The Warm Up Activity - After School Program Ideas

BELL RINGS! 

The day is over and students are excited to be done with school. They gather after school and see friends and peers they haven’t seen all day. You split up into groups and begin your after school clubs. Regardless of what type of club it is, your initial few minutes with your students set the standard for what the rest of the club is going to be like. This is why a warm up activity with your students is so important! Here’s a few tips to get every club off on the right foot. 

• Analyze: When students are walking in, simply chat with them! Call them by their names, find out how their day was and assess what kind of mood they're in. Maybe Leo made a cool new art project he’s proud of or Jaz just ate some candy and is hyper. The more you talk with them, you will observe how they are behaving and find out how their day was and have a better chance of your class  getting off on the right foot. Once you know what level everyone is at, pick an activity that will best match their energy and what you were planning on doing that club day.

• Pick the right activity: Once you have analyzed and assessed the students, pick an activity that will best match their energy and what club activity you are doing. For example if you have a group of students that all have a ton of energy, maybe a focus game like Zip Zap Zop or the Mirror Activity could be beneficial. Or maybe a few of your students had a rough day and need a pick-me-up. A high energy activity like the Wizard, Witch and Ghost is always a group favorite. 

By picking the right activity, you could help make the difference between a good behaving group and a bad one. If you are a Magician School or Balloon School Member, each week will have a different activity associated with it. These activities are just recommendations for something to do that week to start off your club. Oftentimes students will have a few favorites that you will rotate through. 

Enjoy!