Learning cannot be restricted to textbooks and exercise books. There is a world beyond the pages of your Maths textbook. You are out on your own here, and nothing you learned while completing your school homework can help. A school is supposed to make every student strong and brave enough to face and take on this outside world. But simple course books are not enough for that. Parents send their children to high-end, reputed schools expecting to see them grow into their best selves while learning about the ways of the world. But to help students develop their personalities, schools need to endorse after-school programs. It is one of the most acceptable ways of productive learning, and it can hugely benefit the students and their families. These programs can also take the form of virtual school assembly in the case of distance learning. Here are seven ways in which after-school programs are positively impacting students: 

• Recognizing and Honing Skills

Every student has a hidden talent, either waiting to be found or waiting for the proper guidance. After-school programs for kids that focus on various creative activities like music, dance, theatre, art, and others, can help most students find and hone them. Some might already be aware of their potentials but need help in reaching greater heights. On the other hand, few might need help recognizing their hidden gifts. 

• Building Confidence and Developing Personalities

It is not easy to stand up and speak in a crowd if you lack confidence in yourself. A few people are born with sparkling radiance and an attitude apt for leadership. But many need a little nudge to make themselves heard. Students come together and interact at after-school programs, and such regular interactions might help students develop healthy personalities. 

• Encouraging Better Mental Health

Mental health and growth have proven to be of greater significance in today’s world. Individual care and regular healthy interactions between students in a positive environment can hugely benefit in keeping a check on students’ mental health. One can reap the benefits of good education only if they are at the prime of their mental wellbeing. 

• Developing Social Skills

Social skills are an essential part of everyone’s life, and it is best to start learning them at a young age. At after-school programs, students come face to face to new people, sometimes in new settings, which help them push themselves out of their comfort zones. Working in groups with new students inculcates essential values like respect, leadership, and team spirit. 

• Helping With Academics

After-school programs for children have helped many students with their academic backlogs, improving their grades and performance in school. Students learn under teachers who provide individual guidance at these programs- that is necessary for the ones who face difficulty learning in larger groups. 

• Helping Explore Career Paths

By honing their talents, learning special skills, and getting a steady grip on their academic progress. This helps them work on their chosen goals and ignites in them a passion for proving their worth. 

• Creating a Positive Learning Environment

Students are usually bullied and looked down upon by other students. These negatively affect the mental well-being of them, and many lose sight of their goals. But after-school programs for children help promote a positive learning environment that boosts mental and academic growth in students. 

Conclusion

In short, it is high time that schools encourage after-school programs for kids because these can help create better human beings with a more meaningful purpose in life.