In the last decade, the world in general has shown a lot of changes in culture and custom. The biggest factor to thank for these changes is technology, which is advancing every day. We don’t need to go more than 10 years back to check how these changes have affected the after-school activities children were doing before; just asking someone in their early twenties what activities they were doing when they were children compared to the activities children are doing today is enough to see the change. As with everything in life, change has pros and cons.
In this article, we will compare what children used to do after-school 10 years ago to what children are doing currently. It is important to bear in mind that parents and childcarers are responsible for making sure that children make the most of the days and their talents; they are still learning about being organised and following routines and structures. Children need the guidance of adults to develop their emotional, mental and physical health.
It is not secret that more than ever, children are more connected with technology than ever before. Most of the people who will read this article, would probably not even have imagined themselves being 7 or 11 years old and having their own mobile phone. Most of the children in this era will have access to more than one technology device at home, from mobile phones, iPads, tablets, laptops, smart TVs, Alexa or Siri, and gaming consoles.
Because the advance of technology and how entertaining this can be for children, some parents will set rules during weekdays or a quantity of time when children are allowed to use their devices. Parents have found that this the most effective way to keep their children away from the devices. However, we cannot think of technology as something that is wholly negative for our children.
Many parents have decided to take advantage of technology and sign up their children for after-school activities that are related to technology, like coding, robotics, video game design, electronics with micro:bits or creative digital design. Mixing the typically after-school activities, like sports, music or art classes, with this new type of technology after-school activities, your children will have an advantage at school, when they apply for a place at university or for a job with the skills they will get from early introduction to technology.
No matter how many years pass by, there will be the typical after-school activities every child will enjoy doing. Humans are creative by nature and like to socialise with others, which is why we enjoy playing football, tennis or having dancing and music classes, where we have the opportunity to share with others.
Children go through different stages of development as they change from infants to young adults. During each of these stages, multiple changes in the development of the brain take place. What and when these developments take place are different for each individual. Environmental circumstances and interactions with other people have a significant impact on how each child benefits from each developmental event. Signing up your children for after-school activities will help them in their development.
There are many benefits of having your children in different activities in their childhood: going every week at the same hour to ballet classes, swimming or volleyball will give your child the sense of responsibility, how to follow an agenda and work in a team, skills that are highly necessary when you are an adult. It is always important to take into consideration what skills we want our children to have when they are grown up.
Since the moment parents know if their child is a girl or boy, they will start choosing the colours of the nursery room, the clothes their child wears and the baby’s name, for example.
Ten years ago, parents were stricter about letting their children choose the activity they joined after-school: they sign them up if they were boys in football or rugby classes and if they were girls, in ballet or art classes. The same thing happened during play with toys and when in nursery, where girls played cooking, cleaning the house or being a nurse, while boys played at being policemen, firemen or doctors.
Currently, the education system allows children to choose with which toys to play, while ten years ago teachers would have told them no, saying that those toys are for girls or for boys. We see girls who enjoy playing football as much as boys, or boys enjoying ballet as much as girls.
What we recommend is that you observe your child and see what they enjoy the most. From an early age, each child shows their interests; you will notice if they are more interested in painting or playing outside, if they like exploring or puzzles, if they enjoy music/singing or playing sport. If you are not sure what they enjoy the most, you can always start exploring with your child different options to see what they are good at.
Technology in the past hasn’t been as present as it is now, to the point that has become a necessity more than a luxury. Parents need to considerer that they shouldn’t be 100% against their children having contact with technology, because as time pass by, technology will be more and more present in every aspect of our lives. Of course it’s fair to be worried about your children spending most of their time stuck to their phone or computer, playing video-games all day, but it is important to bear in mind that just like any other person, our children need spare time with which they can decide what to do.
This is why it is important to find a balance between encouraging and influencing our children to do activities that will help them to get skills that are necessary for their everyday lives, and enjoying being on the phone chatting with friends or playing a video-game. We always advise parents to follow their guts; they are in the best position to know what their children enjoy, what their strengths and their weaknesses are. Talking with your children about the rules of using their phones and doing after-school activities, like football, music or coding classes, will teach them about how to negotiate.
Remember that children will always be happy to do activities after-school where they meet friends and have fun. Always listen to them and their feelings; showing them respect and that you care about them is the best way to make them follow your advice and to find a balance.
The process of finding an after-school nanny suitable to your family’s needs and preferences is not only difficult, but will also add stress and worry if you were to do this on your own. While directly recruiting candidates gives you flexibility and control, it can be a daunting task, as sifting through the candidate applications will take up a lot of your time and most of these applicants do not even have the necessary qualifications and experiences that you are looking for. Whereas, if you use a childcare agency, you will have the reassurance that the after-school nannies that will be presented to you have undergone a strict and very thorough screening and vetting process, something that an online job site will not be able to offer you.
Our after-school nannies have years of childcare experience. We have after-school nannies that can take care of children of any age group, from young babies to children attending school. Our trustworthy and reliable after-school nannies make the perfect addition to any family who are looking for help in the afternoon. An After-school nanny will become an integral part of your family’s and children’s lives, and Little Ones can help you find the perfect person to fill this role.
Little Ones childcare agency receives thousands of applications a month; from these, we only select the very best with whom to schedule a face-to-face interview.
These interviews include an in-depth discussion of the candidate’s personal experience and work history. Our expert consultants will also take verbal references from the candidate’s previous clients as well as identity and work visa checks following a rigorous process. We also require all our after-school nanny and childcare candidates to undertake a Paediatric First Aid qualification. We offer this course at a very affordable price to make sure that the nannies from Little Ones agency are able to fund a course. Furthermore, all Little Ones Live-in Nannies will have a DBS check or police check
View After-school Nanny candidates.To discuss your specific requirements, or to apply for an After-school nanny position, please contact Little Ones Nanny services on 0207 183 0309 or register online.
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