{"id":617,"date":"2021-11-02T10:49:35","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T10:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ikidsplay.com\/?p=617"},"modified":"2021-11-02T10:54:58","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T10:54:58","slug":"extracurricular-activities-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ikidsplay.com\/extracurricular-activities-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun & Unique Extracurricular Activities for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"
“Play is the work of the child,” quipped Maria Montessori, who went on to craft an approach to education that builds on the way children learn naturally.<\/p>\n
Young children quite easily find themselves at play, which opens them up to learn about the world around them.<\/p>\n
Pay attention to what happens at the park as preschoolers begin to bump into one another, exchange a few words, and then ditch the playground equipment to traipse over to the woods where they turn tree overhangs into forts and wield sticks as magic wands. Imagination and play are at work, and your child’s world expands.<\/p>\n
As children grow, play can go a few ways: it can get trumped by screen time or even by organized sports with soccer schedules that rival that of a CEO. But it doesn’t have to be that way!<\/p>\n
In fact, colleges are looking for kids who practice play though an extracurricular activity\u2014something that they regularly participate in outside of their normal academic classes.<\/p>\n
While there’s nothing wrong with screens (they are necessary for most STEM-based extracurriculars) or athletics (a sport is a time-proven way to get exercise and gain invaluable life skills as a teammate), check out the many ways below where you can help your child develop through play once their preschool years are behind them.<\/p>\n
We categorized these into four categories to help you search: art, exercise, STEM, and DIY. Scroll down for a full explanation of each category and lots of ideas to enrich your child’s life!<\/p>\n
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In the arts we include everything from learning a musical instrument to crocheting a scarf and sculpting clay.<\/p>\n
Playing with the arts develops fine motor skills, enhances creativity, invites music exposure, and builds confidence in your child. Check out the many ways to draw out the artist in your kid:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Working with others toward a cumulative experience like a play or drama is so rewarding! The beauty of joining a theater club is that your child can explore whether they prefer a behind-the-scenes job or starring on stage.<\/p>\n Memorizing lines or learning about set design simultaneously teaches teamwork and the reward of careful work\u2014making theater one of our favorite extracurricular activities for kids.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is no shortage of ways you can get kids cooking in the kitchen! From a class at a local kitchen store to inviting friends over to explore an at-home cooking kit, learning to make a meal or decorate a cake is one of life’s greatest skills for a child to learn.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Taking a photo has never been easier thanks to smartphones, but the art of editing, organizing, printing, and displaying a photo is somewhat lost and is a valuable skill your child may really enjoy.<\/p>\n There are classes that help them develop an eye for compelling angles and interesting frames to make each photo uniquely their own.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Learning the elements of singing and then working with others to produce a choral performance can be a crowning achievement in a kid’s life!<\/p>\n They may be invited with their choir to perform at special events and holidays and learn the benefits of public performance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n While most schools provide a unit on the recorder, there is also ample opportunity for your student to find their place in a band or orchestra by taking guitar or violin lessons.<\/p>\n While piano is a classic instrument to learn, they may enjoy the social opportunities offered at various music and rock schools where they can learn to play music alongside others.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Clay can have a therapeutic effect as it engages the senses and produces a 3D piece that kids can be proud of.<\/p>\n Most art studios in town will offer some sort of clay class for kids whether they make a coil pot by rolling clay with their hands or even begin throwing a pot on a pottery wheel.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Believe it or not, your local library is a good place to begin if you want to learn more about sewing or crocheting\u2014there are all sort of introductory books available for checkout.<\/p>\n Some will even loan you a sewing machine using your library card! From there, look into your city’s recreation programs or local sewing clubs to begin learning this craft with others.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Painting and drawing classes and clubs abound and are an easy activity to join. Kids will get familiar with brushes, pencils, and various mediums and techniques while creating pieces to share or display at home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When children are very young, watch how they run at every opportunity. Someone’s ringing the doorbell? Sprint for the door! Snack time? Now they’re running into the kitchen! Jumping out of the car? Yep, and and now try to stop them before they run through the parking lot!<\/p>\n They remind us that our bodies are made to move, and that as we get older extracurricular activities rooted in movement and exercise can help us get the physical activity we all need for good health.<\/p>\n Athletics and sports teams are sort of a given in this category, and by all means pursue those\u2014but here is a list of unique, exercise-based extracurricular activities to inspire even the whiniest couch potato:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Any city rec program is bound to have a dance class and from there kids can choose to train at a more specialized studio that can result in a recital or performance.<\/p>\n Arguably one of the most fun ways to gain exercise, dance is an extracurricular activity that will also teach your kids about music, costume, choreography, and working with others.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are swim lessons but also swim clubs and even water polo teams.<\/p>\n Kids often forgot they there are even exercising when they are in the pool, so swimming is one of the best activities for kids when it come to choosing an extracurricular.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n With the right gear and a local BMX track, biking is a thrilling and very safe activity that makes this one of the most fun extracurricular activities on our list.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The dexterity, balance, determination, and strength needed to enjoy rock climbing and bouldering are skills that will be rewarding in so many areas of life!<\/p>\n Scaling a tricky rock wall or boulder could bring a sense of accomplishment that every child needs and this activity can be done indoors, outdoors, and is fun for both boys and girls.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Martial arts lessons are for people of any age and is a tried and true way of learning discipline, proper self defense, awareness, and problem solving.<\/p>\n The beauty of martial arts is that it is just as much a mental sport as it is a physical one and it offers all sorts of physical activity from stretching and flexibility to gaining strength and endurance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Whether you head to the rink as a family or sign your child up for a club, roller skating is timeless and one of the most fun ways to spend some free time! Laughter abounds when kids learn those awkward beginning moves on skates but soon enough they’ll be cruising around with ease.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n1. Theater<\/h3>\n
2. Cooking<\/h3>\n
3. Photography & Photo Editing<\/h3>\n
4. Choir<\/h3>\n
5. Musical Instrument<\/h3>\n
6. Clay sculpting and Pottery<\/h3>\n
7. Sewing\/Crocheting<\/h3>\n
8. Painting\/Drawing<\/h3>\n
Exercise-Based Extracurriculars<\/h2>\n
1. Dance<\/h3>\n
2. Swimming<\/h3>\n
3. BMX<\/h3>\n
4. Rock Climbing\/Bouldering<\/h3>\n
5. Martial Arts<\/h3>\n
6. Roller Skating<\/h3>\n
7. Gymnastics<\/h3>\n