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How Teamwork Helps Kids Succeed In Life

14. January 2020 Administrator Blog (0)
Encouraging kids to participate in team activities helps them to learn valuable life skills that are needed to be successful as adults. Being part of a team helps a child to understand others better and aids in his overall personality development.

Here is a list of ways in which teaching kids about teamwork benefits them later in life:

  • Better Listening Skills: Teamwork teaches kids the importance of listening to others while striving for a common goal. Being a good listener is an important determinant of one’s success as an adult. It allows one to assimilate knowledge from different people and respect their point of view as well. Kids also learn the importance of listening to the team leader and following instructions.
  • Self-Confidence: Just as kids learn to listen to others, they also get attention in return when they have any ideas that contribute to the team. This makes them feel valued and boosts their self-confidence. Kids shed any inhibitions they may have and grow into confident adults who can effectively put across their points in front of a team.
  • Communication Skills: Interacting with other kids in an uncontrolled environment outside the classroom facilitates free communication. Kids can express themselves freely and observe how others do the same. In the long run, this positively impacts their communication skills making them better at interacting with others.
  • Increases Chances Of Success: Confidence in oneself and the ability to speak effectively in front of an entire team is essential for success in any field. Teamwork makes a kid an all-rounder, happier, energetic and goal-oriented. These are attributes that most employers look for in prospective employees. Teamwork also fosters reasoning skills, group brainstorming, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and evaluation skills.
  • Social Skills: Teamwork makes kids socially fit as they learn the craft of interacting with others (teammates and opponents). They learn how to be patient, how to take turns, the art of negotiation, how to take criticism positively and get better at conflict resolution.
  • Solidarity: Participating in team activities helps kids to develop a feeling of solidarity towards their team members. They learn to stand for one another during tough times. As adults, this translates into employees who can be counted upon by a company and individuals who will work for the betterment of their community.

For a child to gain the most out of teamwork, he should be under the supervision of an experienced adult with specific knowledge on working with kids in a team.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas offer a variety of activities for kids to help them learn and grow. The clubs aim to engage children in life-enhancing programs. For more details on the importance of teamwork to help kids succeed in life, visit Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas at 304 W Ave B, Killeen, TX – 76541. You can also call at (254) 699 - 5808.

How Can Kids Adopt A Healthy Lifestyle?

18. December 2019 Administrator Blog (0)
With the advent of technology, kids are spending more time indoors making it more important to teach them the value of a healthy lifestyle and motivate them to adopt the same. A healthy lifestyle means living in a way that improves the physical, mental and emotional health of an individual. Introducing healthy lifestyle at an early age allows children to enjoy lifelong benefits in the form of lower risk of diseases and a higher life expectancy.

Important ways in which kids can be encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle are:

  • Balanced Breakfast: Teach your kids to have an energetic and healthy breakfast before stepping out of the house. This habit will keep their energy levels high throughout the day, make them calmer, help them focus better and maintain a healthy weight. 
  • Smart Snacking: A hungry child tends to eat whatever comes handy at the moment, so it is better to stock healthy snacks for your child. For example, instead of sodas and cookies, buy fruits that your child loves, nuts (peanuts, almonds), seeds (pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds), eggs, peanut butter, air-popped popcorn, raisins, etc.
  • Eating Slowly: This tip is often overlooked due to busy schedules but, it is one of the most essential things. Parents should inculcate the habit of eating slowly, speaking calmly and focusing on the entire process of eating when on the table. This teaches children the art of savoring what they eat and also helps in proper digestion of food.
  • Exercise: Physical activity such as structured exercise programs or simply playing outside with friends is important for kids. Such activities not only encourage children to explore the environment they live in but also teach them valuable life skills like discipline, patience, team work, etc.
  • Hydration: Staying hydrated leads to optimal functioning of the body’s organs, helps in maintaining healthy weight, aids in digestion and keeps the brain alert. So, encourage your kids to drink water and fresh juices at regular intervals.
  • Family Guidelines: Set some meaningful family guidelines around healthy food choices and other lifestyle habits. For example, set a particular time for your kids to go to bed (without devices), discourage watching TV or staring at a screen while eating, limit portion sizes, set water drinking goals, have at least one meal together, etc.
  • Involvement: When planning meals or shopping for ingredients, involve your children in the process. There is a lot for them to learn from the experience e.g. reading labels, making healthier choices and more.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas offer a variety of ‘Healthy Lifestyles’ programs to encourage kids. For more details on ways in which kids can adopt a healthy lifestyle, visit us at 304 W Ave B, Killeen, TX – 76541. You can also contact: (254) 699 – 5808. 

Effective Learning Techniques For Students

20. November 2019 Administrator Blog (0)
In order to perform better at academics, students should incorporate effective learning strategies. These strategies make it easier for them to learn, understand and retain information. An effective learning strategy supports recalling, comprehension, elaborative collaboration and self-explanation.

Learning techniques that can help students extensively are:

  • Being Organized: Being organized is the first step towards effective learning. It involves setting up a dedicated space for learning. The space should consist of everything you need during a study session for minimum distraction. It also involves being proactive at managing your time.
  • Spacing Out: Instead of studying whole lessons in one go, it is better to divide your work into smaller chunks of time. This helps your brain to recall the information you have learnt and retain it in between the time slots.
  • Recalling Information: Practice recalling the information you have studied without any material. This technique involves keeping away all devices/books and trying to recall the information in writing.
  • Self-Quizzing: This involves quizzing oneself about a topic by asking “Why” and “How” questions to gain deeper understanding of the topic.
  • Specific Examples: An effective way of understanding abstract ideas is by using concrete examples. Instead of providing students with examples of a concept, teachers should encourage students to come up with their own examples.
  • Interleaving: Contrary to the popular belief of repeating a concept again and again for better understanding, interleaving suggests the opposite. According to this technique, a student should practice a set of entirely different problems to sharpen the mind and improve the brain’s capacity to think critically. It makes a student “weave different skills” at a given time and learn vital strategies of problem solving.
  • Dual Coding: This technique involves combining text and visuals such as images, graphs, charts, etc. Students should try and interpret the visuals in their own words and link them to the text being studied. It helps the brain to assimilate a new concept in two different forms which makes it easier to retrieve information later.
  • Avoid Multitasking: It is not the number of hours that a student dedicates to studying but the intensity of focus while studying that matters. To study effectively, students should resist the temptation of multitasking and distractions such as social media, video games, email, etc.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas employ effective learning techniques for students through various programs. The volunteers are committed to provide a safe environment for students to learn and grow. For more details on effective learning techniques for students, visit 304 W Ave B, Killeen, TX – 76541. You can also call at: (254) 699 – 5808.

Reasons Why Continuous Learning Is Important

28. October 2019 Administrator Blog (0)
Continuous learning not only nourishes the mind and sharpens the intellect, but it also improves one’s skill set. Children who adopt a continuous learning pattern adjust better to changing professional demands. Continuous learning is not limited to the classroom but can take place through reading books, watching instructional videos, doing relevant online courses, etc. It can be formal, self-directed, professional, personal, informal and indirect learning.

The benefits of continuous learning for individuals and organizations are:

  • Preserves Relevance: In order to remain relevant in your field and to keep up with the latest trends in technology and skills, learning is a must. As new technologies are gaining popularity in almost every field; it has become vital for students to develop a culture of regularly learning new skills to achieve professional success.
  • Boosts Your Profile: Being a good learner boosts one’s profile thus increasing an individual’s chances of being recommended for better jobs. Additional learning also increases the prospects of updating professional certifications
  • Boosts Confidence: By learning latest skills, a student gets better at adapting to new challenges which results in increasing confidence levels, work efficiency and performance.
  • Innovative Ideas: By expanding your mind’s horizons through learning, students develop their capacity to look for innovative solutions to any problem.
  • A Better Perspective: Learning encourages one to look at a situation from different perspectives. It helps in understanding things at a deeper level, making better decisions, increasing social awareness and improving relationships.
  • Health Benefits: A yearning to keep on learning has tremendous effects on a person’s mental and emotional well-being..
Continuous learning is paramount for keeping abreast with today’s fast-paced world and securing a competitive advantage. It is necessary for expanding one’s frontier of knowledge and capacity to perform.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas offer various programs to help students in continuous learning. The programs assist children to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens. For more details on importance of continuous learning, visit: 304 W Ave B, Killeen, TX – 76541. You can also call us at: (254) 699 – 5808.