Your child's school may offer an after-school fitness program for its students. This could be an alternative to traditional child care for your family if your child comes home to an empty house or attends a day care program. Keep some considerations in mind when looking for a program to be sure that it is a safe and positive place for your child to spend several hours per week.
Benefits
After-school fitness programs for children help provide some of the physical activity that kids need but may not get during the course of a school day. This is particularly true for obese or overweight children and for those who do not get adequate exercise at home. Aside from the physical benefits, after-school programs provide interactive child care for those whose parents need the service and may help keep kids out of trouble in a supervised and caring atmosphere.
Activities
Depending on the age of the children, after-school programs may focus on specific sports or on free play. Very young children often do better with open-ended and skill-building activities. In some programs, several types of equipment may be set out for the kids to use at will. These include bicycles or tricycles to learn how to pedal and balance; balls for kicking, tossing, catching and rolling; and skateboards and a swimming pool for older children. Older elementary school-aged kids often enjoy learning the basics of popular sports, such as soccer, baseball and basketball.
Things to Avoid
Avoid overly restrictive programs, especially for younger children. No matter what the age of the children, good sportsmanship and cooperation should be stressed above winning, and criticism and bullying must be avoided. Avoid programs that do not have adequate safety provisions in place. For example, the instructors should be CPR certified and trained in first aid, swimming pools must have a lifeguard, and children should not be allowed to ride bicycles or skateboards without helmets and other appropriate safety equipment.
Considerations
While an after-school fitness program may carry many benefits during the school year, the strides that your child makes toward good health may be lost during summer vacation. If your child participates in an after-school fitness program, take steps to encourage and enable her to continue on her path to physical fitness. Enroll her in a physical fitness summer camp, or make the effort to integrate physical activity into your family's routine during the times that school, as well as the after-school program, are not in session.
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