Just because school has begun, it doesn’t mean your kids’ needs are getting met. Some kids thrive in classroom environments. Others don’t. Some kids love group sports. Others don’t. All kids benefit from trusted, organized, adult-led activities that provide opportunities to explore their interests, skills, and friendship building opportunities.
Explore how your child learns best. Discover what activities interest them the most, bring them the most joy. School days are necessary – whether they are home school, private school, charter school, or public school. As parents, supporting school days with extra-curricular activities can bring more meaning and success to the school day itself. Children learn in many ways: hands-on, listening, exploring – trial and error learning, following directions, academic, athletic, creative, performing, and more.
This school year, consider what extra-curricular activities will support your children’s developmental needs. Team projects such as Lego competitions support character building, time management, and project management. Individual endeavors encourage exploration of interests. School sports and club sports provide physical, mental, direction-following, and interaction opportunities that prepare youth for adult life and work settings.
Youth programs are abundant in the Treasure Valley and at varying cost levels. At the Ada County extension office, sign up for 4-H – the family-oriented club system for learning, budgeting, and producing products for the annual August fair. The Boys & Girls Clubs in Garden City and Meridian offer year-round programs for academic and sports-oriented activities. The Y programs in downtown Boise, West Boise, and South Meridian at The Hill provide daily access to physical activities along with class offerings.
Music via band, orchestra, symphony, choir, and individual lessons creates soulful creative outlets. School programs and community choir, symphony, or philharmonic programs refine talent while enhancing all levels of musical skills and accomplishments.
Performing arts skill development can be found at Ballet Idaho and at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Visual arts classes are offered at school and in community settings by artists and art teachers who provide structured art project experiences – ask your school or search online for “Idaho art classes”.
The Boise School District offers ongoing learning opportunities through their catalogs of Community Education offerings which are grouped by ages and themes. After school learning opportunities also include the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts – club oriented, badge-earning skill-building opportunities.
Support your child’s development during the school year with out-of-school experiences.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES:
4-H — uidaho.edu/extension/county/ada/4-h — Boys and Girls Clubs — adaclubs.org — Meridian Symphony — meridiansymphony.org — Boise Phil — boisephil.org — Y Programs — ymcatvidaho.org — Scouting – Boys and Girls — mtwestbsa.org — Girl Scouts of Silver Sage — girlscouts-ssc.org — Community Education — boiselearns.org — Ballet Idaho — balletidaho.org/community — Idaho Shakespeare Festival — idahoshakespeare.org/education