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Benefits of using a structure with Kids at After School
After school care is an important time where one should have a structure to guide kids through the rest of the day. The kids after school are tired, exhausted and full of good or not so good experiences from the day. There are many reasons why I consider that structure is important in after school care program.
A structure guides them to help finish their homework, involve in activities and develop social skills in a supervised manner. As everyone around them is doing what they are expected to do at that time, the kids feeling a bit lazy or distracted also end up finishing their work on time.
Routines help kids cooperate by reducing stress and anxiety for everyone. We all know what comes next; we get fair warning for transitions, and no one feels pushed around. Regular routines help kids get on a schedule so that they fall asleep more easily at night.
Routines eliminate power struggles because we are not nagging them. Doing homework, reading, or even at home like brushing teeth, napping, and turning off the TV to come to dinner are just some of the activities that are much easier to handle if they are made into a regular routine. The teacher, care giver, parent stops being the “bad guy” because nagging is greatly reduced.
Routines help kids learn to take charge of their own activities. Over time, kids learn to finish homework, pack their backpacks, and clean up, without constant reminders. Kids love being in charge of themselves. This feeling increases their sense of self-confidence and competence. Kids who feel independent and in charge of themselves have less need to rebel.
Kids learn the concept of “looking forward” to things they enjoy, which is an important part of making a happy accommodation with the demands of a schedule. The kids may want to go to the playground on any weekday, but they can understand that we always go to the playground on a fun Friday and they can look forward to it.
A schedule helps us maintain consistency in expectations for kids at Frisco after school care. With a routine, kids are more likely to stick to healthy expectations for everyone in the family, because that’s just the way we do things in our household.
The result: a kid with healthy habits, and an after school where everything runs smoothly, everyone happier plus relieved parents.
Importance of Structure for ADHD Kids Children with ADHD struggle with the ability to regulate themselves – to stop behaviors and also to keep their focus when there are so many distractions pulling them in different directions. The symptoms of ADHD lead to problems with self-control. As a result, children with ADHD need more external controls, regular schedules, to help to guide them in their daily routines.
All kids benefit from routines and many children are able to structure things around themselves and develop good habits on their own. A structured environment is one that is organized and predictable and with the day-to-day schedule in place for your child, you are creating structure. When you have consistent procedures, expectations, and consequences which are tacitly understood by your child and are positively reinforced by you, the environment becomes predictable.
In a structured environment, the child knows what to expect and there is a great sense of security that comes from this. Those are some of the techniques we deploy at SMARTS Club where we provide premier enrichment programs with structure, motor activities (art, origami, yoga, and science experiments) social skills, good habits, manners and much more. Contact Us For After School care programs in Frisco
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