Lively Afterschool Activities
Kids shouldn’t stop learning at the end of the school day. Fun afterschool activities can help keep their minds working while they are taking a break from the books. Extracurricular activities also give kids the chance to get active and blow off some steam. In this article, we’ll share some lively games and projects that will keep your kids entertained while you enhance their education.
Child obesity has reached epidemic proportions. After a day of creative activities and seat work at school, many kids simply go home and plop down in front of the television or computer. To get them up from their shows and video games, challenge kids with physical afterschool activities that are fun, like relay races, backyard t-ball games and even skateboarding. Category Hopscotch is a challenging afterschool activity that will teach your child to think fast while they jump around. All you need is some chalk, a few rocks to use as markers, and a small rubber or tennis ball. Draw a hopscotch court on the ground and put a category name in each box. You can use categories like colors, fruits, cars and names. The player tosses the ball and hops to each category that the ball lands on, naming something that corresponds to the category as they go. To make it more challenging, words can’t be repeated. Whoever finishes all the categories first is the winner.
Kids crafts, activity books and coloring pages are always fail proof activities, especially for younger children. To keep the older kids on schedule, have them make calendar bookmarks. You’ll need an old calendar, a glue stick, some cardboard or construction paper, a hole punch, and some bright ribbon or string. Cut the calendar into weekly segments and use a glue stick to stick the pieces to strips of colorful paper. Use the hole punch to make a hole on one end and loop a length of ribbon or string through it. Using a fine tip marker, the kids can write their favorite activities in the boxes that correspond to the day they do them. For example, Monday – gym class, Tuesday – piano lessons and so on. They can decorate their bookmarks with pictures and stickers too.
Kids usually have the munchies when they get home from school, so teach them to eat healthy by getting them busy in the kitchen. Nachos are a fun-to-make, kid-friendly snack; you can even make them for dinner! Brown some ground beef, drain the fat, and add some mild taco sauce or salsa. For a vegetarian version, substitute black beans for the ground beef. On a pizza pan, layer some baked, whole grain tortilla chips with the meat and some grated cheese. Put it in the oven until the cheese melts. Serve the nachos with some low fat sour cream, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, re-fried beans and diced red or green peppers. Preparing this simple, yummy snack will teach kids the importance of incorporating the four food groups into their diet, show them how to follow a recipe, and introduce them to measurements. As a bonus, the kids will be eating a serving of fresh veggies without even knowing it!
Afterschool activities don’t have to be expensive. With a little creativity, you can create your own programs at home. Speak to your kids about things that interest them and incorporate those activities into their schedule. If you’re not at home to supervise these activities yourself, ask a friend, neighbor or older child to take over. These fun projects will be something that your child looks forward to all day.
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