Social benefits of children attending after school programs

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. For a balanced mental and physical development of children, there needs to be a balance between the activities they do in school and those they do out of school.  After school programs are offered by the schools themselves, nonprofit organizations or run by commercial enterprises.

A great after school program in Albany covers a wide range and may include but not limited to the following:

• Sports and recreation
• Academic support and mentoring
• Art and youth development activities.
• Wellness and nutrition activities
• Transition activities.

                                                                                                                       
Since the kids’ time does not end when the school bell rings at 3 pm, the program enables them to further their mental development in various ways.

The main social benefits of children attending are:

• They get vital interaction capabilities which enable them to relate well to the surrounding environment.
• They can get help with their homework or any other academic assistance which may be difficult to them. This teaches them the social skill of helping others out.
• They get to meet new friends and this further improves their social capabilities.
• The out of school environment makes your child relax his/her mind and be in a more stable mood to involve in social activities.
• The funny and recreational options help to reduce the stress level in children and making more outspoken.
• These programs help in developing leadership skills in your child. This is due to the small groups they are divided into in those after school facilities, each person in that group mostly has a role to play.ch
• It boosts self-esteem. Since the circle of children in the facility might not be as big as in the schools, there is always a very high chance of the child being able to express his/her desires direct to the caretaker without relying on others to say it as it is the case in schools.
• The child learns healthy habits and good manners they might not have been taught in schools, for example, the children are taught on how to clean their food dishes after taking the snack.
• They develop the skill to appreciate others in those after-school activities as they are always encouraged to say complimentary words to anyone who does a kind thing to you.
• They learn to trust others and this further improves their interrelation capabilities.

 
Social benefits of children attending after school programs are many and they cannot all be put in to writing. The simple things and behaviors you see in your children is most likely the product of attending a great program. The child becomes much more disciplined in some cases since the program may be treated as a reward system. For example in a situation where a child is only allowed to go outside to play after successfully completing the homework, then the child will ensure timely completion of the assignment so he/she can be allowed to go and play with other kids.