This article is part of the following topics:   After-School Activities Get Involved at School High School Middle School Schedule & Extracurricular Activities

Start an After-School Club to Meet Your Teen’s Interests

She wants to play ice hockey, but there’s no girl’s team.

Schools work hard to offer activities for a variety of interests. They know that teens who are involved in outside activities have better attendance and better grades.

But schools may not offer the activity your teen wants. Follow these steps with your teen to get the activity she wants:

• Find an adult sponsor. In most schools, this must be a teacher.
• Write a proposal. Include:
  1. Name of the club.
  2. Students who want to be members.
  3. What the club will do.
  4. When and where the club will meet.
  5. How much money the club will need to operate.
  6. Where the money will come from (dues or a fund raiser).
• Before presenting the proposal, make sure your teen types it neatly and proofreads it carefully. A business-like proposal will say a lot about how serious this idea is.
• Present the proposal to the principal. Try to answer the principal’s questions. He or she may have some suggestions on how to improve it.
• Advertise the activity. Get students excited about it. Then, help your teen plan a great first meeting to make it successful.

Creating a new activity teaches many valuable skills. Skills your teen can emphasize on job interviews or in college essays.

Need some advice?

ErinTM asks…
Q: Gifted in reading but not in math - What if my kid is ahead in reading (like can read chapter books in kindergarten), but is right on target with math. How can I get the classroom teacher to challenge her in reading?

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