Enrichment clubs are a great way to keep students learning and engaged, but many program leaders face a number of challenges when organizing a club. How do you incorporate clubs that are inclusive and can hold students’ attention? How can you provide the necessary space and staff to accommodate your students? How can you organize your club without interrupting other program operations?

Enrichment clubs are a great way to keep students learning and engaged, but many program leaders face a number of challenges when organizing a club. How do you incorporate clubs that are inclusive and can hold students’ attention? How can you provide the necessary space and staff to accommodate your students? How can you organize your club without interrupting other program operations?

Summer Program Tips, Strategies & Activities for School-Agers 5-14 Years-Old by Rich Scofield provides the answers to these questions and more. And whether you’re planning for your after school program or summer learning program, these tips can help you organize an enrichment club without a hitch.

According to the book, the first step in organizing a club is to determine space and staffing. There are several options that may work best for your program. In a facility that’s exclusively for child care, the best option may be to designate a separate room for the club and assign staff to the group. However, if you use a shared small space, consider these alternatives:

• Partition off a part of the room for the use of the club. You can simply use a coat rack and hang a shower curtain over it. If you are housed in a cafeteria, use the tables as dividers. Within these spaces, keep supplies that are to be used specifically for the club.
• Designate 2-3 days a week to be “club day.” Assign one staff member to supervise and set up the club in the designated room or space. This situation is ideal for programs with limited space and staff, enabling the program to provide a club on a part-time basis.
• Design activities that can be done on “club days” that support the enrichment theme. Choose a variety of activities that appeal to students’ different learning styles and interests.

The next step is to organize regular meetings with a representative group of students. This will help to gauge their interest, choose a name for the club, assign students to tasks like organizing events or activities and create club rules.

To make it official, you can also provide club packets with the following information:

1. Guidelines
2. Club information sheet (sample sheet provided in Summer Program Tips, Strategies & Activities)
3. Rules, with space to fill in their own created rules
4. Club agreement or contract signed by parent and student
5. Club “rep” form
6. Club evaluation form
7. Club description and information form (to promote the club)

The ultimate goal is to make students feel ownership of their club to increase their interest and engagement.

3 Enrichment Club Ideas for Your After School Program

After you’ve determined your club space and staffing needs and assembled your student team, it’s time to choose which enrichment club - or clubs - will work best for your program and students. Below we’ve shared three different enrichment club ideas to help you get started.

Martial Arts Club

A martial arts club is a fun way to help your students increase movement and build focus. In fact, studies show that practicing martial arts helps improve children’s executive function skills by emphasizing self-control, discipline and character development. For activities, you can:

• Invite martial arts instructors from your community to teach students basic techniques in karate, Taekwondo and kung fu.
• Play karate games or do karate exercises. 
• Watch kid-friendly martial arts movies

Even more, you can create your own belt system to mark students’ progress and to emphasize the importance of goal setting. A martial arts club would be a great way for students to develop concentration skills and improve their self-esteem.

Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Club

Encourage students to explore forensic science with a crime scene investigation (CSI) club. Students can learn how to collect evidence such as fingerprints, shoe impressions and trace evidence. They may also be introduced to topics such as DNA analysis and chromatography. In a CSI club, your junior detectives will enjoy exploring investigative techniques and scientific methods through the following activities:

• Playing mystery games - like this ghost writing activity - and solving crime puzzles. Check out One-Hour Mysteries and Private Eye School: More One-Hour Mysteries for more activity ideas.
• Meeting an actual CSI expert to learn about their work and participate in real-life investigations.

A CSI club is a fun way to bring science to life in your after school program.

Meteorology Club

Help students discover the basics of weather and climate with a meteorology club. They can learn important weather concepts such as cloud types, precipitation and air pressure. During the club, students can also have an opportunity to:

• Participate in science experiments and hands-on activities, like discovering how a thunderstorm forms or exploring the water cycle (and why it rains).
• Learn about severe weather and disaster preparedness.
• Meet a meteorologist from a local news station to gain insight on topics like weather forecasting and storm safety.

Students will have fun learning about the weather and climate in their hometown and in different parts of the world.

Organizing an enrichment club your students will love requires preparation, student feedback and an engaging theme. For more information, check out Summer Program Tips, Strategies & Activities for School-Agers 5-14 Years-Old.