Guest post by Lucy Reed
For many parents, finding the right after-school activity for their child can be challenging. But, the importance of these activities cannot be overlooked as they play a major role in a child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and academic development. For parents struggling to find great extra-curricular activities for their child, this article by On Education explores a few out-of-the-box options, beyond the usual sports and music classes.
Teach Your Child to Code
In 2023 and beyond, coding is one of the most valuable skills any individual can possess. Teaching your child how to code can not only serve as a great creative outlet but can set them up for a successful career option as well. Additionally, coding helps in the development of a child’s analytical thinking and problem-solving skills, according to Getting Smart, which will surely help them in endeavors beyond the classroom as well. Plus, if they’d like to learn how to code, they can explore sites like Code Profs with expert tips and help for troubleshooting specific coding and error messages.
There are plenty of great online resources, both free and paid catered towards teaching kids coding from a young age. However, when choosing a resource, give priority to those that include the option of connecting with experts for guidance or receiving troubleshooting tips for error messages and other problems.
Let Them Try Their Hand at Entrepreneurship
When it comes to children being entrepreneurs it’s more about letting them explore the different aspects of running a business such as marketing, pricing, product development, etc., rather than trying to run a profitable business. Encourage them to spend some time learning how to start their own business. They can even use an online logo maker to design a text logo to stand out. Simply choose a style and icon and add in any text you’ll need, and you’ll be able to view an assortment of logos and adjust their fonts and colors.
If your child does show signs of entrepreneurship, help them choose an easy-to-start business such as dropshipping, freelance writing, or other forms of content creation. Not only do these businesses require minimal financial investment, but they will serve as great learning experiences as your child will leverage the use of data-driven decision-making and creative thinking to be successful.
Additionally, parents can take this chance to teach kids about various types of business structures such as a sole proprietorship, LLC, C-Corp, etc. While for the present, an LLC will be the best choice owing to its benefits of personal asset protection and tax benefits, knowing various structures will give your child an edge if they do choose to pursue entrepreneurship as a future career choice.
Explore Alternative Health & Wellness Options
In addition to technical skills, it’s important to teach your child how to prioritize their health and wellness needs as well. One of the best options to consider is Tai Ji/Qigong classes. These are ancient Chinese practices catered towards promoting physical and mental well-being through a unique combination of movement, meditation, and breathing exercises.
Additionally, regularly practicing Tai Ji/Qigong can help kids improve their cardiovascular health, strengthen their immune system and even reduce the risk of chronic diseases from a young age, as reported by Cleveland Clinic. If your child is already into playing sports, practicing Tai Ji alongside will only improve their on-field performance and help to recover after intense training sessions, according to Cleveland Clinic.
While traditional after-school activities such as sports are always great options, as this blog explored there are a host of great alternative options as well. Encouraging kids to learn how to code will no doubt set them up for a rewarding career and teach them a great lifelong skill.
In addition, Tai Ji/Qigong classes teach kids how to prioritize their health and wellness from a young age, which no doubt will come in handy when they need to face stressful situations while pursuing personal or professional endeavors. Finally, letting them try their hand at entrepreneurship will provide them with valuable lessons in topics rarely taught in schools such as business structures, coding, financial management, and product development.
On Education 
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