How do afterschool programs help students? The past year has taught us the significant value of leisure time for our children and families, which we had temporarily lost due to the pandemic.
As a result, the field of after-school education is now experiencing an exciting phase.
What Are Afterschool Programs?
Afterschool programs have evolved significantly since their inception in the early 1900s. While they initially served as a means of providing supervision to students after school hours, today’s programs offer a more holistic approach to helping students.
These programs are not limited to academic assistance and focus on students’ overall well-being.
Definition
They are organized activities that students can voluntarily participate in outside of traditional school hours and can be run by schools, non-profit organizations, or commercial entities.
Such programs are believed to provide students with leadership experience and social skills, promoting their success in later life. However, some consider excessive participation in after-school activities to indicate overparenting.
Research has shown that structured after-school programs can improve academic performance, including better test scores, homework completion, and grades. However, further research has raised questions about the effectiveness of such programs in improving outcomes like school attendance and externalizing behavior.
Certain programs have also successfully closed the achievement gap between students of different races. While after-school programs are prevalent globally, each country implements them differently, leading to variations in after-school activities worldwide.
- Afterschool programs have evolved to offer a holistic approach to helping students with their overall well-being, leadership experience, and social skills.
- Such programs can be run by schools, non-profit organizations, or commercial entities and are voluntary activities that students can participate in outside of traditional school hours.
- Research has shown that structured after-school programs can improve academic performance, including better test scores, homework completion, and grades. However, further research is needed to determine their effectiveness in improving outcomes like school attendance and externalizing behavior.
How do Afterschool Programs Help Students?
Thankfully, there has been a positive shift since last year, and after-school programs have resumed. Schools are now offering increased opportunities for families to engage in various clubs and activities beyond regular school hours. These programs include but are not limited to robotics, chess, trail running, and family yoga.
Introducing these programs into our Afterschool Hub aims to promote a holistic approach to learning and development. These activities aim to enhance social, emotional, and cognitive skills, foster healthy habits, and cultivate new talents while providing children and youth a secure and supportive environment.
It’s not just us who recognize the significance of after-school programs. Several authors and studies have highlighted the substantial advantages that such programs offer to children, families, and communities. Effective afterschool programs go beyond creating learning environments; they provide various benefits.
Here are the six most crucial benefits of participating in after-school programs:
1. Improves Social and Emotional Skills
The evidence is mounting that the social and emotional competencies children acquire during after-school programs can significantly impact their success in both school and life. These essential competencies, commonly called ‘Life Skills’, range from communication and critical thinking to self-awareness and assertiveness. Children learn to work collaboratively in a team and develop self-reliance, among other valuable skills.
Furthermore, after-school programs provide an ideal setting for this type of social learning, offering small group sizes, a sense of belonging and connectedness, and opportunities to form strong bonds with peers of the same or different age groups.
- Social and emotional competencies gained in after-school programs can greatly influence a child’s academic and personal success.
- ‘Life Skills’ such as communication, critical thinking, self-awareness, and assertiveness can be acquired through these programs.
- Afterschool programs offer an ideal environment for social learning, including small group sizes, a sense of belonging, and opportunities to form strong bonds with peers.
2. Provides a Safe and Supportive Environment
Positive relationships with others in the after-school hub or clubs foster a sense of belonging and acceptance. Schools provide a secure, positive, and supportive environment where children can spend their last hours of the day engaged in meaningful and productive activities.
Additionally, keeping children occupied in after-school programs can prevent them from engaging in risky behavior. This is particularly great news for working parents, who can relax knowing their child is receiving quality after-school care at their school.
Choosing the right after-school activity for your child is crucial. At St. Peter’s School, they offer a wide range of afterschool programs that you can explore.
- Positive relationships with peers in after-school programs promote a sense of belonging and acceptance.
- Afterschool programs provide a safe and supportive environment for engaging in meaningful and productive activities.
- Participation in after-school programs can prevent children from engaging in risky behaviors, providing peace of mind for working parents.
3. Boosts new talents
Afterschool programs allow children to explore and discover new passions, take positive risks, and try new things. This can lead to higher self-esteem and self-awareness, which can benefit children in many aspects. Psychologists emphasize the importance of self-exploration to find one’s passions in life.
Beyond regular school hours, children can explore their interests and talents, try new activities, and broaden their horizons. This is essential in promoting their personal growth and development, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and purposeful life.
- Afterschool programs allow children to explore and discover new passions and interests.
- Self-exploration can lead to higher self-esteem and self-awareness, which is beneficial for personal growth and development.
- Exploring interests and talents beyond regular school hours can lead to a more fulfilling and purposeful life.
4. Improves Brain Function and School Performance
Active participation in after-school activities directly correlates with improved brain function and academic performance.
Recent research conducted by the University of Illinois and published in the Pediatrics journal has shown that elementary school students who participated in an after-school program involving physical activity for approximately an hour each day displayed better cognitive skills and greater focus than students who did not engage in much physical activity.
- Active participation in after-school activities can improve brain function and academic performance.
- Research from the University of Illinois has shown that students who engage in physical activity for about an hour daily during after-school programs demonstrate better cognitive skills and greater focus than those who don’t.
- Incorporating physical activity into after-school programs can positively affect children’s academic performance and cognitive abilities.
5. Strengthen lifelong learning at any age.
Afterschool programs can offer valuable learning opportunities for children, particularly those with different learning styles. The theory of multiple intelligences, developed by Gardner, suggests that individuals are not born with fixed abilities but rather that their skills can be enhanced through experience and practice.
Therefore, by providing a diverse range of activities that encourage the development of different types of intelligence, such as linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, and musical, an after-school program can help children learn and succeed in various ways.
- Afterschool programs offer beneficial learning opportunities for children with diverse learning styles.
- The theory of multiple intelligences implies that skills can be improved through practice and experience rather than innate abilities.
- Providing a range of activities that promote linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, and musical intelligence can help children succeed in various ways.
6. Promote healthy habits
Encouraging physical activity during childhood can contribute to an active lifestyle throughout adulthood, which is crucial for optimal health and well-being. Studies suggest that after-school programs of high quality play a significant role in promoting physical activity among children.
Additionally, there is some evidence that high activity levels during childhood may persist into early adulthood.
Conclusion
Afterschool programs have become a crucial component of modern education, providing children with a safe and structured environment that helps to prevent behavioral issues such as low attendance, tardiness, and even crime.
Keeping children engaged and motivated in after-school activities makes them more likely to succeed in various areas of their lives, including academic performance and personal growth. When children are excited about learning and have access to quality after-school programs, they are likelier to thrive and succeed in their future endeavors.
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