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Reasons To Play Outdoor Games

24. August 2018 Administrator Kids Activities (0)
Encouraging kids to play outside is need of the hour. Outdoor games are extremely important for a child’s physical, mental and emotional well-being. Let’s take a look at the different ways in which outdoor games benefit children:

  • Health Benefits:  Since times immemorial, outdoor games have been associated with being robust and healthy. Such games boost the fitness level of kids and even make their bone structure stronger. Children who engage themselves in outdoor games have lower chances of being overweight, have better vision and have stronger immunity levels.
  • Social Skills: Outdoor games teach kids valuable social skills like taking and giving instructions, cooperating with others, helping and asking for help, sharing and much more. Kids become less inhibited and more confident with their peers.
  • Stimulates Creativity: The vastness and openness of the outdoors fuels a child’s imagination and sparks creativity. Children are free to do what they like without any rules and restrictions.
  • Emotional Well-Being: Outdoor games and activities improve children’s emotional well-being by making them happier, less anxious and also improving their attention spans. The natural intake of Vitamin D helps elevate the mood.
  • Promotes Problem Solving: The uncontrolled outdoor atmosphere teaches kids how to navigate in unfamiliar terrains with known or unknown people. Such exposure teaches them vital problem solving skills such as knowing when immediate action is needed, when to let go, how to find the way out of a difficult situation and so on.
  • Improves Communication Skills: Good communication is not only about being able to converse well but it’s also about being a good listener. Outdoor games teach kids this vital component of being a great communicator; the art of listening. Kids learn to listen to the ideas and point of view of other kids and ask for clarifications when needed.
  • Encourages Team-Work: Many outdoor games require team work. Teamwork learnt early in life has immense benefits as one grows and steps into the real world. A child who knows what it takes to work as a team will sail smoothly through life as an adult.
  • Love For Nature: Nature is a great teacher and friend. Outdoor games offer immense opportunities for kids to interact with different aspects of nature and cultivate a bond with it for life. Kids who develop love for nature grow up to be more empathetic people as adults and are more open to learning from others.
We, at Boys & Girls Clubs Of Central Texas, offer a wide range of programs for kids from 6 to 18 years of age. To enroll your child at the club, call at (254) 699 – 5808 or visit 304 W Ave B, Killeen, TX – 76541.

Benefits Of Drama Education

16. May 2018 Administrator Kids Activities (0)
The incorporation of drama education in schools has the potential of bringing up profound changes in the academic performance of a student in addition to building vital individual skills. Drama education benefits students on a physical, emotional and social level.

Let’s take a look at some major benefits of drama education:

  • Increases Self-Confidence: Drama education makes students comfortable with facing unfamiliar situations and people. Drama expands their horizons and helps them think outside the box. Students become more confident about their ideas and abilities in school, at the workplace later in life and in the society. Participating in dramas is a boon for introvert and reserved children.
  • Creativity: Drama education promotes creative thinking in students. They are open to trying out new ideas and looking at things from different angles. Drama boosts their imaginative faculties and expression.
  • Working As A Team: Students who are engaged in drama at school learn to look at things from the perspective of others. This instils a sense of cooperation in them. They learn how to hold healthy discussions with others and how to gracefully accept feedback from others.
  • Improved Communication Skills: Verbal and non-verbal communication are an essential part of drama education. Students in this field have to work on their vocal projection, expressions, articulation and tone. This tremendously improves their communication, listening and observation skills.
  • Reduces Stress: Drama is a wonderful stress buster for students. It creates a playful and energized atmosphere. Drama students are usually a humorous and motivated lot. They get a chance to release all their aggression and tension filled emotions in a safe and structured way. It helps them come to terms with their own emotions in a more mature way.
  • Sharper Memory: Remembering the lines and movements in drama workout the brain and improves memory.
  • Empathy: As students play the role of different people in their drama class, they become aware and sensitive towards the feelings of others. Being empathetic makes them better citizens and caring humans.
  • Better Health: Drama education not only boosts the mental faculties but also the physical ones. Performers are required to make intensive movements over a long period of time. This improves their flexibility and coordination.
  • Adaptability: Drama teaches students to quickly adapt to a given situation and improvise. They foster the habit of thinking quickly and communicating flawlessly with the audience. They learn how to take any unexpected situation in their stride and take hold of a situation.

Thus, the benefits of drama education go far beyond the classroom into the daily lives of students. Drama education not only boosts confidence in students, it also promotes self-discipline, a spirit of overcoming obstacles, communication and language skills and much more.

We, at Boys & Girls Clubs Of Central Texas, offer a wide range of programs for kids from 6 to 18 years of age. To enroll your child at the club, call at (254) 699 – 5808 or visit 304 W Ave B, Killeen, TX – 76541.

How Is Music Training Beneficial For Kids

15. March 2018 Administrator Kids Activities (0)
Music education early in life has been proven to help children attain their maximum cognitive, social and creative potential. Children with musical training exhibit improvement in speech, reading, comprehension, expression and more. This is primarily due to the activation of nearly the entire neural subsystem in the brain caused by musical activity. Given the impact of music on brain and how that reflects in a child’s academic performance and social behavior, it is worth being incorporated as a part of child’s curriculum.

Let’s take a look at the benefits of musical education in detail:

1. Language Development
Music greatly improves the reading, speaking and understanding faculties of a child as it develops the left side of the brain which is responsible for processing language.  It works on a child’s phonological ability helping him/her identify the beginning and end of syllables and words better. Musically trained kids learn new words faster and develop a richer vocabulary. They also start reading sooner than their peers.

2. Creativity
Engaging kids in musical activity improves the communication between the right and left hemispheres of their brains. This fosters creativity. Creativity is one of the top five skills that modern day employers consider when recruiting. Thus it can be safely concluded that children with higher creativity might have brighter futures in the work arena.

3. Empathy And Social Awareness    
The link between music and empathy can be attributed to better verbal intelligence as a result of playing music. A child’s ability to listen and identify nuances of speech makes him sensitive to the slightest changes in the human voice indicating mood and emotion. Empathy and social awareness help a child thrive at home, at school and at work as an adult.

4. Higher IQ And Improved Academic Performance
Kids involved in a music education program tend to perform better at school, have higher IQ and better working memory than kids who don’t. Improved working memory helps kids in mental arithmetic and reading comprehension. These kids are more focused and self-disciplined.

5. Health And Resilience
Introducing kids to music at a young age develops a life-long love for the art and this keeps them mentally agile as they age. With improved cognitive function, their brains are better at recovering from neurological problems like autism, Parkinson’s disease, stuttering and delays the onset of dementia.

6. Active Brain
The brains of children engaged in music education have higher neural activity than the brains of those who are not into musical training. Playing a musical instrument makes the brain work harder as a consequence of which it stays smarter and sharper.

7. Stress Relief
Musical training provides the much needed release that kids need after a stressful day at school. It is a mental retreat of sorts. Music uplifts the mood and relaxes the brain. It is a fulfilling and calming activity.

We, at Boys & Girls Clubs Of Central Texas, offer a wide range of programs for kids from 6 to 18 years of age. To enroll your child at the club, call at (254) 699 – 5808 or visit 304 W Ave B, Killeen, TX – 76541.