With the need for after school programming on the rise, many families choose to sign their children up for various types of activities to help keep them engaged once the school day is over. Whether the activity is at school or outside of school, families are always looking for opportunities to give their children an enriching experience. A great after school program should engage children in a meaningful way and help them continue to develop their creativity, social skills, problem solving skills, and much more. After school programming tends to be a little more casual than the regular school day, which gives children a bit more freedom to discover what they like, but still in a structured environment.

During our Encore and Explorers program the past few months, children in our Lower School have enjoyed the opportunity to take part in several hands-on classes where they continue to learn in a more casual environment. Our Early Childhood students are diving right into their artistic spirits and creating wonderful art pieces each week, while some opted for our soccer class to let out some energy, run around, and learn some new athletic skills. Meanwhile, our older students are using their creative juices to create sculpture pieces while others are flexing their problem-solving skills to win their games of chess.

Not all of our Lower School students who attend after school participate in enrichment classes. Others choose to stay with our Encore group where they can develop their social skills by interacting with students who are in different classes. Mixing students in different grades together allows students to have the opportunity to make new friends that they have not met during the school day, and it gives slightly older students an opportunity to serve as mentors for the younger students. Through unstructured, supervised free time, students use their own decision making skills to discover what they want to do and learn how to work and interact with their peers.

Overall, Lower School students enjoy coming to after school because it gives them an opportunity to take charge of their routine and decide how they want to spend their time, all while knowing they are in a safe and supervised environment. Students know the staff members are there to help, but also know that it is their time to figure out how to navigate this freedom. 

As the school year progresses, we’ll be able to see the students become more confident and independent. Watching their personalities grow and the friendships they create are all part of what after school programming is all about. Most importantly, students are having fun in a safe environment.