically, I began
looking forward to my after school program.

Now, so many years afterward, when I need to take up a job and leave my
own child alone till I get back, I know how important these after school
programs have become. Talk about history repeating itself! I just hope I’d
get her into a good one, and yes, it’s going to be educational too.

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Effective after school activities

When there are so many activities on offer, and each one looks as good as
the next, how do you gauge the worth and effectiveness of these
activities? Sure, you want an activity that junior enjoys. But, we really
cannot afford to waste time on pleasure for pleasure’s sake, do we? There
needs to be a grain of gold somewhere in there. Given below is a list of
characteristics that any good after school activity must possess.

Clarity in objectives and goals is the first important thing. What does
the course offer? How does it propose to achieve the results? How many
kids make up a batch? Ask questions. After all, when you are dishing out
the dough, you really need to understand what you are getting in return.

A good after school activity will provide lots of opportunities for the
young to increase their level of understanding of complex concepts. This
is true of recreational activities too. Learning to pitch a ball, or dance
to a tune - regardless of the activity involved, the child should be
encouraged to grapple with and conquer new concepts. This not only keeps
boredom at bay by challenging the child, but also builds up his
self-confidence. Development of academic, personal and social skills is
one of the prime aims of an after school activity. As the skills develop,
the child’s self-esteem also increases.

After school activities are all about boosting a child’s sense of
competence. Good and effective after school activities promotes the
resilience of youth and encourages them to grow stronger, be it mentally,
emotionally or physically.

Safety is one of the first requirements of an after school activity. The
staff should be qualified, adequate and alert. Never put your child in a
program where safety is a matter of accident instead of a matter of
priority. The staff should be friendly and should have a positive
relationship with the child. Therefore, the program should have
professional and trained staff that loves to interact with children. The
program should maintain a cooperative and supportive attitude and a
structured environment. Participation and collaboration as opposed to
competition and antagonism must be encouraged.

Some programs involve the children in planning activities and making
decisions. Adults often forget to get the opinion of their children. By
giving the children an opportunity to voice their opinion, programs become
fun activities that children are motivated to participate in. Young people
thrive when they are listened to, respected and allowed to contribute
their mite.

Routine evaluations are an important part of after school programs. If the
child does not benefit from a class, don’t waste time being
over-optimistic. Try something new.

You are now ready to look for the perfect after school activity for your
child. But don’t let us forget that having fun is also an important part
of growing up. The child deserves a few hours of pure delight. Remember,
all work and no play,

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The Learning environment

There is often a trap in the words ‘after school activities’. One may
easily believe that since these activities are after school, they are not
of much importance. But, one couldn’t be more wrong. Research suggests
that children pick up some of their most important skills from after
school programs. That is why children who do not participate in any extra
curricular activities are generally slow and less vibrant.

The learning environment that one fosters in after school activities must
be as disciplined and as functional as that found in the school. This is
especially true of educational after school programs. This is the best
place to teach the child important skills like time-management and goal
setting. Time-management is a vital skill, but it is not achieved easily.
Children need to feel the discipline that is needed to finish a task and
the happiness of finishing the allotted work in a specific time frame.

Children look for different things in an after class program. The learning
environment should be attractive, colorful and informative. Use charts,
pictures, posters and drawings to liven up a class. Additional resources
(resources that are not easily available in the school) will make the
classes interesting. For instance, when teaching a biology lesson, allow
the child to see through a microscope or see slides of bacteria. This
will add to his knowledge and also make him more enthusiastic about his after school program.

Discipline is a must in after school activities. In fun or sport-based
activities, it is easy for children to step out of line and wreck havoc.
While children should be allowed to have fun, they should be curtailed
from unacceptable behavior. The best way to enforce discipline is to lay
down the rules at the very beginning. Let the children know what is
unacceptable, right at the beginning.

Rewards are an important part of any learning process. The reward can be a
simple pat on the back or a token of appreciation. Motivate your children
to aspire for higher things by rewarding their achievements. Holding
competitions or sport activities where the children can show their
proficiency is a reward in itself.

Children can get bored easily, especially in the case of an educational
program. The main thrust of an academic program is to repeat what has been
taught in class and to allow the child to learn it quickly. It is
difficult to pique the child’s interest a second time, especially when the
child is already tired of one dose of the same lesson. It is best to
thwart boredom by using creative techniques like an impromptu extempore on
any topic, a quiz program or a slideshow.

After school activities are becoming more popular by the day. Parents want
their kids to learn more. Children too have an insatiable quest for
knowledge. In an after school program, it is possible to pay individual
attention and quench this thirst using various effective techniques.

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