3 Useful Extracurricular Activities That Help Kids Develop Key Life Skills

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By Mark Harris

Attending school plays a major role in the physical and emotional development of kids. From learning strong communication skills to developing the ability of critical thinking, kids learn a plethora of skills and expertise throughout their time in school. However, given the sheer number of developments in today’s society, kids need to dedicate time beyond school as well to develop new-age skills and grow into adults prepared to take on unique challenges in the workplace and beyond. Today, The Scott-Free Scholarship Foundation will explore some of the best extracurricular activities parents can explore for their kids.

Teach Math Through Everyday Activities

With the emergence of new technologies such as AI and machine learning, having a strong understanding of basic mathematical concepts is more important than ever. Whether your kid chooses to pursue a career in engineering, medicine, marketing, social work, etc., they will need strong mathematical skills to succeed. Here are some easy-to-incorporate math into everyday activities:

●      Involve Them In Cooking: Wonderopolis notes that cooking is an interactive way to introduce and practice the concepts of measurements, proportions, and fractions, according to Wonderopolis. Additionally, you’ll also be teaching them a useful life skill of taking care of themselves independently.

●      Use The Enjoyment of Sports: Whether your child is interested in football, basketball, baseball, or even bowling while enjoying a match on the TV, explain to them how each sports statistic is calculated, as most use basic level multiplication, division, and addition. For instance, average points are usually calculated by dividing the number of points scored by a player by the number of minutes/matches played.

Promote Coding for Creativity

Activities such as drawing and painting are often promoted as great activities for a child to explore their creativity. In the digital age, this holds true for coding as well. Kids who learn to code can create simple interactive interfaces, mini-games, and many custom applications for amusement.

Additionally, as TechZone360 points out, developing a strong base in coding early can open doors to a host of creative-oriented careers such as video game design, front-end programming, UI designing, and more, according to Tech Zone.

If your child shows interest and technology, there are a host of reputed online resources that offer expert tips and guidance to teach them the basics of coding. Along with following language syntax, coding also involves the use of basic math and arithmetic skills. Click here to learn more about some useful coding resources.

Help Them Experiment With Entrepreneurship

Parents of older kids can encourage them to explore the world of business and entrepreneurship. Providing them a no-risk environment while imposing responsibility on their shoulders is a safe and controllable way to teach them how to take calculated risks while exploring their creative and communication skills.

Additionally, use this opportunity to teach kids how to use a tool that helps to use a text logo for the business and other marketing materials. They can use an online logo maker to design an appealing logo on their own. Simply choose a style and icon and add in any text they’ll need, and they can view an assortment of logos and adjust their fonts and colors.

However, when it comes to the legal side of things, it is best for parents to handle it themselves while educating their kids on their decisions. For instance, you can teach them how to start an LLC, which involves gathering paperwork and partnering with a formation service that will handle all registration and administrative-related duties. An LLC protects the owner’s personal assets (car, home, etc.) from business-related liabilities.

Incorporating math into everyday activities, fostering coding skills for creativity and future prospects, and encouraging entrepreneurial exploration can equip kids with essential life skills, including learning to code. These unconventional activities empower them to navigate challenges and seize opportunities confidently.

The Scott-Free Scholarship Foundation offers scholarships to at-risk children. If you’d like to donate, please click here – and thank you!