"Young people must play a role in defining their home base. Initially,[our] space included a TV, DVD player and a variety of board games, with a couple of old computers in one room. Over time, the board games became clutter, the TV and DVD player sat unused and the young people were complaining that they needed better computers in order to do their jobs. The organization now has a designated youth workroom (with doors) that includes eight computers, a central work table and an easel. This is the young people's space. Adults are welcome but should know that when they enter, they are visitors in a youth space." (Core Principles for Engaging Young People in Community Change, Forum for Youth Investment)

3. Be sure the attitude that all children have strengths and can succeed is shared by your staff and expressed in interactions with children. Conversations should be positive and encouraging. Disrespect is addressed immediately, and respect for self and others is stressed through teamwork and experiential activities. Need words to use when praising children, especially with academics? Click here!

4. Keep participants engaged at all times. Have 5 - 10 minutes before your next activity is scheduled to begin? Need a few minutes to set up tables and supplies? Have students play a filler game like Telephone to keep them focused and cut down on unstructured time that can lead to behavior issues. For a list of some fun and easy filler games that require little or no supplies, click here.

As Seen in Our Programs

Quality Advisors share exemplary practices observed in our member programs:

Check out this fun team-building activity. In the photos below, children were split into teams to plan and execute a mural on the wall made solely out of painters tape. What a great way to decorate your space while teaching students to work together and be creative!

This cute photo poster shows participants and families who work at the program site. You may even add a fun fact about each staff member to the board. Have participants make a board of their own so that they are all represented as well. This is a great way to create a sense of community in your program!

*This photo has been edited to protect the anonymity of the program.

Take Note of Participants' Ideas

Let your participants take ownership of the program. Students submit ideas for activities, and if chosen, their name is posted on the activity board. What a great way to promote more idea sharing!

 

Academically Speaking

Appropriate activities that support learning:

Activities that support academic learning must be experiential and hands-on to be engaging, especially during out-of-school time. Afterschool is a time to build on academic foundations in enriching ways. Worksheet activities generally do not promote engagement. Get ideas for many academic areas and read more about the importance of appropriate academically supportive activities here.

Language competency is an important component to all learning. These activities help your students stretch their skills!

Swamp Cross

Objective:

This is a great game to encourage teamwork and group decision-making. The object of the game is to get the whole team across the "swamp" without letting any team member touch the ground.

Things you'll need: 

- Four Milk Crates

- Two 8-foot long boards that are 12 inches wide and 2 inches high

What to do:

Select a large, clear area to act as the imaginary "swamp" and divide children into teams of six players. Go over the directions and ground rules for the activity with the children, but make sure not to tell them the solution. This works best when they come up with ideas on their own. Using four milk crates and two boards to create a bridge, each team must get all six players entirely across the swamp without touching the ground. The "swamp" area needs to be much longer than 16 feet (the length of the two boards together), so that children have to work together to decide how to manipulate the boards and successfully get the whole team across. If the group has a hard time, let them try out a few ideas, then come together as a group to discuss what is working and what isn't working. Let them come up with new ideas about how to get across and work together to try again.

This activity can be modified to use materials on hand. For instance, use two long pieces of cardboard instead of the boards and just place them flat on the ground.

For this and other decision-making activities, click here.

All Aboard! 

It Takes a Bit of Work

These quality practices take a bit of time or money to implement:

Research says...

These pieces of research will help you explain the importance of quality programming to your stakeholders:

Is your program having a hard time keeping older students engaged?  Maybe what your program needs is more student leadership opportunities. A study done by Harvard University found that  88 percent of the high-retention programs in their survey offer leadership activities. For example, 81 percent of high-retention programs offer community service activities, and 67 percent have youth councils or decision-making groups. To learn more about how to engage older students, read the rest of the Harvard study here.

DASN assists programs as they move toward higher quality programming, including access to curriculum and supplies. Take a microscope to your programming with the use of our Afterschool Quality Advancement (AQuA) Tool, available on this members-only page . What resources do you need to propel your programing to the highest quality possible? Let us know!