Clever Ways To Help Your Child Be Part Of The Wider Community

 Want your child to benefit from the horizon-expanding experience of being part of the wider community? Then, the following suggestions can help. 

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After-school clubs and fundraising 

One of the simplest ways to help your little one get involved with the wider community is to encourage them to go to after-school clubs. The good news is that there is likely quite a wide range of afterschool clubs and activities that your child will be able to choose from. 

Sports

One of the most popular types of afterschool clubs that can help your child feel part of a wider community is sports. Most schools run clubs such as Football, soccer, basketball, and baseball, as well as athletics and cross country. Often there are fundraising committees and events to join and that your child can be a part of as well. 

It is, however, very important that you let your child pick the club and the sport that they wish to be a part of rather than imposing your expectations and hopes on them. Yes, I know it can be hard when you had the time of your life playing Football as a kid, but your little one is much more likely to enjoy and stick with a sport if they choose it of their own volition. 

STEM 

Many schools now run after-school STEM clubs or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics groups. These clubs often work on exacting projects like building soapbox racers, and go-carts as well as learning to build and program robots. 

Art, craft, and performance 

Another great option for clubs that can be a lot of fun for kids and get them mixing with people outside of the normal circles are those based around art, craft, or performance. Ideal for artistic kids or those who would like to develop their skills in this area, clubs like theater, art, or choir can help them build confidence while making new friends with shared interests. 

Community service based 

Last of all, you’ll probably find that there are plenty of community service and volunteering clubs available for your kids through school. The great thing about these is that they not only get to form a community with those in the club but also get an opportunity to meet people from the wider community that they help too. 

Neighborhood community 

Another great option to consider is helping your child get involved in the local community centered around your neighborhood. Usually, this means supervising them to ensure they stay safe, which you can do by organizing or volunteering for clubs and events in your local area. 

Indeed, it's likely that you will find there are all sorts of events and clubs operating in your neighborhood from communal gardens, to clean-up projects to mom and baby meet-ups. Some types of housing like multifamily apartments built by The Millennia Companies are designed to be specifically community-focused too. This means that there are regular events and activities organized by the people who run the building for those who live there, something that truly helps bring these residential communities together. 

Book clubs 

If your kid loves nothing more than spending hours with their nose in a good book, a book club might be the perfect way to help them seek a sense of community. The way that book clubs are run is very simple. First, the club agrees on a book that they will all read and discuss at the next meeting. Then each individual reads the book, and at an appointed time they all meet up and discuss what they thought of it. 

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There are lots of additional advantages that choosing the book club option can bring such as encouraging your child to read regularly, and encouraging them to speak in a small group. Another advantage of book clubs is there are probably already hundreds that are running in your area, and a great place to look for kid-friendly ones is your local library. 

You may also be able to find book clubs that meet online over Zoom, or you may wish to step up and host one for your child and their friends each month. 

Gaming communities online 

While you may seem to be online as the opposite of being part of the wider community, this is not necessarily true. After all, many communities spring up around fandoms, and video games such as Minecraft and Robolox. 

Of course, your child’s safety is a key concern here so if you do allow them to be a part of any online community, it's very important that you not only educate them on online safety but also monitor who they are talking to and what is being said. Often the best way to do this with younger kids is to share the same account, and only allow them to use it when you can sit down and dedicate time to it together.