Best after school activities.

[Wait2see2]

My DD is almost 5 and I would like her to join an after school/ weekend club or two and I just wonder if anyone has any ideas of clubs I could search for? The ones I have thought of so far are:
Martial Arts
Brownies/Squirels
Football
RugbyTots
Dance
Drama/ Theatre
Gymnastics

Is there any that I am missing? I would like her to be in a group so nothing solitary like music lessons. I know all areas have different activities but I'm just drawing a blank with Google searches so any ideas would be very welcome.

My Dnephew started trampolining and tennis from age 5.

DS(7) was only really doing swimming lessons at almost 5; he had tried martial arts for a few months age 4 but he didn’t have the attention span for it. He re-started at 6 which was a much better age.

He now does this plus Beavers and is about to move to Cubs (there are girls in his group, great for those who like adventure and doing active things), Street Dance, and guitar. I’d like him to do a trial of basketball and cricket to see what he thinks. He’s not fussed on football.

Thank you for replying. I am worried about attention span too we tried a toddler football class at just turned 3 and it was a disaster 😑 but will have to see. I will look into tennis hadn't thought of that one.

Swimming.

Dc are 6 and 7. They do beavers and swimming, which I feel are non negotiable. They need to learn to swim properly, and beavers etc is great for learning new skills and independence

They also do a sports club and dance class at school, (straight after) . DC 2 would like to do football and martial arts of some sort but time is limited.

Beavers/Cubs/Scouts/Explorers has been amazing for my DC (ds and dd).Squirrels didn't exist then, but I'd have started them then if it had. There has always been a good mix of boys and girls.

Ih she is sporty and has a bike, why not see if there is a Go Ride cycling club near you? IME these are PAYG, so no commitment if it's not for you.

Cricket season starts after Easter. The entry level cricket initiative run by the English Cricket Board is called "All Stars".. it runs in 8 week blocks via local cricket clubs. Also was a big hit for my dc, who both now play for their age group teams for our local club. All Stars cricket

Try your local Leisure Centre. They may well offer coaching in a number of different sports / activities.
DC just enjoy after school club on the days they go as they do a wide range of activities.
We have kept weekends free of scheduled activities so far to just have lazy PJ mornings and family chill time.

My grandson has been going to Taekwondo since he was three. He's four now. He loves it and they are very good at managing the herd of cats that small children become when in groups.

Don’t worry about attention span for sports - they have developed a lot since 3 and are also in school so find it much easier to follow the class.

Our local scout unit doesn’t have rainbows or squirrels - they start at beavers and brownies. Have a look at what is local and convenient for you and start with that. All sports have lots of positives, it’s a case of finding what works for you

Mine was doing
Rainbows
Swimming

Now DD is older it's
Brownies
Gymnastics
Ice Skating

Thanks so much for these suggestions I will look into these. Does anyone know the difference between squirrels and rainbows? Do they do pretty much the same thing?

For what it’s worth, I can’t speak highly enough of RugbyTots. DS absolutely loves it.

Swimming is a must as it’s a life skill.
My DD now 8 has done a drama/singing/theatre school type thing on Saturday afternoons since she was 5, it’s been great for confidence and resilience.

Mine have done all sorts. Both absolutely love kung fu. Ds started when he was 5 and he's just about to do his grading for blue belt. DD enjoys it too, she's an orange belt. Both have enjoyed scouting. DD did rainbows and Brownies but it was a bit crap (the units vary wildly in what they offer) so she moved to scouts and hasn't looked back, it's very outdoorsy and active. DS is about to move up to cubs from beavers and he's really enjoyed it too, he's looking forward to doing camps and more independent stuff.

Depends on your DD!

DD1 likes ballet

DD2 Brownies and gymnastics

Both do drama and swimming

As PP have said it also depends on the particular teachers/leaders. DDs hated one drama club due to the very strict head teacher and “you must all be professional level” vibe. But love their new much more friendly drama club. The staff will make or break their experience.

See if they offer a trial session before signing up for a term. Most will, either paid for or free.

I'd hold off until they insist. It gets expensive and they get tired. I also really value family time.
These days they do swimming, ballet, football and piano (between them). All brilliant. Ballet is a surprise, I thought they'd be more into gymnastics, but it's great as it is non competitive.
Ballet and swimming are only £5 a lesson, football is less. Piano is £££.

Does anyone know the difference between squirrels and rainbows? Do they do pretty much the same thing?

In theory, they should be fairly similar, with the obvious exception that rainbows is girl-only, but squirrels is mixed. In my experience though, when my DD was in Rainbows, they mostly did colouring, craft and pamper parties. She liked it well enough, but when there wasn't room at Brownies for her, we moved her to Cubs (where I'm a leader) and she absolutely loved it. We did a far greater range of activities than her friends who were in Brownies.
However, this will of course depend on the leaders of each group, so it will vary.

It's worth checking if they are running Squirrels in your area yet, not all groups are as yet. If not, get your DS's name on the waiting list for Beavers, many are over subscribed.

At that age swimming, gymnastics and a drama type activity are best. One life skill, one for strengthening bones/ foundation for most sports and one for social skills. Scout type things tend to be good for social skills but we found the religion/patriotism part creepy and opted for a musical theatre type thing which was really good for speech development and confidence.

Also to add, I wouldn't do more than 3 days of activities. Having a couple of days at home after school is so nice. They get very tired. If possible, Saturday morning swimming is best, alternatively Monday after school. Any later in the week they are exhausted.

It so depends on your DD.

DD wasn't keen on Brownies, too girly, too arts & crafty, not enough outdoors. She moved to Scouts and has a great time.

She hated ballet but loved Musical theatre and drama.

Swimming is a life skill and not negotiable.

Her Tae Kwon Do group takes them from 4, no idea how it works with smaller children.

This is not a general thing about the Scouts. Our group is not religious at all and while they invite everyone to the Rememberance Parade they do not make it mandatory and don't judge if some don't come.

Lots meet in church halls because it's cheap.

Yes, DD wears a badge with the Jubilee logo and that will be replaced with a coronation one but there is nothing else. If they are abroad they get a UK flag badge.

It really depends on the way the leaders run it. Ours has a chairman who is a atheist and doesn't hide it.

I'd always push for drama- but I'd avoid the big franchises like Stagecoach which tend to be a bit "teeth,tits and tush" ( metaphorically speaking). If you have a theatre anywhere near, see if they have a youth group.

@reluctantbrit oh I know it's very dependent, our local one had the national anthem at them end of each session alongside with the scout promise. It was just weird for us but I appreciate its difficult for them to be inclusive without sacrificing what they actually are.

Horse riding.

@CurlewKate I agree with this. Local groups are brilliant. Most councils have something too and it's a lot more affordable than those big names.

Well what does she like? What does she want to do?

It depends massively on the group, so choose with care. Stereotypically scouts tend to do more outdoor type activities while (also stereotypically) guides do more indoor crafty activities. A good group in either organisation should offer a selection of both.

You also need to look at the wider set-up beyond an individual group. If you want (e.g.) your DC to ultimately go camping and get involved in outdoor pursuits, it helps if your DC joins a group that has that wider support already in place. If they join a group that never goes camping, they are unlikely to suddenly start doing so. If they join a group that camps once a term, they probably will get lots of opportunities.

On the actual reality side, most people just go to their local group, or where their DC's friends are going. But you should definitely bear in mind that every group will be very different.