Clubs For Kids

Children that have the opportunity to be a part of clubs, take part in field trips and attend special events are more apt to continue developing social skills ,communication, cooperation, teamwork, leadership, problem solving and conflict resolution, than kids who are not.2 In my last blog I covered the STEM and SPARK programs. This week I will be discussing a specific class over the when, where, why, how, of clubs are offered through these programs to the work force of the after school programs in Ft Worth, Texas.

The specific class I am covering today begins with a few key points on why clubs are so important to our youth today. For example, clubs provide opportunities for children to branch out and explore new hobbies that could potentially stick with them for their lifetime. Clubs can also improve a child’s self-esteem and help build a sense of self-worth. 2 Clubs can be based on sports, scouting, volunteering, religion, academic, agriculture and music and the arts.1

During the lesson, it covers nine key points to sport clubs. The first I have covered in the latter paragraph. The second is to make sure to identify what makes each club special- what makes them different from other group activities.2 An on-going theme may be a good idea to try to link the club to other program activities is the third key point. From then on the points go on to discussing how one would go about creating a club and what to focus on.

What makes a club a club? 2

• Members who participate voluntarily
• Membership cards or certificates signifying membership
• Members with shared interests, concerns, and goals
• Special projects and activities planned by members
• Special equipment and supplies related to shared interests and projects
• Officers and/or leaders of club projects or committees
• A special name, logo, mascot, and/or other symbols that indicate the purpose and theme of the club
• Regular meetings to plan activities
• Operating policies, procedures, rules, and/or guidelines for running meetings
• Club handbooks
• Special meetings to work on projects and activities
• Rituals for social bonding (e.g. special handshakes, passwords, cheers, and/or songs that are sung at every meeting, etc.)
• A regular meeting place and/or clubhouse
• A banner or other decorations to identify the meeting place or clubhouse
• Ceremonies, celebrations or other awards to acknowledge club accomplishments and/or accomplishments of individual members

Please join me next blog as I dive further into the lesson and cover the topic of field trips.

Reference

2 Coghlan, Hyedi. (October 26, 2016). Top 7 Types of Clubs for Kids and Youth. http://kidsclubs.about.com/od/choosingjoiningaclub/tp/topscouting.htm

1Cypherwork (2016). Creating Succesful Clubs, Special Events, and Field Trips in School-Age Programs. https://scorm.cypherworx.com/courses/

Picture Reference

http://wearescl.co.uk/school-clubs