Kids clubs are a great way to keep your children engaged in some fruitful activity while learning valuable practical lessons of life. There are a number of activities for children specially designed by these clubs that help them evolve as individuals while having fun at the same time. Activities at kids clubs are related to health skills, personality development, sports, career and education among many others. Following are some of the main reasons why you should encourage your child to join a club.
With the advancement in technology, most of the children like spending their time indoors. They love playing video games or surfing on the Internet. But when a child joins a certain club, he is bound to indulge in a variety of outdoor kids activities that will make his mind and body healthier.

1. It has been well said that ‘an idle mind is a devil’s workshop’ and this saying is even true in case of children also. They need to get their minds engaged in something productive, which keeps them away from criminal activities or unhealthy practices. Kids clubs are a great way to keep them engrossed in some fun activity that they really enjoy doing.
2. Joining a kids club also makes a child more social as he makes more friends. Kids with like-minded interests attract each other’s attention and this lays a very good foundation for lifelong friendships.
3. Children can participate in a variety of activities at the kids clubs and develop new skills. They can also get motivated to pursue a new interest or hobby and develop it further. This acts a great booster for their self-confidence.
4. Teamwork is very essential in school as well as in a job later on in life. By joining a kids club, your child can learn the value of working in a team while trying to achieve a common goal with other children. He can get involved in a community service project or some other team game where he has to work in coordination with other kids.
5. Kids clubs also organize various activities where children elect their representatives and also take independent decisions. By doing so, they are able to imbibe leadership values and also learn to become good followers.
6. Participating in kids’ club activities makes a child an all-rounder and schools always appreciate this fact.  A student who is active in a kids club will also be good at studies.
7. Besides everything else, participating in kids clubs serves as a great fun activity for children. They enjoy their time and have fun while learning something worthwhile.

We at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Texas organize year-round kids activities for kids of 6-18 years of age.  To get your kid enrolled in any of these activities kindly contact us at 304 W Ave B, Killeen, TX – 76541 or call us at 254-699-5808 Ext: 102.

Children do not like to do homework. If you are a parent who is new at making your child do homework, you will soon realize that verbal motivation or even bribing is going to stop working sooner or later. To be fair, it is not their fault. They are only going to do what they find interesting. Here are a few simple ways to make your child interested in sitting down and doing homework willingly.

Use music to make it fun. This is especially effective in getting the learning part of the homework done. Tables in mathematics or alphabets in English can be easily learned through rhymes. You can either use the classic children`s rhymes like “3 little kittens” or “Ten little Indians”, or even make something up yourself. As long as it is musical and interactive, your child won’t get bored.

Most of the children like to follow what their parents do. If you like to watch television, your child will not sit alone in his room and do his homework. Therefore, try to have a common “homework time” for yourself and your child. Sit down with them with your “homework”. This is a fun and interesting way of making the child understand the importance of homework. While you check the monthly budget against the bills or go through your office work, your child too shall feel encouraged to take his work seriously just as you would be take yours. Do the “homework talk” in between. For example, say things like, “Miss RedWood at office is going to be furious at me If I don`t finish this work.” This way, the child will be able to relate to you. It will help him understand that homework is part of everyone`s life.

One of the key responsibilities of a parent is to make the child understand that doing homework is for his own good. The sooner a child starts taking his homework as his own responsibility, the better it will be for everyone. This is the trickiest part. How does one add fun to something as serious as a responsibility? Well, this is where rewarding comes into play. You must understand that rewards are different from bribes. Also, rewards need to be what a child really wants. For example, you can let your child know that he can play for extra 30 minutes in the ground if he finishes his homework within fixed time. This will not only encourage your child to finish the homework at the soonest possible but will also improve his academic skills. Another example is letting them watch a certain TV program or making a particular dish that they love to eat. Choose rewards that you think can work on daily basis.

The Boys and Girls Clubs Of Central Texas organizes ‘Power Hour’, an education program which aims at providing homework help and tutoring to kids between the age group 6-16 years. If you are interested in enrolling your kids in this program, kindly visit us at 304 W Ave B, TX- 76541 or call at 254-699-5808, Ext: 102.

With rise in the number of children suffering from obesity in America, it has become essential for parents to ensure that they take part in various physical activities. If you want your kids to remain fit and active throughout life and stay away from obesity related problems, then you must introduce your kids to different sports at a young age.

Consider your child’s strength, abilities and temperament and then engage him into an appropriate sport that perfectly suits him. Just keep telling your child about the importance of exercise and the ultimate fun that he will get by playing any particular sport.  He will get interested in trying various sports activities, especially when he will see you actively involved in it.

When you realize that your kid is showing interest in some specific sport, make sure that you encourage him. Accompany him to the games, cheer him up and also practice along with him. With your support, your child will gain confidence to perform better. It will thereby help him build a healthy and active lifestyle. The sport activities include team sports and individual sports.

• Team sports: Various options of team sports include softball, soccer, volleyball and swimming competitions and other water sports. Out of these sport options, look for the one that your child is interested. Also see that the particular sport suits his body type and skill levels. Encourage your kid to join the team at school or enroll him in a neighborhood sport league. This way you will get your child socialize also. These sports will not only make your child physically active but also make him more social and understand the importance of team spirit.
• Individual Sports: You can also encourage your kids to play various individual sports like martial arts, swimming, golf, skiing, basketball, tennis and many more. The various physical advantages associated with some individual sports are given below:
• Golf: Golf is a game that keeps the child active, fit and healthy by exercising the muscles. Not only does he enjoys this sport but also breathes in a fresh environment.
• Tennis: This popular aerobic sport builds the strength of every muscle. Tennis is a sport that makes for a great workout and helps one to maintain the body fitness.
• Skiing: It is a popular sport in colder areas and can be quickly learnt by young kids. This sport activity tones the entire body of the child and provides for an excellent cardiovascular workout. 

We at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Texas organize year-round sports activities for kids of 6-18 years of age.  To get your kid enrolled in any of these activities kindly contact us at 304 W Ave B, Killeen, TX – 76541 or call us 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.

Long time back, students at school were labeled smart or dumb merely by evaluating their ability to sort out math problems or writing the correct answers. The students who failed this evaluation test were tagged dumb even if they had different ways of understanding and approaching a problem. You must understand that every child has his own point of view.  It’s a challenge for a parent, caregiver or educator to identify children’s life skills and abilities and help them enhance those talents while assisting them in fields where they find difficulties.

Howard Gardner said in his book entitled Theory of Multiple Intelligences that every person differs by experiencing and expressing intelligence in different areas. So is the case with children. A child can show his intelligence in regions like:

• Linguistics: A child that possesses linguistic intelligence likes to read and even write stories, poems etc. He usually mentions about what he has read. He is fascinated by new words and curious to know about their meanings, will be good in spellings and also has a wide vocabulary.
• Logical-mathematics: A child with strong logical intelligence is likely to score high in mathematical test. He will be good in mental arithmetic. He’ll be interested to scientifically know the reason of how things work. He will be quite punctual and well organized.
• Music: A child will show his musical skill by his ability to understand, perceive and create music. He can recognize the tunes and notes. He will often sing or hum and is quick to learn songs.
• Spatial: A child who has strong spatial intelligence is a natural artist. He will be able to notice even small changes and possess good visual imagination. He will enjoy drawing, sketching, coloring or painting. He would love to click various pictures and capture videos, if given an opportunity.
• Bodily-kinesthetic: Your child would be good at sports and other physical activities if he has physical intelligence. The kid will be creative and would like to be involved in various kids activities like cooking, dancing and sewing.
• Intrapersonal: If your child possess intrapersonal skills then he is likely to have a good friend circle. He will be friendly and relate well to people who are younger or older to him. He is a good listener and will often sort out problems among friends.
• Interpersonal:  If your child is a deep thinker then he possesses interpersonal intelligence. He is kind of introvert, shy but intelligent. He might not mix up easily with other people.

We at Boys and Girls Clubs Of Central Texas run special program ‘Goals for Growth’ to help kids identify their strength and enhance their self-esteem by recognizing their goals and hidden skills. To get your child enrolled in this program, visit us at 304 W Ave B, TX- 76541 or call Ms. Carol Dunn (Administrative assistant) at 254-699-5808, Ext: 102.

The fact that cigarette smoking is injurious to health is known to all. Around 4000 different chemicals enter an individual’s body on smoking a single cigarette. These poisonous chemicals damage various cells in a human body that can lead to cancer and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, such as heart attacks. Despite knowing that cigarette smoking is not a healthy practice, children and teens continue with the habit and it gradually changes to addiction. In US alone, around 4000 youngsters turn chain smokers everyday. When asked the reason of their smoking, they often answer that smoking makes them look fashionable and mature at the same time. It is also seen in some cases that kids acquire this habit from their parents.

You can protect your child by informing him about the health risks associated with smoking. Be a good role model for your child and quit smoking in case you do. Make clear rules and give appropriate reasons to them to keep him away from this habit. When you are talking to your child about the harmful effects of smoking, do it in a calm and subtle way so that you don’t scare him away. Listen to your child patiently when he tells you as to what makes him an addict. Devote him a lot of time by playing with him and taking him for outings. Encourage him to participate in various kids activities like football, baseball, tennis etc that can divert his attention from smoking. It is often seen that teens get into the habit of smoking due to peer pressure. Ask him to firmly say no if any of his friend forces him to smoke. Keep telling him how smoking affects the daily life of children who smoke.

You should develop a friendly relationship with the child at an early age so that he lets you know whatever is happening in his life. This will eventually let the child talk to you freely about smoking. He will also involve you in making decisions and will take your advice on various issues, even on things like smoking. Various kids clubs in US offers several kids’ activities that make them fit and active. Some of the clubs also offer different programs that help the youngsters resist smoking, alcohol and drug abuse. These programs include small group activities that enhance their life skills and build their resiliency. The activities involve various sports like football, volleyball, basketball and cheerleading.

We at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Texas organize year-round kids activities for kids of 6-18 years of age.  To get your kid enrolled in any of these activities kindly contact us at 304 W Ave B, Killeen, TX – 76541 or call us at 254-699-5808 Ext: 102.

The advent in technology has made the life of people very comfortable. Because of this convenient lifestyle, they have become lazy and lethargic too. This modern attitude towards life has not only affected the physical fitness of adults, also the kids. They are no longer as active as they used to be few years back. Now they hardly have spare time for any physical activity. School, drawing, grammar, math coaching and many other such classes tend to increase brain power, but devoid them of getting any kind of muscular strength. It has also been noticed that if the kids get free time, they either like to play video games or watch TV or surf on net. This is one of the reasons that they are not able to maintain proper weight and thereby can be subjected to various health issues. To avoid any health problems among kids that are caused due to lack of physical activities, you must introduce certain physical kids activities in their daily routine. Few of them are discussed below:

• Choose the activity that the kid enjoys: It is seen that every kid is different from the other. He might not enjoy sports like baseball, football etc. He might be more interested in other activities like dancing, swimming or karate. So, it is always better to let him participate in the activity that he likes. In fact, encouraging him to perform better will increase the motivation level of the kid and also enhance his performance. On the other hand, if parents pressurize the child to take part in activities that he does not like then he would not take part in the activity enthusiastically and often skip the classes.
• Participate with your kids: When the parents will actively participate with the kids in their physical activities, the kids would surely enjoy it whole heartedly. The parents are recommended to go out with their kids for playing games like football, basketball, cricket or some other activity that he likes. They can also invite the kid’s friends for a game or two. Spending time with the kids will make them happy and more energetic.
• Limit screen time: Let your kids take up some hobby that involves physical activity, instead of watching TV in their free time. Act like a role model for your kids and involve yourself into some physical activity in your everyday schedule.
• Follow the 'No excuse' rule: Some daily routine works like brushing your teeth, getting ready for school are permitted with ‘no refusals’. Follow the same rule and stick firmly to the decision where participation in some physical activity is involved.

We at Boys and Girls Clubs Of Central Texas run several sports, fitness and recreational programs for kids between 7 to 12 years of age. To name a few programs are Tackle Football, Track, Basketball and Cheerleading. Besides these, our programs also help them in staying physically fit and developing positive relationships with their peers and adults. You can enroll your kid in any of these programs by visiting our club at 304 W Ave B, TX- 76541. You can also call Ms. Carol Dunn (Administrative assistant) at 254-699-5808, Ext: 102

Invented by Alfred Butts during the early 20th century, the game of scrabble is a family favorite that can be played and enjoyed by everyone in the family. Each of the players is provided with a specific number of tiles (seven to ten tiles) that carries English alphabets, out of which they have to create words. Each of the tiles is assigned with a point and each space on the board also carries a definite value. The value of the tile is multiplied with the point on the box. The player who scores the highest points is the winner of the game. Scrabble is quite a simple and an entertaining game and has various advantages for your kids. Few of them are:

• Improves spelling and vocabulary: Scrabble, undoubtedly improves the word spelling of kids. Thereby, many teachers at the school recommend parents to play scrabble with their kids, especially those who are poor at spelling. While playing the game, you can teach the kids the basic rules of spelling a word. They will definitely grasp the word and its spelling quickly. This game will also let your kids know new words and their meanings. While playing the game, if you put a new word on the board, the kids would positively be inquisitive about knowing its meaning and for sure will remember the word for the next time. This way, they will increase their vocabulary too.
• Lets your kids be creative: The brilliant game of scrabble allows the kids to use their own creativity to make new words from the letters provided. While playing the game, they are forced to creatively think of a fun and unique word than the ones already on the board, in order to score good and more than the other players. Some kids also show a smart move by using their tiles to make new words in some specific area on the board to attain more points.
• Improves mathematical skills: Along with improving the English skills, the scrabble also teaches the kids basic math skills. Since each tile of the letters used in the game carries specific points, the kids would have to multiply those points with the value given to the box. In short, the kids would have to apply addition and multiplication methods after creating every word on the board. This calculation would improve their mathematical skills.
• Entertains the kids: Besides improving the vocabulary and mathematical skills of the kids, scrabble also offers entertaining time to the entire family. Spending a happy time, full of laughter and fun and of course free of stress will help the kids as well as adults to build stronger immune systems.

We at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Texas conduct various high-yielding activities for kids of all age groups. These kids’ activities include leisure reading and writing activities with tutoring and games like Scrabble that develops their cognitive skills.

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.

If you ask a kid about his favorite games, he will undoubtedly mention some video games or computer games. These days, kids are more involved in high-tech digital games than the outdoor kids activities. Also, playing video games is one of the basic reasons for the rise in child obesity. Playing outdoors, on the other hand, helps the child to stay fit and healthy. The fast paced life has somehow restricted you to spend time with your kids and encourage them to participate in sports or other fun filled activities. But, if you want your child to be strong and live healthy, then you will have to boost him to indulge in fitness activities.

Here are a few fun activities that you can enjoy with your kids while ensuring their fitness.

• Frisbee Golf:  Frisbee golf is a popular game among people of all age-groups, which combines the fitness advantages with the pleasure of playing a fun game. It is very much like regular golf, the only difference being that the players use a flying disc or Frisbee in this game. All you need to play Frisbee Golf is a large grass field and colored cones that you place at the four holes. For every hole, you need to place one cone by the tee area of the hole and the other at the target area. You have to repeat the same thing for all the holes. The game involves throwing the Frisbee from the tee area to the target for the hole and then run to the Frisbee. You need to hit the target in as less throws as possible while facing obstacles in the way, if any.
• Musical Chairs: ‘Musical chairs’ is a very common fun-filled and entertaining game that aims to make children active. It’s a simple game that requires chair or hula loops set next to each other.  There is one chair less than the number of players. The kids have to move around the chairs when the music starts and are supposed to sit on the chair when the music stops. The one left out is asked to perform some dancing or singing as a punishment. One of the chairs is taken out after every round.
• Cheerleading: Cheerleading is certainly a great way to keep your kid fit and active. This activity involves the cheerleaders to keep physically strong. The cheerleaders are required to exercise regularly so that their arms, leg and abdomen are energetic during performances.

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

The word digital is clubbed with almost everything in our lives today and art is no exception. Today, even art has gone digital and you can now use your computer to create any form of art. The advancement in computer and graphic technology lets you create great pieces of art and any other expression of your creativity with complete accuracy and neatness. There are a myriad of features to help you excel at your creation, which were simply impossible to have access to in the yesteryears.

Digital art being a modern field, is catching up fast in web designing, graphic designing, music technology, photo illustration, etc. It has become important to introduce digital art in schools so as to make children familiar with how to use their computers to create a piece of art. Music has been shown to have a positive impact on kids as it helps them develop a fondness for learning and at the same time, they develop the confidence of composing their own music easily on their computers. They can play any instrument of their choice on their computers with extreme ease.

Web designing is also an offshoot of digital art and a fast growing career amongst the youngsters of today. Kids can also be taught to modify photographs digitally by using special software for enhancing the images and transforming them into a piece of art. They can also make use of this technology through graphic designing whereby they can create posters, logos etc to put across a point. This can also transform into a remunerative career for them in future and increase their confidence in using the computer to communicate their ideas.

Introducing kids to digital art early on teaches them how to use their computers for creative tasks and not just for simple jobs tasks such as typewriting, surfing, or playing games. It helps them put their imagination to use, generate new ideas and explore new avenues of being creative. Digital art makes learning an exciting experience that kids look forward to and enjoy. No age is too young to introduce kids to digital art as even pre-schoolers can scribble and paint anything of their choice. Bigger kids can draw, paint, and add interesting effects to their work. Let your kid explore the vast world of digital art and set his own limits on how far he wants to tread on this exciting journey of creativity.

We at the Boys and Girls Clubs Of Central Texas organize Digital Arts Suite and Festivals that includes programs like Web Tech (Web page design), Design Tech (graphic design), Photo Tech (photo illustration), Music Tech and  Movie Tech. To know more about these programs visit us at 304 W Ave B, TX- 76541 or call Ms. Carol Dunn (Administrative assistant) at 254-699-5808, Ext: 102.