It's no secret that after-school ac

It's no secret that after-school activities do wonders for a child's development. They are linked to improving social skills, grades, overall coordination, sense-of-self and relationships with adults other than mom and dad.

After-school programs and activities also give kids a chance to be themselves, free of the structure they face at school. "Since kids spend their day primarily sitting down and following a schedule at school, when they get home it is important for them to have time to be creative, get moving and do something they enjoy," says Kristin Fitch, CEO and co-founder of ZiggityZoom.

Need inspiration for things to do with your kids or the kids you nanny/babysit for? Fitch, Beverly Stewart, M.Ed., president and director of Back to Basics Learning Dynamics, and Angela Todd MA, PhD (ABD), head of a Pennsylvania-based parent coaching program brainstormed 101 ideas to get you started:


Search sites like Meetup.com for kids' afterschool playgroups in your area or groups that focus on activities for kids.
Join an after-school reading group at the library.
Make some back-to-school crafts, like a gumball pencil or bottle cap locker magnets.
Schedule a weekly get-together with kids in the neighborhood. Have them over for crafts or games. Rotate houses each week to split up hosting responsibilities.
On the way home from school, ask your child to tell you the two best parts and two least favorite parts of his day. When you get to the negatives, try to help your child find a silver lining or a bright side to the bad parts of his day. Here are more tips for getting kids to talk about their day.
Creating a reading challenge -- see if your child can read a certain amount of books within a specific time frame and award prizes for milestones.
Act out a book your child is reading in school.
Hike and explore nearby trails.
Join a local Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts troop.
Turn baby food jars into snow globes.
Visit the zoo.
Explore the nearest public or botanical gardens.
Take a trip to a free museum.
Have a scavenger hunt that incorporates subjects your child is learning about in school. Here are 8 Scavenger Hunt Ideas to get you started.
Write a letter to a relative.
Make a time capsule. Choose special things from this year, month or even just today and put them away in a shoebox to open at a future date. Include a note in the box explaining why you chose each item. Learn how to make a memory box.
Volunteer.
Visit an animal shelter.
Play cards -- gin rummy never goes out of style and will help your child learn numbers.
Take walks every Monday to make plans for the week ahead.
Do kid-friendly yoga together.
Build a blanket fort.
Research your family tree and relate it to what your child is learning in history class.
Knit.
Head to the batting cages.
Become an expert at minigolf.
Go rock climbing together, which helps develop endurance, balance and flexibility.
Take photos of things in the park and create a collage. Do a new one every month, so you can keep track of how the seasons change.
Watch a YouTube video on how to make sushi -- then create the rolls for dinner.
Make a list of your child's accomplishments in the past year, and brainstorm new goals for the upcoming one.
Host a school supplies fundraiser, which will help teach kids about the importance of time management, planning and giving back.
Put on a neighborhood bake sale.
Make a quilt. Feeling generous? Donate it to a local charity. You can make this a monthly activity, adding themes to your blankets.
Sort through old clothes and toys and donate them, so you can make room for new ones.
Finger paint -- fun at any age!
Take a tour of the neighborhood and research local historic spots.
Complete a 3-D puzzle, if you can.
Make a birdfeeder and keep a log of what types of birds pay it a visit.
Go on a hayride during the fall.
Research yummy and healthy after-school snacks that both you and your child like -- then schedule when you're going to make them.
Design and make jewelry, like a friendship bracelet.
Walk the dog. Don't have one? Take the neighbor's dog for a stroll.
Play hide-n-seek. An oldie, but goodie.
Help organize a block party with classmates.
Attend a local college or high school sporting event.
Create homemade ice cream.
Build a treehouse.
Tutor someone younger.
Learn Sign language.
Offer local services to neighbors and friends, including car washing and lawn mowing. Encourage your kids to provide these services for free, as it's a way to give back to the community.
Sew a homemade kite. Next, make it fly!
Write a short story.
Illustrate a story.
Write a poem.
Listen to a song and choreograph a dance to go with it.
Go on a bike ride -- follow a new path every time.
Draw a sidewalk mural. Take a photo of every new one, so you can keep track of the masterpieces.
Pick a "food of the week" every Sunday. During the rest of the week, incorporate that food into at least one meal every day. Be sure it's a healthy option. Use this as an opportunity to expand your child's palette and find new recipes for the family.
Stroll through nature. In the fall, collect leaves. In the spring, forage for special flowers to make a spring bouquet.
Walk along a beach that's open during the non-summer months.
Perform random acts of kindness. Leave it up to your kids to decide what this means to them: maybe it's dropping off a home-baked treat at an elderly neighbor's house or leaving an uplifting note or picture on a stranger's car or doorstep. The options are endless.
Go geocaching, which promotes teamwork and time in nature.
Practice amateur photography. Kick it old school and equip your budding photog with a disposable camera and an "assignment" for the afternoon. The excitement continues when you get the roll developed and see what they came up with. (Bonus: This can parlay into another afternoon activity: a photo collage-making activity.)
Mold crayons into cool shapes.
Set up an obstacle course in your backyard or living room.
Hammer color from leaves into paper.
Make "daisy chains" with weeds in the summer time.
Order a rocks and mineral set, which is great for kids who like hands-on learning. You may discover that you have a budding geologist at home.
Play an imaginative or "make believe" game in the backyard.
Make dinner together -- teach your kids about measuring ingredients and choosing foods that go together to make a meal. It's like a science lesson!
Choose a theme (like pirates or cowgirls) and do your around-the-house chores in character. Get imaginative -- pirates doing laundry would probably check the pockets for treasure!
Pick a song your child knows well and re-write all of the lyrics together to make it funny.
Pick a movie or story and write an alternate ending.
Make fairy houses for the backyard.
Take something apart, like an old appliance or electronic device (clock, remote control, etc.), and figure out how it works. Bonus: try to put it back together afterwards!
Make up quizzes for each other to take. You could ask questions to see how well you know each other (ex: what's my favorite color?), or fun trivia about geography, history, science, etc.
Print out a blank map of the US and see if you can name all of the states correctly -- for older children, add state capitals too!
Bake cookie bowls with an upside-down cupcake pan -- and then serve ice cream in them!
Choose an old item around the house that's no longer useful, paint it and turn it into a decorative piece (like an old guitar or other instrument that doesn't work, an old broken clock, an old water pitcher, etc.).
Get a blank picture frame (or one you've repainted) and glue pieces of fun all over it -- buttons, miniature toys, pebbles, bottle caps, anything! Then find a nice photo to put in it.
Play charades.
Play dress up and make up a story to go with your costumes.
Make a fun countdown calendar with colored countdowns to holidays and other exciting events (the next family vacation, an upcoming birthday party, etc.).
Print photos, get colored paper, glitter, markers, glue and start a scrapbook -- or even just make one scrapbook page.
Play the headband game: each person gets a card attached to their forehead with a headband (don't peek at your card) and they ask yes-or-no questions to figure out what the card on their head says (ex: Am I an animal? Do I live in the jungle?).
Pick a random item in the house and challenge each other to create a funny TV-style infomercial to convince you to buy it. Pretend this object is new on the market, and no one has heard of it before! It's fun to try to "sell" a sticky note, a pair of headphones or a toaster.
Play a trivia game.
Play checkers or chess.
Go outside and count how many different types of trees/plants you can see in your area. Try to name them all, and look up the ones you don't know.
Buy clay at your local craft store and mold fun toys and objects.
Go for a walk in the park and count how many dogs you see. Keep a tally and try to guess the breed of each dog. If you're feeling friendly, ask the owner the breed to see if you're right.
Use painter's tape to create "roads" on the floor of the living room, then grab blocks to build houses and make a whole town!
Play with rainbow soap foam.
Make sand art in a bottle with colored sand.
Go roller skating or ice skating.
Take out the baby photos, share with your kids and tell them stories about when they were born.
Take out your baby photos and show your kids what you were like when you were young.
Put on a puppet show -- if you don't own puppets, make some.
Pick different cultures from around the world to learn about -- maybe focus on one each week, and try foods from that culture, learn about their holidays, etc.
Draw a map and create your own treasure hunt, either in the house or outside.
Do kid-friendly Zumba at home. Play fun music, and do exercise-dance moves. Let your kids make up some of their own moves that they can teach you.

Kết quả (Việt) 1:

Nó là không có bí mật rằng sau khi trường hoạt động làm điều kỳ diệu cho sự phát triển của một đứa trẻ. Họ được liên kết để cải thiện kỹ năng xã hội, các lớp, phối hợp tổng thể, ý thức tự và mối quan hệ với người lớn khác hơn so với mẹ và cha.Chương trình sau giờ học và hoạt động cũng cung cấp cho trẻ em một cơ hội để là chính mình, miễn phí của cấu trúc mà họ phải đối mặt ở trường. "Kể từ khi trẻ em chi tiêu ngày của họ chủ yếu là ngồi và theo một lịch trình ở trường, khi họ nhận được nhà nó là quan trọng để họ có thời gian để được sáng tạo, có được di chuyển và làm một cái gì đó họ hưởng," ông Kristin Fitch, tổng giám đốc và đồng sáng lập của ZiggityZoom.Cần cảm hứng cho những thứ để làm với trẻ em của bạn hoặc các trẻ em bạn nanny/babysit? Fitch, Beverly Stewart, M.Ed., chủ tịch và giám đốc của quay lại các động lực học tập khái niệm cơ bản, và Angela Todd MA, tiến sĩ (ABD), đứng đầu của một phụ huynh dựa trên Pennsylvania huấn chương trình brainstormed 101 ý tưởng để giúp bạn bắt đầu: Tìm các trang web như Meetup.com cho trẻ em afterschool vui trong khu vực hoặc nhóm tập trung vào hoạt động cho trẻ em của bạn.Tham gia một nhóm đọc sau giờ học tại thư viện.Làm cho một số thủ công Mỹ nghệ back-to-trường, như một gumball bút chì hoặc chai cap locker nam châm.Lịch trình một Get-cùng lượt với các trẻ em trong vùng lân cận. Có họ trên cho hàng thủ công hoặc trò chơi. Xoay nhà mỗi tuần để chia lưu trữ trách nhiệm.Trên đường về nhà từ trường học, yêu cầu trẻ em của bạn để cho bạn biết những phần tốt nhất hai và hai phần yêu thích nhất trong ngày của mình. Khi bạn nhận được tiêu cực, cố gắng để giúp con bạn tìm một lớp màng bạc hoặc một mặt tươi sáng cho những phần xấu của ngày của mình. Dưới đây là thêm Mẹo cho bắt trẻ em để nói về ngày của họ.Tạo một đọc thách thức - xem nếu con quý vị có thể đọc một số sách trong một khung thời gian cụ thể và trao giải thưởng cho sự kiện quan trọng.Hành động ra một cuốn sách trẻ em của bạn đọc trong trường học.Đi lang thang và khám phá gần đó những con đường mòn.Tham gia đoàn nữ Hướng đạo hay Nam Hướng đạo địa phương.Biến em bé thực phẩm lọ thành quả cầu tuyết.Ghé thăm vườn thú.Khám phá các khu vực gần nhất hoặc vườn bách thảo.Có một chuyến đi đến một bảo tàng miễn phí.Có một hunt scavenger kết hợp các đối tượng con quý vị đang học về trong trường học. Dưới đây là 8 Scavenger Hunt ý tưởng để giúp bạn bắt đầu.Viết thư cho một thân nhân.Làm cho một viên nang thời gian. Chọn những điều đặc biệt từ năm nay, tháng hoặc thậm chí chỉ cần hôm nay và đưa họ đi trong một shoebox mở tại một ngày trong tương lai. Bao gồm một lưu ý trong hộp giải thích tại sao bạn chọn mỗi mục. Tìm hiểu làm thế nào để thực hiện một hộp bộ nhớ.Tình nguyện viên.Truy cập vào một nơi trú ẩn động vật.Chơi bài - gin rummy không bao giờ đi ra khỏi phong cách và sẽ giúp con quý vị tìm hiểu số.Hãy đi bộ mỗi thứ hai để thực hiện kế hoạch trong tuần trước.Làm yoga kid-thân thiện với nhau.Xây dựng một pháo đài chăn.Nghiên cứu cây gia đình của bạn và nó liên quan đến những gì trẻ em của bạn học tập trong lớp học lịch sử.Knit.Head to the batting cages.Become an expert at minigolf.Go rock climbing together, which helps develop endurance, balance and flexibility.Take photos of things in the park and create a collage. Do a new one every month, so you can keep track of how the seasons change.Watch a YouTube video on how to make sushi -- then create the rolls for dinner.Make a list of your child's accomplishments in the past year, and brainstorm new goals for the upcoming one.Host a school supplies fundraiser, which will help teach kids about the importance of time management, planning and giving back.Put on a neighborhood bake sale.Make a quilt. Feeling generous? Donate it to a local charity. You can make this a monthly activity, adding themes to your blankets.Sort through old clothes and toys and donate them, so you can make room for new ones.Finger paint -- fun at any age!Take a tour of the neighborhood and research local historic spots.Complete a 3-D puzzle, if you can.Make a birdfeeder and keep a log of what types of birds pay it a visit.Go on a hayride during the fall.Research yummy and healthy after-school snacks that both you and your child like -- then schedule when you're going to make them.Design and make jewelry, like a friendship bracelet.Walk the dog. Don't have one? Take the neighbor's dog for a stroll.Play hide-n-seek. An oldie, but goodie.Help organize a block party with classmates.Attend a local college or high school sporting event.
Create homemade ice cream.
Build a treehouse.
Tutor someone younger.
Learn Sign language.
Offer local services to neighbors and friends, including car washing and lawn mowing. Encourage your kids to provide these services for free, as it's a way to give back to the community.
Sew a homemade kite. Next, make it fly!
Write a short story.
Illustrate a story.
Write a poem.
Listen to a song and choreograph a dance to go with it.
Go on a bike ride -- follow a new path every time.
Draw a sidewalk mural. Take a photo of every new one, so you can keep track of the masterpieces.
Pick a "food of the week" every Sunday. During the rest of the week, incorporate that food into at least one meal every day. Be sure it's a healthy option. Use this as an opportunity to expand your child's palette and find new recipes for the family.
Stroll through nature. In the fall, collect leaves. In the spring, forage for special flowers to make a spring bouquet.
Walk along a beach that's open during the non-summer months.
Perform random acts of kindness. Leave it up to your kids to decide what this means to them: maybe it's dropping off a home-baked treat at an elderly neighbor's house or leaving an uplifting note or picture on a stranger's car or doorstep. The options are endless.
Go geocaching, which promotes teamwork and time in nature.
Practice amateur photography. Kick it old school and equip your budding photog with a disposable camera and an "assignment" for the afternoon. The excitement continues when you get the roll developed and see what they came up with. (Bonus: This can parlay into another afternoon activity: a photo collage-making activity.)
Mold crayons into cool shapes.
Set up an obstacle course in your backyard or living room.
Hammer color from leaves into paper.
Make "daisy chains" with weeds in the summer time.
Order a rocks and mineral set, which is great for kids who like hands-on learning. You may discover that you have a budding geologist at home.
Play an imaginative or "make believe" game in the backyard.
Make dinner together -- teach your kids about measuring ingredients and choosing foods that go together to make a meal. It's like a science lesson!
Choose a theme (like pirates or cowgirls) and do your around-the-house chores in character. Get imaginative -- pirates doing laundry would probably check the pockets for treasure!
Pick a song your child knows well and re-write all of the lyrics together to make it funny.
Pick a movie or story and write an alternate ending.
Make fairy houses for the backyard.
Take something apart, like an old appliance or electronic device (clock, remote control, etc.), and figure out how it works. Bonus: try to put it back together afterwards!
Make up quizzes for each other to take. You could ask questions to see how well you know each other (ex: what's my favorite color?), or fun trivia about geography, history, science, etc.
Print out a blank map of the US and see if you can name all of the states correctly -- for older children, add state capitals too!
Bake cookie bowls with an upside-down cupcake pan -- and then serve ice cream in them!
Choose an old item around the house that's no longer useful, paint it and turn it into a decorative piece (like an old guitar or other instrument that doesn't work, an old broken clock, an old water pitcher, etc.).
Get a blank picture frame (or one you've repainted) and glue pieces of fun all over it -- buttons, miniature toys, pebbles, bottle caps, anything! Then find a nice photo to put in it.
Play charades.
Play dress up and make up a story to go with your costumes.
Make a fun countdown calendar with colored countdowns to holidays and other exciting events (the next family vacation, an upcoming birthday party, etc.).
Print photos, get colored paper, glitter, markers, glue and start a scrapbook -- or even just make one scrapbook page.
Play the headband game: each person gets a card attached to their forehead with a headband (don't peek at your card) and they ask yes-or-no questions to figure out what the card on their head says (ex: Am I an animal? Do I live in the jungle?).
Pick a random item in the house and challenge each other to create a funny TV-style infomercial to convince you to buy it. Pretend this object is new on the market, and no one has heard of it before! It's fun to try to "sell" a sticky note, a pair of headphones or a toaster.
Play a trivia game.
Play checkers or chess.
Go outside and count how many different types of trees/plants you can see in your area. Try to name them all, and look up the ones you don't know.
Buy clay at your local craft store and mold fun toys and objects.
Go for a walk in the park and count how many dogs you see. Keep a tally and try to guess the breed of each dog. If you're feeling friendly, ask the owner the breed to see if you're right.
Use painter's tape to create "roads" on the floor of the living room, then grab blocks to build houses and make a whole town!
Play with rainbow soap foam.
Make sand art in a bottle with colored sand.
Go roller skating or ice skating.
Take out the baby photos, share with your kids and tell them stories about when they were born.
Take out your baby photos and show your kids what you were like when you were young.
Put on a puppet show -- if you don't own puppets, make some.
Pick different cultures from around the world to learn about -- maybe focus on one each week, and try foods from that culture, learn about their holidays, etc.
Draw a map and create your own treasure hunt, either in the house or outside.
Do kid-friendly Zumba at home. Play fun music, and do exercise-dance moves. Let your kids make up some of their own moves that they can teach you.