L - Leisure – Children's leisure clubs (A to Z Tips)

"All work and no play make Jack a dull boy", so the old saying goes, and during these extraordinary times, the value of friendships and the opportunity to socialise should not be underestimated.

As the world reacts to the global pandemic, we have all had to adjust and adapt. The exceptional efforts school teams have made to deliver remote learning and home teaching opportunities should not be underestimated. In just a few days, significant changes were made to teaching methods and in just a few short weeks, schools have reinvented their educational offering. However, as leisure is defined as a “non-obligatory activity that is intrinsically motivated and engaged in during discretionary time”, the focus on after school activities and extracurricular pursuits has, in many cases, understandably, fallen by the wayside.

When considering a school’s pastoral care responsibilities, safeguarding duties and wellbeing obligations, it could be argued that extracurricular activities are equal in terms of value, to the efforts being made to sustain the academic performance of pupils. It is widely reported that extracurricular activities benefit children in a host of ways: improved academic performance, higher self-esteem, creating social opportunities, to name but a few. But, as with lesson planning, the approach to extracurriculars has shifted and schools are now having to consider alternative ways to make a difference and boost their extracurricular profile, whilst maintaining an all-important school community feel. Now is the time to be creative, think out of the box and demonstrate how adaptable your school is to our new and unpredictable circumstances.

Some schools have successfully maintained ‘after school’ or ‘post lesson’ activities.

List your normal schedule of after-schools clubs and activities. Which of those previously available could be replaced with online versions?

Could your chess club continue virtually? Can an art club be led in a Zoom meeting? Could a gardening activity post suggestions and photos of children’s efforts at home? Could DT competitions be set up and the results and photos published? Could home science clubs be set up, with materials specified beforehand and then happen using Skype? Can orchestra continue virtually? Could recipes for cookery classes be posted with the results being posted online?

Could you host an activity-based quiz to help engage pupils, or set challenges to undertake projects, for example, a debating club to ponder some of the unresolved issues the school is set to face.

Consider, of those that cannot be replicated, could the activity be replaced by game versions? For example, sports competitions?

The opportunity to gather friends and classmates together, to harness their passions outside of their studies and to give them the opportunity to engage and socialise out side their virtual classrooms, will do much to maintain the camaraderie that will see us through our current crisis and equip our pupils with a much needed outlet. The mental health needs of our children will be helped by extending our efforts in this way.