Building Character with Afterschool Activities

Discover engaging afterschool activities that focus on building character in kids by fostering empathy, resilience, and teamwork in a fun and interactive way.

By encouraging my daughter to learn new things and to learn how to perform in front of others, she’s building character by gaining self-confidence and developing new skills. It’s pretty neat to step back and consider all the Benefits of Afterschool Activities, including building character traits.

Here are some simple, engaging afterschool activities that help kids build strong character traits like empathy, resilience, and teamwork while having fun.

Explore 100+ Afterschool Activities at Home!

Building Character with Afterschool Activities

Building character through afterschool activities is such a great way to help kids develop skills like responsibility, teamwork, and perseverance!

Here are some ideas that can be relatively quick and straightforward to implement, even if you’re on a busy schedule:

Book Club or Story Sharing

• Ideas: Have them pick a book that resonates with them and discuss it in a weekly group, or read aloud at local libraries.
• Character Building: Reading encourages empathy, perspective-taking, and broadens their understanding of different lives and experiences.

Here are some more ideas for our Virtual Book Club for Kids.

Cooking or Baking Together

• Activity: Choose simple recipes to make each week and, if possible, have kids bake treats to share with neighbors or friends.
• Character Building: Cooking teaches patience, following instructions, and responsibility. Sharing their creations can boost confidence and kindness.

Here are 100+ Recipes for Cooking with Kids to explore.

Music or Dance Club

• Ideas: Encourage kids to join or create a small band, take dance classes, or start a weekly jam session.
• Character Building: Performing arts build confidence, patience, and creativity. Team dance or band settings emphasize coordination and listening to others.

Dance

My daughter has been enrolled in a dance program for a few years now and her teacher is now graduating from college and the program is ending. It was a hard for her to understand that she will no longer see her sweet teacher. I can’t believe how much the girls have grown up over the years in the class. It first started out as a class for them to be in and learn how to listen to another adult besides Mom and Dad. Now they are trying all sorts of dance moves and becoming very good.

This program is an ideal situation, the teacher was able to use her Mother’s Preschool to teach dance lessons and she keep the cost very budget friendly. A veteran dancer herself for many many years she simply taught the basics and then invited the parents to watch every 7 weeks for a Parent Performance. She chose adorable songs that the girls learned to dance to. Of course it was also nice that my daughter’s friends were there with us too. I’m so very proud of all of the girls.

Budget Friendly Idea:

Do you have a local college in town? See if there are any dance students looking to make a few extra dollars by setting up a little dance class for your playgroup.

Creative Art and Science Projects

• Ideas: Art clubs, simple science experiments, or DIY building challenges can be done with items from home.
• Character Building: Art fosters self-expression, patience, and imagination. Science and building projects encourage curiosity, problem-solving, and perseverance.

Explore these STEM Camp Ideas for at Home.

Journaling or Gratitude Practice

• Activity: A few times a week, have them write down things they’re thankful for, a goal they’re working toward, or something kind they did.
• Character Building: Journaling helps with self-reflection, goal setting, and gratitude, encouraging positive mental habits and empathy.

Start now with our Gratitude Journal and Prompts for Kids.

Team Sports

• Options: Soccer, volleyball, basketball, or even less traditional options like martial arts or archery.
• Character Building: Sports teach resilience, patience, and teamwork. They also foster discipline and healthy competition.

Soccer

I’ve had so much fun coaching my daughter’s friends soccer the past 3 months. We took our hands out of the kitchen, from Little Hands that Cook with Books, and got our feet moving with soccer. It was so much fun to see how they were willing to try new things each week. I loved how their little cheeks got rosy and they were running and playing and having a good time. We had a little game the end of each practice that they learned from week after week.

This final week we had a “real game” with child sized goals and I have to say I was so impressed with how well they understand the game now; simple things like seeing boundaries, trying to say inside the lines, learning that you have to protect your goal and spread out away from your teammates so that they can kick the ball to you.

This system worked out really well, it was just a group of friends who agreed that they wanted their children to learn soccer. Each parent contributed in their own way; one mom made shirts, some brought snacks, and others organized the celebration. I can’t wait until next season of soccer fun.

Budget Friendly Idea:

See if any of your friends were formar soccer player and see if they’d be interested in running a little soccer practice and team for your playgroup. Offer to babysit their child’s younger siblings while they teach yours.

Volunteer Projects

• Ideas: Organize a monthly park cleanup, visit a local senior center or animal shelter, or start a community garden.
• Character Building: Kids learn empathy, responsibility, and the importance of contributing to the community.

Homework Helpers Group

• Activity: Have them help younger students with their homework or form a study group where they support each other.
• Character Building: Tutoring builds leadership, patience, and reinforces the importance of helping others.

Essential Character Traits for Young Children to Develop

Here’s a list of foundational character traits that are beneficial for kids to develop in early childhood:

• Empathy – Understanding and caring about others’ feelings.
• Kindness – Showing compassion and being helpful to others.
• Patience – Learning to wait calmly and handle delays without frustration.
• Honesty – Being truthful and trustworthy.
• Respect – Treating others, oneself, and the environment with consideration.
• Responsibility – Taking care of tasks and owning up to actions.
• Curiosity – Having a desire to learn and explore.
• Perseverance – Staying committed to tasks, even when they are challenging.
• Self-Control – Managing impulses and emotions in social situations.
• Gratitude – Appreciating what one has and recognizing the value of others’ efforts.
• Cooperation – Working well with others and contributing to group efforts.
• Confidence – Believing in oneself and one’s abilities.
• Creativity – Thinking imaginatively and finding unique solutions.
• Courage – Facing fears and trying new things.
• Generosity – Willingness to share and give to others.

These traits form a strong foundation for children’s personal growth and positive relationships as they continue to develop.

Even an hour or two a week dedicated to these activities can lead to steady growth in character for kids.

You may also enjoy these after school activities for your child…