School and academics are common practices among the youth in our country, and are very important in instilling good habits, knowledge and skills in our children. However, learning shouldn’t stop there! After school is a great time for students and young children to continue their learning, and it usually can be done without a textbook! 

When parents work, it’s sometimes difficult for them to pick up their children right when the school day is over. That’s what is so great about after school programs! After school programs benefit both parents and students, and usually involve many activities that will help improve learning and behavior. Learn why after school program activities can be so beneficial!

Child Development 

During after school programs, students are able to take what they are learning in the classroom, and amplify it with different after school program activities. Usually, these activities are intended to promote early child care development, which is the educational foundation children receive from when they are born to when they are eight-years-old. In other words, these activities help bestow great skills and concepts for our youth, such as social and cognitive skills, which benefits the students both academically and professionally for years to come. 

Skill-based Activities

After school programs should be designed to create a fun and friendly environment for our youth. In order to do this, after school programs must offer a variety of after school program activities. In doing so, students are able to learn a variety of things about things you won’t find in a math or english textbook. 

Emotional and Social Development

At DREAM, we try to implement emotional and social development skills in our students through various after school program activities. These activities tend to put a great emphasis on positive relationships, as they require our students to create friendships with other students as well as adults, and teaches the importance of teamwork. 

Language Skills Development 

Language skill development is another thing we tend to focus on in our after school programs. Communication is a very important skill to learn when you’re young, and our activities allow students to expand their vocabulary as well as teach them how to communicate effectively, professionally and appropriately. 

Cognitive Skill Development

Another area we focus on is cognitive skill development. Cognitive skill development is important in school and helps students focus their attention on one task. There are many fun and educational activities that help our students improve on this, such as Simon Says  with our younger students! 

Physical Development

Lastly, we offer our students a variety of activities that benefit their physical development. Sitting at a desk all day at school can make the day seem very long, which is why physical activity is much needed when the school day is over! We try to implement not only sports, but also physical learning activities that require our students to exercise and think at the same time! 

Child development is very important when it comes to the future of our youth, and after school program activities are fun ways students can practice and develop outside of school and home! 

 At DREAM, we focus on helping our students grow in every way we can! To learn more about our after school program, visit our website!