After-School Program
For children aged 6 to 11, it is essential to provide not only an appropriate educational environment where they can acquire new knowledge but also after-school activities. Their purpose is organizing leisure time and, at the same, stimulating child engagement in the learning process. Pupils of this age group, as a rule, are interested in mobile and enthralling classes when they have an opportunity to release the energy accumulated during their lessons. Therefore, when developing a special after-school program for children aged 6-11, attention should be paid to sports activities and creativity so that students could develop necessary cognitive skills.
When compiling an appropriate intervention program, it is significant to take into account that comprehensive occupations are optimal. It means that not only fascinating theoretical problems should be proposed but also various mobile forms of interaction. According to Demetriou et al., “physical activity in childhood and adolescence is associated with improved physical and psychological health” (191). Therefore, the program may include mixed types of work and consist of the following steps:
- Day 1. Outdoor games related to school lesson themes – one hour approximately.
- Day 2. Hiking in nature, the collective discussion of the environment, and the evaluation of observations – an hour and a half.
- Day 3. Classroom activities that stimulate the development of logical thinking – board games, doing crossword puzzles, and/or quizzes with symbolic prizes – an hour and a half.
- Day 4. Visits to cultural sites and memorials to encourage the knowledge of history and the education of spirituality – an hour and a half.
- Day 5. Extracurricular activity – outdoor games and/or competitions and the repetition of the material covered during the week – one hour approximately.
Homeschooling
Despite the fact that basic education is compulsory, it is possible to receive it not only at school itself but also at home. For this or that reason, some parents decide not to allow their child to join the team of students, preferring to work with him or her in a familiar setting and inviting teachers. Factors affecting such an ambiguous and controversial decision may be different. As Steinberg et al. note, one of the conditions that impede the socialization of children is temperamental difficulties, which, as a rule, begin to manifest themselves at an early age (158).
Moreover, according to the authors, “the majority (70%) of difficult infants go on to develop behavior problems in later childhood” (Steinberg et al. 158). Therefore, such a problem may be the reason that forces parents to protect themselves and the child from undesirable consequences, for instance, the manifestation of deviant behavior.
One of the advantages of homeschooling is the ability to memorize the material studied efficiently. However, it is probably the only plus since drawbacks prevail. According to Steinberg et al., one of the main skills that need to be developed since childhood is socialization (161). However, while studying at home, the child does not have an opportunity to contact other schoolchildren, which affects social adaptation negatively. Also, teamwork skills are not acquired, which may cause problems in career building.
I have no friends who studied at home or raise a child according to this principle. I believe that this educational practice is not beneficial since children with this way of life do not have enough communication with peers. If I went to school now, I would not choose to homeschool because it is not only boring but is also fraught with the development of various mental disorders, for instance, sociopathy. Therefore, I support such education if the child is not able to attend school for health reasons, and in any other case, I would recommend parents to encourage the socialization of their children.
Works Cited
Demetriou, Yolanda, et al. “After-School Physical Activity Interventions on Child and Adolescent Physical Activity and Health: A Review of Reviews.” Advances in Physical Education, vol. 7, no. 02, 2017, pp. 191-215.
Steinberg, Laurence, et al. Development: Infancy Through Adolescence. Cengage Learning, 2010.