After-School Activities For Kids Ages 2-12 Years Old

Are you looking for the best after-school activities that will keep your kids entertained and active at home? Do you want them to skip the iPad or TV and become engaged in physical exercises? Are you planning to spend more time with your little ones in fun and exciting ways?

If you answered YES to one or all of these questions, then you’re in the right place!

In this post, I’ll share with you the perfect after-school activities that will not only keep the boredom away but also help expand your child’s skills and growth.

Enroll Them In A Sports Class

For the benefit of the doubt, being active in sports is beneficial in many ways. Aside from building a better physique, it also teaches your kids to become competitive (in a friendly way), responsible, and empathetic.

That being said, it plays an important role in your child’s physical, mental, emotional, and social development.

When your child plays sports, they learn cooperation and sportsmanship. This also improves balance and coordination while boosting self-confidence. Constant practice and development also stimulate good mood and positivity.

For kids with special needs, participating in sports also helps them in terms of facing new challenges and socialization.

Dance Like No One’s Watching

Dancing is an underrated activity. It’s free. It’s fun. And anyone can do it, even kids as young as 1 year old. 

So, when you can do an extracurricular activity that you and your kids will truly enjoy, just turn the music up and dance! Whether your child’s an introvert or extrovert, they can find a good way to express themselves through dance. 

Dancing often involves music so that alone improves mood. It also boosts coordination, confidence, and motor skills, such as jumping and turning around. Also, once your kid enjoyed dancing, you might be surprised to find out that they want to perform in front of people because, after all, dancing instills loads of self-confidence.

Just Keep Swimming, Swimming

This is one of the things that my husband and I are planning for our son -- enroll him in a swimming lesson. We’ve heard a lot of benefits that it can bring not only physically but also, mentally and emotionally.

When swimming, most, if not all body parts move, contributing to a fitter, healthier physique. It’s also a fun way to learn more about personal safety, which is basically a life-skill that everyone should know.

If you’re wondering when your child should start swimming, research suggests that they can start learning how to swim as early as 1 year old.

Cooking Like A MasterChef

Love the little MasterChef and hoping you can have one? Then now’s the best time to get your kids involved in the kitchen.

When you cook, you do a lot of things, such as learning the recipe, chopping and mixing ingredients, waiting for the food to cook, sharing the food, and the list goes on. Considering this, there are many things to learn when you cook.

Now, imagine when your kids started to appreciate this activity. They learn about nutrition, they practice patience in case they’re waiting for the food to get ready or when the dish didn’t turn out as expected. They also learn how to follow steps and experiment flavors on their own.

On top of this, fine motor skills are practiced when cutting and mixing food. Also, it helps them achieve a sense of accomplishment. And if that’s not enough, you are teaching your child to become self-reliant and independent in one of the most exciting ways possible.

Becoming Their Own Boss

Teaching how to start a business at an early age is not a bad thing. As an entrepreneur myself, I know how beneficial it is for developing the mind and the body. You have to think of how to make your products stand out, offering it to people, working on it hands-on, and so on.

That being said, this after-school activity can help your child in a lot of ways. Of course, it's better if they are older than 3 or if they’d be working with friends. It can be anything -- from selling lemonade, doing simple crafts, to setting up a play lounge. 

As a parent, you can support and offer assistance but if you want them to make the most of this activity, you should resist spoon-feeding them.

Allow them to create their own strategies and turn their ideas to life. Who knows? You might be surprised to see a future CEO in front of you.

Learn How To Protect Self Through Martial Arts

Another way to keep your kids active after school is by enrolling in martial arts. Just to be clear, the intention, as Bruce Lee suggests, is to learn how to protect themselves, “not to hurt another.”

Getting your kid into Taekwondo or another form of martial art can help them learn self-defense and discipline. This also boosts focus, improves physical fitness, and stimulates self-confidence. Like sports, it also promotes healthy competition and sportsmanship.

Whichever after-school activity you have in mind, be sure to talk with your child first. Understand their interest, expertise, and/or skills so you can decide which among these activities is best for them. Also, you can enroll them for a trial class to see how it works.

Do you have other extracurricular activities in mind? If yes, feel free to share it in our comment box below. 

Thank you!

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