Anyone got any ideas pls ?

Question

need new ideas for keeping under 12 year old kids happy in community center, already have creche, after school club & summer camp

Answer 1

you can let them tell stories

you can imagine that you are around a campfire

turn off all the lights

use a flashlight

each person talks for 2 min and then the other continues

do it byt urn

Answer 2

Does the centre have a computer? If so, computer programs, both educational and gaming ones are great at getting the kids to focus there attention on something.

If not, it might be worth suggesting it as something to purchase for the centre. I know they can sometimes be expensive, but well worth the money if they keep them entertained.

Hope it helps.

Answer 3

get them a hobby :)

Answer 4

The important question is what should you present at your school-age club and summer camp? Activities, schedule, routine, training of staff and consistency with children--- are all important!

What can you present to kids up to 12?

Here are some ideas... A to Y! :-)

Animal Care and Study- Anti-Bully Skills---Art of Drawing, Painting, Pastels, Sculpture, Metal, Wire, Ceramics---

Arts & Scraps (Create with Recycled)---Astronomy--

Beads---Beauty/Fashion--- Big Brother/Big Sister to younger children --- Blender Drinks---Bulletin Boards---Calligraphy---Comics--- Camping---Candle Making--- Conflict Resolution---Cartooning--- Cheer Leading /Pom Pom –--Clowning--- Clubs and Classes (All kinds!) ---Collages---Collecting— Computers-- Cooking/Cooking without a stove/oven---Crafts-Both  General or Basketry, Leather, Tie-dye, Paper Maché, Rug Hooking, Crocheting, Cross Stitching, etc.---Cultural Diversity--Cultures of other Countries: Mexico, Asia, Europe, Australia, etc---Dance: Hip Hop, Line, Square-Free Style--- Decorating/Design---Dinosaurs---Drama--- Embroidery-- Exercise/Jazzercise-- Fiber Art---Film Making ---First Aid ---Fitness---

Frisbees---Foreign Language ---Games: Board Games,Chess, Pool, Cards, etc.---Gardening ---Geology---Gift Making--- Good Manners/Etiquette---Activites for all ages but also individual to Grades K-3; Grades 3-5, and Grades 5-8--Gym Games---Hairstyling /Hair braiding---HolidaySpecials--

Jewelry Making--- Job Squads---Journaling---Juggling---Karaoke...

Knot Tying---Lanyard---Lip Sync---Magic---Marbles---Mask Making ---Model Building--- Birthday Recognition---Manicures/Nails---

Pantomime and Improv -- Movies--- Murals---Music--Musical Instruments (Any) ---

Nature: Birds, Bugs, Forest, Ocean, Rainforest---

Newsletter & Journalism ---

Nutrition--Obstacle Courses---Olympic Day--- Ooey-Gooey Concoctions (Ex. Blubber, Flubber, Play Dough-- Organization/Planning Events and their own activities---Origami -- OutdoorGames/Activities---

Paper Airplanes----Paper-Maché ---Party Planning---Parties--

Poetry---Pottery / Clay--- Printing--- Puppet Making/Puppetry---

Radio Show ---Random Acts of Kindness (RAK)--Readers' Theater--- Reading/Reading Out Loud--- Relay Races---Riddles, Jokes, Tongue Twisters---Science---

Skits and plays from books and poems---

Scrap-booking---

Sculpture of Metal, Wire, etc.---Seasonal Fun--Soap Making---

Solar System---Self-Esteem Activities---Sewing ---Sign Language---Singing---

Spontaneity-Spur of the moment fun!---

Sports: Basketball, Tennis,Baseball, Soccer, Football, Hockey, Volley Ball, Track-- -Talent Show --The Earth Study---Themes---Toy Making-----Video Making---Walking/Hiking--

Weather Study---Who’s-Who or All About Me Books (make them)---Wilderness Survival---Writing---Wood Working--- Yearbooks  (put one together)--Yoga

Offer children CHOICE...Depending on the number of your staff---present a number of activities at each program segmant---where the children can  "choose" what they do...

The After-School-Care.com website will give you 100's of ideas on all the above activities!!!  You WILL find new things to do with the kids at the that site. Frequent users say it's made their planning so much easier!

Answer 5

arts and crafts

Answer 6

science experiments, lots of books to read, lots of open ended materials so they can use their imaginations...dress up and dramatic play items, small team sports like soccer, netball, lawn bowls, bocce, touch football...Get them to write a book about themselves and their families, supply art materials and mirrors for portrait paiting/drawing..

there are sooo many things...how about you ask the kids what they are interested in and if any have special abilities/talents/skills that they could share with others...organise incursions (excursions that come to the service) for something out of the ordinary........

I would advise against swimming activities simply as they would prove to be a hazard and your staff:child ratios would change, meaning you would nee more staff for adequate supervision.

Answer 7

swimming

play musical instrument

gp to the park

ride bicicle

Answer 8

How about a play ?? the classic.. 3 little pigs, red riding hood etc. or just make your own story.

Answer 9

A talent show is a great idea as it can keep children occupied for a while.   Let them choose an act either individually or in groups and give them time to practice and sort out props and costumes etc.  After giving enough time to work on their act have a group of the older children give points to each act and choose the best to put on a show for the others.  

Put on some of the latest pop music and let them dance.  The girls in particular like this.

Have a 'potted sports' where small teams compete to see how many points they can get at a wide variety of activities such as: throwing the ball through a hoop, using skipping ropes count how many times they can skip in  a certain time.  Each group does every activity (usually about ten different ones) and each group is given exactly the same time at each activity.   Someone counts the score and the winner is the one with the highest score.

Try a local study project where the children are involved in learning about their local environment - that can involve everything from visiting local places of interest, to researching from library books, taking photographs, setting up an exhibition of their findings, producing pieces of art, making video films of their surroundings and adding a sound track, writing, etc etc etc.

In groups get the young people to make up a story for younger children - maybe those in a nursery - and get them to illustrate it and then record it for real children or video someone reading the story and showing the illustrations.   Perhaps you could get a publisher in to speak to the pupils about how a book is made.  The whole project takes ages as it requires a lot of planning.

Have a treasure hunt.   Have a hat making competition or dressing up competition using sheets of newspaper and other things the children can find around them - maybe natural things such as leaves etc which won't cost much.

Get the children to make up advertising jingles and perform them for the others or make up a short show for television.

None of these ideas are original but maybe they will get you thinking.  Children themselves have great ideas - ask them and you will be surprised what they suggest - some of them may even be viable.   Your kids could have a great time.  Wish I could join you!   Have fun.

Answer 10

cooperative games

competitive games

team building games - my fave

summer - swimming of course

Answer 11

let them have choice time they get to do whatever they think is fun to them

Answer 12

'drop in' centre-children can just come to chill out between afterschool time and 7pm...have pool table, chairs and beanbags, TV, a non-alco 'bar' etc. Often I see children having around in cold and dark so having somewhere to go with your mates which isnt seen as joining a 'club' might be good.

Or try running 'classes' by getting dance instructors in, an amateur dramatics club, artist work etc.

Answer 13

back in my day.

(he he iv always wanted to say that)

we did excursions to the beach/movies/aquarium.

crafty sruff always amuses younger ones, just throw a bunch of cardboard boxes, egg cartons and scrap magazines on a table.

books, playdough, group cooking. Keep the older ones amused by making them feel like adults too. ask them to help you with the little ones sometimes.

Answer 14

A little cute software and their favorite music and you have got something very real on a community level. children are the voice of the future; show them the way!

Answer 15

scouts,amy camp,helping out in a stable

Answer 16

youth groups such as cubs, rainbows, beavers, brownies, guides, scouts.....