Primary School
After School Activity (ASA)
Every semester we provide various and interesting after school activities for our students (ASA). These activities allow them to be active, that is obvious, but this can also translate to their everyday life. Having some sort of physical activity every day is extremely important for the overall well-being of children and adults. Starting to be active at a young age will promote a healthier lifestyle for the future and allow them to begin making healthy choices daily. A healthy body equals a healthy mind, which brings us to our next benefit. After-school involvement can even prevent drug use and bad or criminal behavior in future years. When children have an understanding of what is right for their bodies, they are able to carry this out for the rest of their lives.
After school activities are a great way for students to participate in a safe and productive environment after school has ended. When the bell rings, it does not mean your child’s day is over. In fact, that time of the day typically is the most stressful because of trying to get your child home safely and in a timely manner. That time after school is filled with many opportunities for the children to continue their development and save you the hassle of picking up your child when the car line becomes messy. After school, activities are shown to provide a number of benefits for your child. Getting involved in activities is shown to help children be more extroverted and responsible. Children are overall happier and healthier when they are engaged in things they enjoy doing.
They can help kids develop talents and passions and learn how to push themselves. Moreover, of course, we want them to look like well-rounded, accomplished kids to college admissions committees. Nevertheless, we do not want to run them ragged or turn them into stressed-out automatons. Even parents of young children, who are not thinking about college yet, are feeling the pressure. More recreational activities after school hours, whether it’s sports, dance, theater, science, give kids another arena to demonstrate competence and mastery, which is important for their self-esteem and identity development—especially for kids who might be struggling in school.
Studies that have examined engagement in after-school activities find that it is also associated with academic and social benefits. Studies found that student engagement, as rated by program staff, interacted with after-school attendance in predicting academic outcomes among elementary school children: student engagement increased the positive association between after-school participation and classroom performance. Another study of middle school students found that student engagement as rated through experiential sampling methods partially explained the relationship between program participation and social competence. These studies suggest that engagement may be associated with student outcomes in multiple ways (i.e., additive and interactive effects) and point to the need for additional empirical examination of the role played by student engagement in after-school programs to understand how program participation can make an impact on student outcomes.