Kid clubs are a great way to provide physical as well as psychological benefits to your younger ones. Children need to do something worthwhile once they come back from school. Engaging them in a meaningful activity will not only keep them involved but also enhance their personality. There are many wonderful options providing kids activities in Texas and kids clubs is surely one of the most popular one.

Following are listed some of the psychological benefits offered by kids clubs.

• Kids clubs help in building team spirit in the kids. When children work in groups towards a common goal; it helps them learn how to work in a team. This is very beneficial for the future and comes in very handy in the job arena.
• Allow your child to choose the kids club that he wants to join. Going in for an activity that he loves doing will make your kid excel in the club activities. Also, he will feel a sense of ownership and belonging in the club and that is a very positive aspect. This will make him want to come back for more fun on a daily basis.
• Kids clubs also instill a lot of personal as well as social skills in children. They learn to respect each other’s opinions and also become responsible individuals. If a group has children of mixed ages, the tutors can make the elder ones become good role models for the younger lot. Positive behavior shown by the older children definitely inspires the younger ones and they imbibe the good qualities.
• Children who are involved in some fruitful activity at a kids club will not go astray. They will not remain idle and therefore not think of indulging in any sort of criminal behavior. Find good kids club in Texas and you will definitely see how your child’s overall personality gets evolved in a positive manner.
• When a child works in a group in the activities of kids clubs, he makes strong bonds with new people. Sometimes these friendships can turn into lifelong relationships that they will always cherish. The tutors at various kids clubs can encourage students to talk and express themselves amongst other children, so that they develop good friendships and become socially active.

All in all, kids clubs have a whole lot of psychological benefits for the kids. Enrolling your child in one of these clubs will definitely add to his memorable experiences and also make him a better individual.

There are numerous activities for children that help them remain busy and active. Team building activities are a fun way to inculcate some really good values in children, which will benefit them in all spheres of their life; be it sports, job, school or personal lives. This is the reason why cheerleading is such a great outdoor team building activity for children. Cheerleading is not just about screaming and supporting a team, it involves a lot more. One can enroll his child as a cheerleader in any of the sports like football, baseball, softball, soccer, basketball and swimming. Cheerleading provides mental as well as physical benefits for kids. Read on to know why cheerleading is such a beneficial activity for kids.

1. Since cheerleading is a physical activity, it helps increase muscle strength. It also makes increases the cardiovascular strength as it is akin to exercise. Continuous jumping and clapping increases the heart rate, thereby giving a boost to health.
2. Cheerleading with a squad is an amazing way to learn the value of teamwork. Since this activity involves a lot of gymnastic stunts and dance steps, children learn to perform together in sync with each other, thereby promoting harmony and teamwork.
3. When children are cheerleading, they can form strong bonds and develop friendships that last for a lifetime. Even the families of children get a chance to interact and these turn into trustworthy emotional bondings.
4. Children are the part of a team when they are cheering for their squad that is on the field. Therefore, they develop positive traits like confidence, accomplishment and also become physically active. An optimistic attitude and good self-esteem goes a long way in shaping the personality of a child. 
5. Some schools ask the students to maintain a particular grade if they want to retain their place in the cheerleading squad. Therefore, the students become all the more focused on their studies and work hard towards scoring high grades. This further opens new avenues in higher studies and students also might get a chance to avail scholarships.
6. The main job of cheerleaders is to boost the morale of their team. They motivate the players to win. Therefore, involving children in cheerleading can give them a sense of accomplishment and generate positivity in their attitude irrespective of whether their team wins or loses.

Therefore, we can see that cheerleading is a great activity for children to learn the valuable lessons of life. They imbibe a lot of characteristics that help in building their personalities.

We at Boys and Girls Clubs Of Central Texas offer various sports and recreational kids activities To enroll your kid in any of these programs or, visit us at 304 W Ave B, TX- 76541 or call Ms. Carol Dunn (Administrative assistant) at 254-699-5808, Ext: 102.

Childhood is the best learning phase of life. The lessons that a child gets during this period stay with him forever. Besides the other things that a child is taught at school, one valuable lesson that parents can teach their children is that of the importance of money. How to spend in a well-calculated manner and save for bigger and better things is something that will be really helpful in the later stages of life.

The first and foremost thing to be kept in mind is that parents should take their children along whenever they go shopping. They need to explain to them how budgeting is done; how the things to be bought on the basis of priority. If children pose any questions regarding the same, care should be taken to ensure that clear answers are communicated to them.

Taking your children to the bank can be really helpful. Introduce them to simple concepts like deposit and withdrawal of money. Parents should encourage their children to ask questions from employees at the bank with respect to things like how the cash comes into the bank, how it flows out, what are loans and so on. This will not only make the child learn about money-related issues but also increase the confidence level while communicating with others.

The importance of savings is something that should definitely be taught to children. Kids need to be taught that spending on impulse is not a healthy option. Rather, planning out everything in advance and then saving appropriately to meet all the future needs is preferable.

Piggy banks are something that we all know about. Giving your kid one and telling him that small savings can gradually lead to larger amounts of money will encourage the child to save money whenever he or she can. And finally when the child can use that money to buy something on a special occasion like say a birthday, the joy and satisfaction that comes along will only make him or her realize that saving is indeed a good option.

An effective way of teaching a child how budgeting is done is to give them small allowances on a weekly or monthly basis. Parents should also give them a writing pad and tell the child to write down his or her goals; both immediate and the long-term ones. Then calculate the probable expenses that would be incurred on each of these. Finally the child can decide how to go about spending keeping in mind the calculations made. Saving money and using it wisely are important aspects of the learning and growing-up process of a child. Parents have a key role to play in this. The earlier the child learns, the better it is.

We at Boys and Girls Club of Central Texas, run ‘Money Matters’ program which promotes financial responsibility and independence among the kids. It teaches them managing their budget and saving and investing the right way.

To know more about this program or to enroll your kid in the same, kindly visit us at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Texas at 304 W Ave B, TX- 76541. You can also contact Ms. Carol Dunn (Administrative assistant) at 254-699-5808, Ext: 102.

In today’s digital age, with children of our generation being hooked to computers and other electronic gadgets, the importance of physical activity assumes all the more significance. Sports and other outdoor kids activities are a great way to build body stamina and general fitness. Besides these inculcate many qualities such as team work and the spirit of sportsmanship, which help a child in the long run.

Basketball is one such sport. And the benefits that a child can gain by playing it are numerous. When it comes to fitness, there is no other sport that makes use of all body muscles as effectively as basketball does. Jumping, dribbling, and dodging: they all provide a great workout for the body. The blood circulation improves and the inflow of fresh air works wonders for the heart. Playing the game regularly also helps to build stamina and endurance, especially in young kids, as the muscles and bones are in the growing stage.

Apart from physical fitness, the next key advantage associated with basketball is the tremendous boost it can give to a child’s confidence. In today’s world of cut-throat competition, where your competitors are always ready to pin you down, confidence can augur really well for a child to deal with the tough situations that he or she will encounter in his or her life at a later stage. Winning matches and making strategies for the same acts are a perfect way to build up confidence.

Basketball is not merely a sport. There is a lot of thought process involved as one player passes the ball to the other and they work out on a plan of action. This helps a kid to build up analytical skills and logic which is more than handy in practical situations. The child learns to scrutinize and assess things and choose the alternative that works best under the given circumstances.

Then there is the benefit of learning to work in a team. You play basketball as a team with all players contributing equally to the common goal of winning the game. This teaches the child the value of gelling well with others and working as one unit, giving equal importance to everybody’s opinions. Team work is an important aspect that is really helpful as the child grows up.

There is no doubt that class room education is vital for a child. But the fact stands that this education is incomplete without active participation in games and physical activities. And basketball is a wonderful way to accomplish physical as well as intellectual growth. So go and encourage your child to start playing the game today and see him or her becoming stronger, taller and smarter!

We at Boys & Girls Club of Central Texas conduct Co-Ed Basketball registration which begins from December 3 and ends on December 13. To get your kid registered in the same, kindly visit the Woody Hall Unit located at 5100 Trimmier Road in Killeen between 3pm and 7pm from Monday to Friday and between 10am and 3pm on Saturday. For more assistance, call Ms. Carol Dunn (Administrative assistant) at 254-699-5808, Ext: 102.

The subject of Arts is not just limited to painting, drawing or sculpture-making, but also includes music, singing, dancing, theatre, cinema, interior designing, and fashion. Activities related to all these fields give an opportunity to children to express themselves, their emotions and imaginations. When parents expose their kids to any of the art activity, they actually trigger their creative thought process. Although, developing interest of a child towards these art subjects might seem to be difficult for some parents, some tips and techniques given below can help them to make this task easy:

• Exposing your young ones towards any age specific art and craft activities at a young age would gradually develop their interest in art. Don’t just let them watch TV or play with dolls and other toys. Rather, set-up any art project for them that is appropriate for their age. If you too will involve yourself in creating a project along with your child, then he is likely to show more interest.
• Let your child listen to various forms of music. Sing and dance with him to his favorite tunes. Attend child specific theatre productions like music concerts, dance shows and many more such events with your kid.
• When your child is old enough, enroll him into a painting or sketching class. If you find that your kid is more drawn toward music, then enrolling him in a dance or singing class would be better.
• Take your child to the art and craft store and let him pick the supplies that he will need in the craft project. Let him choose painting colors, stencil shapes or other things that he thinks would be useful in the artwork.
• Let your child be creative enough to make things from the art and craft supplies present in their homes. Encourage him to make the best use of the material available while creating some craft project. Appreciate his artwork and make room to display it.
• Keep on asking your child about his interests so that you can provide him with the basic amenities that he requires for creating art. For instance, if he is interested in playing some musical instrument then try to provide him with one. You can also enhance his interest by letting him take music lessons where he can get acquainted with the specific musical instrument that he likes to play.
• Your child will get encouraged by your appreciation and will always try to do better in the particular art field that interest him. If you keep on praising him, then he will never lose interest in the art that he has selected for himself. You will always find him confident about his work.

We at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Texas organize year-round fine art programs for kids between the age group 6-18 years. These programs include drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, mixed media and a lot more. To register your kid in the various art programs, please call Ms Caroll Dunn at 254-699-5808.

Leisure reading can be referred to as reading any book, novel or magazines in your free time. Earlier when there used to be no televisions or computers, reading was the primary leisure activity for kids. Kids and teens loved to read comics, story books or even light novels. With the changing times and advent of technology, children prefer to play video games or chat on the Internet with their friends. They have somehow lost their passion for reading. As leisure reading offers a productive approach to improve vocabulary and word power, teens should be encouraged to pick the habit of reading in their leisure time. The leisure reading will help them perform better in school. There are various advantages associated with reading that show how important leisure reading is for teens. A few of them are:

• Higher IQ level: The teenagers who have a habit of leisure reading have comparatively higher IQs. They have a tendency to perform much better in academics and are also very creative. Parents are advised to infuse the habit of reading in their kids in early years because it is observed that those kids will have better communication skills.
• Mental exercise: Reading is to mind what exercise is to body and this wonderful habit assists in mental development. Reading also is known to stimulate eye muscles. It also helps improve the concentration of the reader. This leisure activity adds to the individual’s conversational skills while enhancing the knowledge consistently.
• Vocabulary: Reading is a way to improve your grammatical skills as well as vocab. Teenagers, who choose to take an exit exam for getting admission in graduate high school, perform well if they are into the habit of reading since these exams test the vocabulary of the student.
• Exposure: Besides adding to general knowledge, the readers are exposed to different subjects, stories, cultures, people and their ideology. Leisure reading broadens the horizons of the teenagers making them think well personally as well as professionally. Reading different books help the teenagers explore different things.
• Relaxation: Reading a good book can divert a teen’s mind from his everyday text books and can also help him relax and calm down.
• Inexpensive habit: This leisure activity is a safe and healthy form of enjoying your free time. Unlike other hobbies like playing video games, watching movies or even listening to songs on some costly mp3 player, the hobby of reading is very inexpensive.

We at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Texas organize year-round kids activities for boys and girls of 6-18 years of age.  We provide a variety of grouped and individual recreational, educational and social programs. You can contact us at 304 W Ave B, Killeen, TX – 76541 or call us at 254-699-5808 Ext: 102.

When it comes to creativity, most of us associate it with art and craft or the ability to create something unique. However, there are no boundaries for creativity and it can be a part of our lives in the smallest ways possible. Creativity is the ability to put things together in unique ways or seeing normal things from a different perspective. Each human being is creative to some extent. It’s just that some get an opportunity to tap their creativity while others let it go unnoticed.

We can’t force a creative talent upon our children but we can at least train them to see things differently. This can be done by training them to concentrate on kids activities at hand and be optimistic about the outcome. The following are some points you can work upon to nurture your child’s creativity:-

• Turn off the TV: The TV is a great time and energy sapper. As much as possible, keep your child away from it. When bored, let him figure what to do with his time. This will rescue him from becoming a couch potato. Let your child’s imagination go wild. You can ask him to tell you a story or do some role-playing.
• Creative toys: Provide your child with toys that encourage him to build something. Blocks and Lego bricks are great for the purpose. Let him build, destroy, build again without your any intervention on your part. It’s a great opportunity for him to explore new boundaries with his creativity.
• Set an example: Children emulate their parents and can get a lot of encouragement to indulge themselves in hobbies and creative pursuits if they see you doing so frequently. Make it a point to devote sometime out of your busy schedule for trying new things and let your children be your audience.
• Let your child loose: Parents who are too uptight regarding issues like neatness and strict routines with their children hamper their development in terms of creativity. Let your child make messes and learn from them. Set no limits on them and encourage them to think out of the box instead of being little boring conformists. This much support from your end will give their imagination wings.
• Observe: Observe what your child finds interesting and provide him with the necessary materials to feed that interest.  However, don’t pressurize him into doing something spectacular. Just appreciate his efforts without bothering about the results.

We at Boys and Girls Clubs Of Central Texas run several programs to foster creative skills in your kid. To get your child enrolled in any of these programs, visit us at 304 W Ave B, TX- 76541 or call Ms. Carol Dunn (Administrative assistant) at 254-699-5808, Ext: 102.

Teamwork refers to the ability to work with others as a group for the completion of a task. It is a skill that is very important to be inculcated in kids. Children get a lot of attention; they think that the whole world revolves around them. As they grow, it becomes important to teach them the importance of working together as a team both at home and at school. Many people think teamwork is only required in sports. This is a wrong notion as teamwork is essential at almost every stage of life from schooling to when one gets employed.

Team work has innumerable benefits on the personality of a child. It greatly improves a child’s communication skills as it’s all about voicing your opinion and listening to the opinion of others. It also teaches a child to co-operate with other members of the group. A child learns to value the point of view of others and this is an important leadership skill too. The child works towards a common goal and solves problems keeping in mind the goal to be achieved. A child learns how to share and compromise in special circumstances. The skill helps the child to carry learn how to get along with others and have fun while completing a project. What’s more, it teaches a child the skill of working with difficult people.

Teaching your kids about the benefits of teamwork at an early age is the best foundation for a stable and socially fit person. To start with, all you have to do is introduce your child to the concept of working as a team. Tell your child some stories of people who achieved a lot while they worked in a  team and how they would not achieved much had they been all alone. After this, introduce them to some practical demonstrations so that this attitude gets fixed in their minds. You can use some fun ideas to inculcate the concept in their minds and even reward your child positively for any effort towards working  as a team. You can turn the household chores into interesting games for them. Get creative and make teamwork a part and parcel of your child’s daily life.

If you want your kids to learn the importance of teamwork, get them enrolled at Boys and Girls Clubs Of Central Texas. We at these clubs organize various Character Building and Leadership programs for kids up to 18 years of age. For more information, visit us at 304 W Ave B, TX- 76541 or call Ms. Carol Dunn (Administrative assistant) at 254-699-5808, Ext: 102.

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Basketball is ranked as one of the most popular sports in the world. The game is all about shooting a ball through a hoop. It’s an extremely fast and exciting game, which is very popular among kids. It can be played both indoors and outdoors and makes it an all year round game. Children in the age group of four to eight years can work on dribbling, passing and catching. Older ones can practice shooting too. The size of the court, basket height and length of time can be varied according to the age, size and skill of the players.

It’s a very good game for kids as it encourages them to move around and stay active. Basketball involves a lot of running and jumping which helps kids develop speed, strength and cardiovascular health. In addition to this, it burns calories and keeps the body lean. For parents fighting with child obesity, this can be the most appropriate solution. In addition to maintaining a healthy diet, a game like basketball keeps children fit and agile and is fun to play at the same time.

Benefits of basketball for kids:

• Builds endurance
• Improves balance and coordination
• Develops concentration
• Burns calories
• Build muscles
• Encourages socializing
• Instills the concept of team spirit

Nowadays kids area drifting towards sedentary activities like computer games and watching TV. This is highly detrimental to their overall well being as it can lead to obesity and other lifestyle diseases. Games like basketball keep a child active and are entertaining too. What’s more, your kid develops a lot of confidence each time he/she makes it to the basket. Kids even get to interact with each other and learn the art of developing team spirit over and above a competitive attitude. This will be very beneficial for them as they grow into adults.

While kids play basketball, injuries and accidents are a common phenomenon as it’s a fast paced game. Parents need not frown over this as it’s a very small price to pay in exchange of the immense benefits the game has to offer for the overall development of a child. It is important to make sure your child does a little warm up exercises and stretching before hitting the court. After a game, it’s equally important to cool down and stretch again. Last but not the least, your child should keep fluids handy and rehydrate regularly.

We at Boys & Girls Club of Central Texas conduct Co-Ed Basketball registration which begins from December 3 and ends on December 13. To get your kid registered in the same, kindly visit the Woody Hall Unit located at 5100 Trimmier Road in Killeen between 3pm and 7pm from Monday to Friday and between 10am and 3pm on Saturday.

For more details, visit us at Boys and Girls Clubs Of Central Texas at 304 W Ave B, TX- 76541 or call Ms. Carol Dunn (Administrative assistant) at 254-699-5808, Ext: 102.

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“Money does not grow on trees” might be the perfect lesson for life to teach your children. However, this lesson is not quite as easy to teach, as it is to say. It takes years of setting rules, reasoning out with your kids, and helping to practically implement money management skills, before you can safely hand over a stash of notes to your teens, knowing that they will be in safe hands. No age is too early to begin imparting these valuable skills to your little ones, and you can start with children as young as two.

The following tips should help you get your way around bringing out the smart shopper in your child, but remember that you will needs lots of patience and perseverance to actually achieve your goal.

• Start giving your child a weekly allowance: You can follow the thumb-rule of a dollar multiplied by your child’s age, per week to decide the amount of allowance that is suitable for your child.
• Teach them how to divide their money into different jars: Help your child to divide his/her money into different jars, labelled ‘charity’, ‘quick cash’, ‘middle-term goals’, and ‘long-term goals’, or anything else you can think of.
• Involve them in the grocery shopping experience: Right from making a shopping list to sticking to it at the grocery store, and looking out for the best prices, grocery shopping is one of the best ways to teach your child how to manage money.
• Be a good role model: It’s simple- your child will mimic your money-spending habits; splurge and he’ll splurge, save and he’ll save!
• Inculcate the reward feeling of a hard-won goal: Even if you can afford something that your child really wants, do not buy it right when she asks for it. Let your child anticipate the reward, so that she can value it when she finally gets it.
• Play board games that involve money: Board games that involve fake money, like monopoly, are a great way to make your child learn the importance of saving, and get a feeling of handling money.
• Let them take charge occasionally: Get your child involved in processes like planning a vacation, letting them do the research, make bookings, and take important decisions. This will instil in them the much-needed confidence to be world-ready.
• Open for them an account of their own: Opening a savings account for your child is a great way to make them feel responsible and secure, and also help them save a big amount of money without spending needlessly.

We at Boys and Girls Club of Central Texas, run a wide number of grouped and individual recreational, educational and social programs for the overall development of your kids. One such program is the ‘Money Matters’ program which promotes financial responsibility and independence among the kids. It teaches them managing their budget and saving and investing the right way.

To know more about this program or to enrol your kid in the same, kindly visit us at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Texas at 304 W Ave B, TX- 76541. You can also contact Ms. Carol Dunn (Administrative assistant) at 254-699-5808, Ext: 102.

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