For young children, it’s important to make sure they’re spending plenty of time outdoors where they can get plenty of sunshine and exercise in addition to getting away from the TV or the computer.
Doing so makes them healthier physically and benefits them mentally. It also allows them to develop much-needed outdoor skills like games and sports, climbing, running, etc. as well as socializing and making new friends.
Some parents have the luxury of having very large backyards, plenty of sports equipment and money to pay for attendance at youth clubs. Unfortunately, though, not everyone is quite so lucky. Many just don’t have the time, space or resources to devote to such things.
The alternative then is finding free after-school activities for their children. The knack is finding out where those activities are and how to join them.
While after-school clubs don’t actively keep themselves hidden, actually finding those clubs or finding out information about them, isn’t as obvious for everyone. Even if clubs are not hiding their presence, they rarely have access to much advertising either. In other instances, you may find a interesting looking club but you may be unable to tell if it’s suitable for your child or not.
To help you out, here are some tips to help you track down a suitable after school club for your children.
Check With Your School
Naturally, the first place you can find a wide range of free after-school activities is at your children’s school. Every school worth its funding provides a wide range of extracurricular activities to help enrich their students, everything from a football team, band, to the debate club.
Thus, you should ask your child to inquire about any clubs they may be running at school, or ask their teacher yourself if they can recommend anything for your child.
It may be worth looking around at other schools as well. While not always guaranteed, some clubs operating on school grounds are open to everyone interested in joining, not just local students. So if your child is particularly interested in a sport their school cannot provide, feel free to look somewhere else. If you are ever unsure, it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Inquire at Local Churches or Community Centers/Halls
Another good place to look for after-school activities is your local church or community center. In the former case, you don’t have to worry about matters of religious faith. Many church-run activities don’t require you to be a member of their church, or even a follower of their religion in general. These sorts of centers frequently provide after school activities for children to take part in, many of which are free to join.
Clubs at these sorts of places will usually be advertised inside the building. Check the main notice board in the foyer or congregation hall, and see what’s being advertised. If you’d like more information, never be afraid to ask someone there.
Check Local Newspapers
If a club is looking to attract new members, there’s a very good chance they’ll put an ad out in a local newspaper. Such adverts will also contain information about contact details, any additional fees (such as buying appropriate clothing and equipment), and where the club is meeting. As such, it pays to keep a close eye on local newspapers to see if any new clubs are advertising themselves.
Check Online
An alternative to newspapers is to check online. It is pretty much common practice for groups, clubs and after-school activities to have an online presence, even if it’s just a small ad being hosted on another website. Given that it’s usually free to use the internet to advertise, it’s very rare to find groups that don’t use the internet in some fashion. Some clubs may even have their own websites.
Ask Other Parents
One other great resource you can use to find free after-school activities for your kids can be found in other parents. If you know another parent’s children attends a club, feel free to just to ask them about it and get some information from them. Alternatively, just ask them if they’ve heard of any clubs in particular matching the interest of your children.
Even if they do not know of anything right at that moment, they may hear of something later on, which they may pass on to you if it is what you’ve been asking about.
