Written by BFIS Staff
Children can learn valuable life skills, make new friends, and explore new interests through after-school activities. Additionally, these activities help them to remain active and engaged outside of school hours.
It might be challenging to select the best activities for your child out of the many options available. That’s why at BFIS, we offer a range of activities students might not normally get to try. We offer the opportunity to try something new in the familiar school environment with the hope that students will discover their own interests and hidden talents. . We also have created for you a list of the top 4 after-school activities for kids.
Sports
Sports as an after-school activity for kids can provide a good number of benefits. Not only does it provide a healthy and safe physical activity, but it also teaches important life skills such as teamwork, leadership, communication, and perseverance.
Participating in school sports can teach children the value of hard work, dedication, and communication while allowing them to develop their motor skills and socialize with peers in a safe environment.
Physical activity is essential during childhood development and playing sports helps children maintain an active lifestyle. Research has shown that regular physical activity can reduce stress levels, improve mental health and boost self-confidence levels.
It also encourages the overall development of the body’s system by promoting stronger bones and muscles, increasing endurance, and improving balance. Furthermore, studies have revealed that engaging in competitive sports may help children become more successful academically by improving grades due to improved focus on tasks at hand.
At BFIS, we have a wide range of sports activities available for kids to participate in. Students can choose from swimming, multisports, soccer, mini tennis, fencing, volleyball, basketball, and taekwondo. Students can choose to participate in these activities once or twice a week.
For team sports such as soccer, volleyball, and basketball participants are expected to attend the different sports leagues the school participates in, such as the Iberia League, the BISA league (with other international schools), and the Barcelona local league (with local schools).
Music and Musical Theater
Music lessons are a great way to keep children engaged once the school day ends. It offers a unique chance for your child to develop skills that will last throughout their lifetime.
The benefits of music lessons include building confidence, honing problem-solving and critical thinking skills, improving memory and concentration, and increasing language development.
Music fosters self-expression in kids in ways that many other after-school activities don’t allow for. It also provides an opportunity for parents to bond with their children by attending concerts or encouraging practice sessions at home.
Listening to or playing music has been shown to reduce stress and improve mood, promoting overall emotional well-being.
Overall, music lessons provide numerous opportunities for enrichment outside of the classroom setting in addition to being fun!
Students at BFIS school have access to individual classes for various instruments (piano, drums, guitar, violin, flute and voice). There is also an Elementary Choir that meets weekly and elementary and middle school students travel for Choir competitions annually.
At BFIS we also offer musical theatre for Elementary, Middle School, and High School students. Through these lessons, children are encouraged to be creative while also learning how to work together as an ensemble or group.
Musical theatre is a great activity for kids. It helps them to build their confidence, memory retention, and perseverance. Participating in musical theatre activities develops discipline and time management skills and creates a sense of community among students.
Besides Drama classes, which are electives and part of the BFIS curriculum, BFIS offers Musical Theater classes as a co-curricular activity after school. BFIS produces three musicals throughout the year, and students in Musical Theater classes have the opportunity to showcase their hard work and talents to our community.
Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts can be a great way to keep kids happily occupied after school. Not only is it an enjoyable activity for most kids, but it also helps foster creativity and fine motor skills. It’s an activity that can be done on one’s own or in a group, with friends, making it fun for all ages.
Some of the benefits include encouraging problem-solving skills as kids figure out how to create their desired output, developing fine motor skills through manipulating tools, building confidence through mastering craft techniques, self-expression through art projects, and learning patience in seeing a project come together over time.
Arts & Crafts activities are a great way for children to express themselves while having fun! They can also be a calming and meditative experience, helping to reduce stress and anxiety levels in students.
Besides Studio Art and Digital Art classes in the curriculum, at BFIS, there are many opportunities to explore various art & craft activities including ceramics and 3D art.
Computer Science and Technology
Computer science and technology activities are quickly becoming very popular after-school activities for kids. With the ever-growing presence of technology in our lives, it is important to introduce children to computer science and the basics of coding at an early age.
By introducing computer science and robotics to kids as an after-school activity, they will become more comfortable with modern technology.
As technology continues to advance, computer science, technology, and robotics will become increasingly important in many different fields. Learning these skills can help students prepare for future careers and stay competitive in the job market.
Students engaging in this type of activity learn other essential skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking. They also allow students to be creative and innovative. They can design and build their own projects, which can be very rewarding and satisfying.
At BFIS school, we offer a variety of activities in this field, like Coding, Art Coding, and Tech and Robotics in Middle School (First Lego League) and High School ( First Robotics Competition). Middle School and High School students participate in different robotics competitions throughout the year.
Conclusion
In conclusion, after-school activities are a great way for kids to stay active and engaged when they are not in school.
Kids can explore different interests and develop a great variety of skills by participating in enjoyable activities that foster learning and growth, whether they are joining a sports team, taking music lessons, participating in robotics competitions, or exploring the arts.
BFIS is a great place to pursue all of these activities and more!
