Parents are busier than ever these days, so let’s face it; after school activities are a great way to keep kids occupied for a few hours each day. But parents do want their kids learning and growing. So it’s not uncommon to wonder what are the top benefits of after-school activities, especially in Austin, Texas.

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Here’s what I know having worked with hundreds of kids over the years:

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The benefits of many Austin after-school activities include improved classroom behavior & performance, lower likelihood of dropping out, being more self-confident and many programs help improve strength, flexibility & coordination. Improved teamwork skills and an overall improved sense of well-being are often seen too.

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But there’s a lot more to know about after-school activities and what we can expect from them towards helping our kids.

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So today, we’ll be reviewing how after-school programs impact our kids. But we’ll also look at how many different activities might be too much. And we’ll examine the very best kinds of after-school activities to really help your kids be their personal best.

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Ultimately, we’ll answer the question of what are the top benefits of after-school activities. And while these benefits are across the board, we’re also looking specifically at Austin, Texas.

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Let’s dive in!

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What is considered an after-school program?

 

After-school programs and activities can fit a wide variety of activities.

 

Most often after-school programs refer to programs that operate either at your child’s elementary or middle school or pick them up from school and effectively act as a nanny.

 

Parents would then pick the child up from their facility when they get off work.

 

These programs sometimes include some educational components, but most often are not much different from a daycare.

 

After-school activities, by comparison, are any sort of activity your child does once the school day is over. These are typically not done on campus and are often something that a parent or nanny drives the child to.

 

These kinds of activities can include:

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• Martial arts

• Sports

• Dance classes

• Music lessons

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Are after school activities good for kids?

 

Parenting is harder than ever these days.

 

We parents are busier than previous generations. And in some ways, the world is a lot more complicated and challenging than it was 20 years ago.

 

For our kids, screens tend to dominate their lives away from classes.

 

That can present a host of issues, from being less physically active, to be being more shut off from the outside world, and, despite the irony, more disconnected than ever. So after school activities can really bring a lot of benefit to our kids.

 

But what benefits?

 

One recent study found that “quality afterschool programs can boost the overall well-being of children and youth: nurturing their intellectual curiosity, developing them into lifelong learners, helping them become more self-confident and self-aware, supporting them as they navigate friendships and relationships, and improving their performance in and attitude toward school”. (source)

 

Yet another study found that “after-school programs can improve classroom behavior . . . and can reduce the likelihood that a student will drop out ". (source)

 

But even beyond those benefits, when your child finds an activity they love and that truly resonates with them, they can stick with it for years. Often that brings an incredible sense of strength and accomplishment to the child. And instead of that validation coming from a parent, teacher, or something else, external, it comes from within.

 

That is where true strength and happiness comes from.

 

And anything that helps get kids off screens, interacting with others while being physically active is a great thing!

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How many different afterschool activities should kids have?

 

The million-dollar question!

 

Of course, busy parents would love for their kids to have something to do every day. But is that really best for their kids?

 

Let’s examine.

 

First things, first. It’s important to admit that unlike when I was a kid, kids these days have LOTS of options for after-school activities. And, there are also a lot of different types of activities all competing for our kid’s time and attention.

 

I will also caution that sometimes less is more. Being overscheduled can have a number of negative impacts. Those can include:

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• Wearing the child out physically and emotionally

• Creating burnout

• Generating pushback from the child towards some or all of the different activities

 

I will also add that it can sometimes be a challenge to master any one thing when a child is spread across many different activities.

 

But how many activities are too many?

 

According to the US Census Bureau, 57% of kids between the ages of 6 and 17 do at least after-school activity. 35% did some sort of sports or martial arts, and 29% did art, dance, or music. (source)

 

But the answer of how many is too many is also tied to age, so let’s look at a few different age brackets:

 

Pre-K through 1st grade

 

1 or 2 activities a week is about right at this young age.

 

Now that being said, at this age, kids are also experimenting to see what really resonates with them. So don’t expect them to stick with most of the activities they choose for years to come.

 

So while we don’t want them starting and stopping activities regularly (more on that below), it is perfectly OK for them to want to try new things every 4-6 months.

 

Also, at this age, a certain amount of unstructured playtime is crucial for social, emotional, and physical development. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently noted that unstructured play was critical for kids to “optimize their development and manage toxic stress”. (source)

 

2nd through 5th grade

 

3 activities per week or 1 activity 3 times a week is about right.

 

When we over-schedule kids, that can lead to stress, anxiety, irritability, and acting out according to Dr. Harpreet Kaur, head of pediatric psychology at Children’s Hospital in Orange, California.

 

Going back to the study I mentioned above, unstructured playtime is still crucial at this age range too. In fact, that report found that when unstructured playtime was missing, that “toxic stress can disrupt the development of executive function and the learning of prosocial behavior”.

 

So let your kids try different activities. Let them find their joy. And while we don’t want them vegging out on screens the rest of the time, avoid the urge to schedule a different activity every day.

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Middle School

 

Middle school in most areas is 6th-8th grade.

 

As a father of 3, believe me when I saw that middle school brings a LOT of changes with our kids. Unlike elementary school age, kids in middle school these days can often be introduced to some pretty adult concepts, from alcohol, smoking/vaping, drugs, and even sex.

 

But even beyond those concerns, as they enter puberty their emotional health and well-being become even more crucial than it was in younger years.

 

One study linked after-school activities with reduced recreational drug use along with reduced criminal behavior. (source)

 

So it’s perfectly OK in this age range to add additional days of after-school activities. As the saying goes “Idleness is the root of mischief”.

 

So 3-5 days' worth of after-school activities works just fine for this age range.

 

Just exercise a little caution and make sure they still have enough time for homework since those demands increase considerably compared to elementary school.

 

High School

 

By high school hopefully, our kids have found 1 or more activities they are truly passionate about.

 

That could be football, soccer, playing guitar, dance class or martial arts.

 

The other big switch by this age is that we should be looking to reduce the number of different activities and double down on what’s working.

 

By that, I mean have 1 or 2 activities they do 2 or 3 days a week rather than 5 different things they do only 1 time a week.

 

That will have the added benefit of them really feeling a sense of commitment and accomplishment since they will really feel their own personal growth by doing an activity that frequently.

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When your child wants to quit an activity

 

The younger the child, the more likely it is to have push-back, defiance, and downright battles trying to get them to their after-school activities.

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With this, we have to avoid the temptation to give in every time and just let them bounce around endlessly from activity to activity.

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If we never let them learn how to work through a challenge or challenging feelings, we’re doing them a big disservice as they get older.

But we’re also teaching them to give up and they may end up never fully committing to anything.

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Now, all that being said, we also don’t want to deal with a full-blown temper tantrum and meltdown every day on the way to the activity either.

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So my suggestion would be for you to pick a number of activities that you approve of and check out. Then allow them to pick what they want to do from that list.

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Let them have that choice, but make them commit to a certain period of time.

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How long will depend on their age.  For pre-K, kinder and 1st graders, anywhere from 4-6 months is probably sufficient.

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Then 2nd through 5th graders can be more like 6-10 months.

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Once kids hit middle school, I think 10-12 months is a perfectly fine commitment. Of course, it also is a great idea to first find after-school activities that allow your child to do a free trial class.

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That way they can check it out at no cost or obligation before they make that commitment. There’s no substitute for your child physically trying the activity first.

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What are the best after school activities?

 

Of course, we’re a little biased towards martial arts.

 

After working with thousands of kids for more than 20 years, we’re confident of our ability to help foster the following qualities in children:

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• Martial arts – Focus, resilience, confidence, core strength, and the ability to self-regulate are just a few of the benefits we see growing in kids each and every week

• Dance classes – Dance classes often lure little girls in with ballerina fantasies. But, in truth, they are incredibly valuable over time for building core strength, coordination, flexibility, and teamwork

• Soccer – Obviously a seasonal sport, but soccer is huge for coordination, strength agility, hand/foot-eye coordination, and teamwork

• Swimming – Unless it’s indoor, this too is highly seasonal. But there might not be a more perfect exercise than swimming. Low-impact, building huge core strength, breath control, and agility while connected to the water

• Cooking – Not just fun, but an actual skill that will stay with them for life. Learning about different foods, cuisines, and techniques is a blast. Who knows? Maybe you’ll cultivate the next Master Chef Junior champion!

• Gymnastics – Another fantastic activity for core strength, flexibility, agility, and coordination. Certain programs can be highly demanding and competitive, so make sure and match the school to you and your child’s goals.

 

But as I said above, we’re a little biased in thinking martial arts is one of the very best after-school activities.

 

While Life Ki-do began in Austin, TX as a martial arts program for kids, it has always been our life skills that have been the real draw.

Children love Life Ki-do classes because of how it makes them feel about themselves. Parents love that they can see a genuine and positive transformation in their kids.

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Want to try one of the top-rated after school activities at no cost or obligation?

 

Here at Life Ki-do Martial Arts, we’ve been working with kids in south, west & central Austin for over 2 decades.

 

We’ve been voted by Austin Chronicle readers as the Best After-school Activity a number of times.

 

But don’t take our word for it!

 

Check out our outstanding reviews on Yelp and Google. And when you’re ready, we’d love for you to come try one of our classes at no cost or obligation.

 

We offer classes for kids as young as 3, but there’s no limit and we have plenty of adult students too!

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Classes are available in our Westlake or Lakeway dojos, but we also operate programs in Circle C and at Athena Montessori.

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CLICK HERE to register for your free trial class. Schedule it for any day you like, including same day.

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