Directions:
To get started, first write down your ideas for easy after
school activities. Each one of my children provided input
for our list, and we used the letters of AFTER SCHOOL
to come up with our ideas. Of course, they had more than
the space provided, so we picked the ones that they liked
the best and we made sure that there were actions that
both kids and parents could do.
Here are some examples of the ideas that we listed for
inspiration:
A - Ask about their day. 3-5 questions.
F - Find photo albums and show kids.
T - Try a new board game.
E - Eat a picnic dinner or experiment
(at home science)
R - Read together for 15 minutes.
S - Stroll or walk together.
C - Cook a meal as a family.
H - HUG TIME!
O - Outside, go to a park.
O - Outside, play a sport or ride bikes.
L - Laugh, tell a funny story or kid friendly joke.
Tip: You can have more than one idea for each letter
by using the back of the craft sticks.
After brainstorming, write out the ideas on the craft
sticks. As a parent, I decided to do this because I
could write smaller and was using a magic marker,
however you may have your child do this using a
non-permanent marker in its place.
Once finished, add these to the plastic cup to keep
handy in an easy to locate spot. Then feel free to
pick from these activities every day or a couple
of days throughout the week depending upon your
family’s schedule.
Are you also looking for questions to help spur conversations
with your children after school? Here are a few examples of
questions that I often ask my own kids:
– Who did you hang out with on the playground?
– Did you learn anything special, or new, in school?
– What was your favorite moment during class?
– Did your friends, or teacher, say anything funny today?
– What was the most interesting food you saw in your friend’s
lunch box?