This is a great time to think about fresh activity
ides for the thousands of after school programs all across the country that
serve K12 students. The goal of many
after-school programs is to improve the student’s enthusiasm for learning. There are 21st Century grant programs, GEAR
Up, Upward Bound, Talent Search, Boys and Girls Clubs , YMCA and the YWCA to
name a few. All of these programs make a significant contribution to the growth
and development of young people. Many
older students get involved in taking on leadership responsibilities within
their respective organization. Successful after-school programs always have
fresh ideas that come from staff and students.
One of the goals of every program should be
innovation. There must be creative ways that
students are doing programming that ties into the learning that occurs at
school. These are some of the best programs. For example participating in a
robotics competition can help students with math, physics and computer
programming. Some students participate
in science bowls that occur all around the country or speaking competitions
with Toastmasters. There is a world full
of great opportunities for the after school student. It is important to get the students involved in
the activity decision making. They can often come up with unique activities.
Get all of your after school participants involved
in brainstorming sessions. A great
brainstorming session can help your programs to better meet the needs of the
participants. Give each of the small
groups a sheet of note paper and a marker and give them an opportunity to make a
list of activities. Put each list on a
wall and give everyone stickers that they can put beside ideas that they favor. The brainstorming session will become an
exciting opportunity to change the direction of some of your activities. Here
are ten things that you can do :
1.
Visit
other after school programs to see what they are doing
2.
Get
support from companies in your area that have games and resources
3.
Join
social networks like Pinterest and pursue after school pins http://bit.ly/1lmuBSq
4.
Involve
your students in learning unique sports (golf, tennis, lacrosse)
5.
View
Youtube videos for unique activities
6.
Invite
in experts to show your students how to do something (i.e. chef, crafts etc.)
7.
Organize
your own best student grade competition
8.
Visit
a historical site in your city that your participants rarely visit
9.
Attend
a national conference
1. Form and advisory board
Always look for fresh
ideas. They can be found on the internet in magazines and newspapers. Most
publications have a list of weekend activities. Sometimes it is good to give
your students different experiences that are away from your program's location.
It is a great way to explore your own city. You will be amazed to find
out how many students have never visited your local historical sites.
The growth of a successful after school program
depends on the creativity of the staff and students. You can give out an easy
survey to get feedback about your services and activities. If possible consider
creating a volunteer position for a graduate student from a local college. Students
need to know that their after school program is more than something to pass the
time while they wait for a parent to get home. It is an opportunity to
excel and prepare for a successful future. Dr Stephen Jones is an educator and author of the seven Secrets of How to Study at
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