It can be difficult to keep kids engaged with positive activities. Today’s children have access to more devices and content than any other generation. As such, after school activities are becoming increasingly necessary to ensure our youth have the skills necessary to become successful adults.

Great After School Programs for Children

A great and effective after school program ultimately has to cater to the interests of the child. With that said, after school programs should have academic and life skills elements that prepare kids for life. To help get you started, here are a few really great after school programs for the tiny, still developing people in your life.

Lemonade Day

Teach your kids about entrepreneurship by helping them earn money. Lemonade Day is a curriculum and program that helps youth learn about finance, business, and much more. The organization currently operates in over 50 cities across the U.S. and Canada with more being added for 2016. The Lemonade Day experience includes learning the basics of business operations, marketing, customer service, and financial planning. At the end of their Lemonade Day, kids are encouraged to “spend some, share some, save some” of the money they made.

Visit lemonadeday.org to find your local chapter of Lemonade Day!

Mathematical Kangaroo

For many kids around the world, Mathematical Kangaroo is a competition that puts kids math skills to the test. Interestingly, the competition didn’t actually come to the United States until the late 1990s. After a few rocky early years, the competition has now taken firm hold around the world. In just 2009 alone, more than 5 million kids in more than 45 countries participated.

The competition is held in March and is structured as a 75 minute test. Students from first through twelfth grades are eligible to participate. Prizes are awarded nationally for things like “longest kangaroo jump” which notes the test with the longest streak of correct consecutive answers. Participating in the competition is more than paying attention in math class. Successful competitors often study a couple of times a week for months before the actual test. Learn more about Mathematical Kangaroo at http://www.mathkangaroo.org/mk/rules.html.

Your City’s Official Government Website

Okay, this entry is definitely cheating a little bit. The two previous entries are great options but are not available everywhere. To make up for this, we’re including almost any city’s local government website. Some clicking around on their website will take you to organizations in your area that provide quality after school programs for local children.

Here are a few samples of official city government websites with resources for finding after school programs in your area. If you live in a smaller town or an unincorporated area, check with your county website.

Phoenix, Arizona: https://www.phoenix.gov/parks/teens
Chicago, Illinois: http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/other/provdrs/cps/svcs/before_and_afterschoolprograms.html
Chesapeake, Virginina: http://www.cityofchesapeake.net/government/City-Departments/Departments/parks-recreation-tourism/camps-after-school-programs.htm
Houston, Texas: http://www.houstontx.gov/education/youthprograms/afterschool.html
New York City, New York: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dycd/html/afterschool/afterschool.shtml