How Youth Programs Help your Kid in the Long Run
It benefits them more than you may even know.
Kids only have on thing on their mind when walking into school: how many minutes until they can walk back out at the end of the day. Youth programs all around the nation have allowed kids to get that excess restless energy out that recess couldn’t cover — all while serving some sort of growth experience.
Not only do these programs — such as after school sports, arts and clubs — let your child decompress after a long day of sitting at a desk and allow you to take that extra 30 minutes to shop at the grocery store… But youth programs show results in improving social skills, encouraging physical activity and strengthening family relationships.
While some parents may feel guilty for not spending quality time with their children at home while they’re in before school, after school and weekend programs, that shouldn’t be the case. While a child may be exposed to interacting with their peers in the classroom, they see the same faces every day for the whole school year.
While some parents may feel guilty for spending quality time with their children at home before they catch the bus for school, that shouldn’t be the case. After school and weekend programs increase your children’s exposure to interacting with other peers they might not see everyday while in the classroom.
It’s proven that before and after school programs can help build social skills as kids are exposed to different types of personalities. This means your child has the potential learn more about all different kinds of kids with different backgrounds and ages. This kind of interaction can encourage and advance their ability to be more open-minded to their peers.
Before kids enter that awkward tween phase where they’re afraid to engage in anything that makes them stand out from the rest, they’re fearless. They have a higher desire to let people know what they’re thinking, what they’re curious about and what sports or exercise they want to get involved in without worrying about being too sweaty and awkward. Youth programs can get youths active while making them happier and healthier, too (not to rip-off the Cheerios slogan).
According to a paper by Joseph A. Durlak, Roger P. Weissberg and Molly Pachan, engaging in physical activity can prevent obesity, cardiovascular diseases, weight gain, type II diabetes and much more. While this may not be something your kid is thinking about, knowing these benefits yourself may help you rest a little easier every night.
Lastly, youth programs that allow kids to interact with other kids they wouldn’t normally on a day-to-day basis exposes them to more complex relationship-building. This includes building better familial relationships. While your child may not want to talk about the boring math class they had to sit through for an hour that day, they may want to talk about the really exciting science project they worked on in their after-school activity.
Youth programs allow both the parent and the child to engage in conversation and give them more to talk about than just the day-to-day. Creating dialogue strengthens parental participation and youth engagement by giving both parties more to talk about rather than just having your kid staring at the broccoli they’re pushing around their plate at the dinner table.
Ultimately, youth programs aren’t only a way for you to take some more time for yourself or allow you to make that quick stop at TJMaxx on your way home from work… they also enhance your child’s quality of life without them realizing it.
There are so many resources around communities around the United States that are rooted in the same mission: providing experiences for kids that strengthen their growth into a teenager and beyond while keeping them engaged, happy and motivated. So way to go Mom, give yourself a pat on the back. Your little one is flourishing in more ways than you know.
