If you grew up during the 1980s or before, you probably remember spending quite of bit of your time playing outdoors. Since most kids looked forward to spending time playing with their friend outdoors, children of past generation didn’t need anyone else planning fun activities for kids in the summer. In the “old days” seeing kids riding their bicycles, playing sports, or just running around with their friends was the norm. But how often do you see that today?
Maybe it’s because of the video games, internet, or safety concerns, it just isn’t that common to see children of any age playing outdoors any more. Even on beautiful summer days, you are lucky to see more than one or two kids playing in their yards. And when you do, they are probably very young children under the supervision of a parent or caregiver. It is simply impossible to deny the fact that children of all ages are just not getting enough exercise today.
While it’s too bad that more children these days seem to prefer indoor activities, at least there are more before and after school programs and free children activities available than ever before. The benefits of after school programs are not only good for children in need of activities, but for parents who will also find peace of mind knowing that their kids are not only engaged in productive activities, but are safe, as well.
When you take into consideration the many benefits of free children activities, there is none more important that children’s health. Since the Centers for Disease control claims that children need 60 minutes of physical activity per day, the best after school activities for kids give them that chance.
Although children tend to be more active than adults, you really cannot count on that to happen when kids are left to their own devices. Add the possibility that bored kids without supervision have a greater risk of getting into dangerous situations, you’d be hard-pressed to find a single, legitimate criticism for organized before and after school activities for kids.
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