November is NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month! Learn about free resources for young writers you can use afterschool.
Get Youth Writing With the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program
Ideas to Get Kids and Teens Writing
Activities that will empower youth to be creative, express themselves, and have fun through writing
Seven COVID-Friendly Ideas for Summer Fun
Ideas from Clubs for field trips or special events that are COVID-friendly for summer programming
Everything You Need to Start a Book Club With Youth
Book clubs afterschool are a great way for youth to build relationships with others and practice skills like critical thinking and reading fluency. Learn how to get started plus get picks for Hispanic & Latino Heritage Month.
How a Little Free Library Can Promote Literacy
Read how one Club is putting books in their community's hands and how you can start a Little Free Library through your afterschool program.
18 More Holidays and Events With Fun Activity Ideas
Eighteen holidays or historical events in September and October to spark fun and creative activity ideas afterschool.
21 Holidays and Events With Fun Activity Ideas for the Summer
Twenty-one holidays or historical events in June, July, and August to spark fun and creative activity ideas afterschool.
3 Ways to Celebrate Read Across America
Lesa Sexton, member of BGCA's Education team, took a break from getting Summer Brain Gain ready to write today's post. Wanna know how to travel the world for free, get intimate access to world leaders, entertainers, athletes, and visionaries, discover magical worlds full of imaginary creatures, and go on daring adventures-all from the comfort of... Continue Reading →
Four New Games to Cultivate a Love of Learning
BGCA's Lesa Sexton shared this great post with the Education Learning Community last month. Want more content like this, and to connect with other Club staff focused on Academic Success? Join the community! Are you sick and tired of playing Connect Four? Is your deck of Uno cards worn to shreds? Are all the tiles... Continue Reading →
How to Find Books for Multicultural Children’s Book Day
On the ClubX Blog, we love inclusion, diversity, reading, and celebrations. All of these come together in Multicultural Children's Book Day! To help you bring it to your youth, I'm serving bulleted list realness. First observed in 2012, the mission of Multicultural Children's Book Day is to raise awareness for Children's Literature that celebrate diversity,... Continue Reading →
Creative Ways to Use LEGO
So I knew I wanted to do a Link Roundup for today, because I have VERY CLEAR MEMORIES of trying to program plan in December when we were open all day and I was tired and my youth were tired and we were all. just. tired. And cold. And tired. And then I realized HOLD... Continue Reading →
No Passport? No Problem! It’s Summer Reading!
Our very own resident librarian and newest member of the Youth Trends team, Shannon Lake, is here to deliver the BEST tips to encourage summer reading including a free download from the BGCA's Power Hour Resource Guide! Summer is almost here and it’s time for you and your members to take a trip! No passport,... Continue Reading →
Earth Day is April 22! Four Activity Ideas Plus a FREE Download from BGCA’s Ultimate Journey
Ah, mothers. Such selfless beings! They give us life, take care of our boo-boos, dress us for school, read us bedtime stories, and make sure we eat something green every now and then. When’s the last time you thanked your mother for all she’s done for you? No, this isn’t a post about Mother’s Day.... Continue Reading →
Get Outside with Sidewalk Chalk Activities! Link Roundup
Spring has sprung! (Well, for some of us. I have cousins in Minneapolis and it is still very snowy there so I send my most genuine condolences and warmest wishes to everyone still fighting Jack Frost. Love, Very Southern Sarah) After all the cold and rain we've experienced, I bet a lot of you and... Continue Reading →
16 Books and Movies Featuring Women in STEM – With Discussion Questions!
We are celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on the ClubX Blog! Be sure to read Part 1 of this series for information on the BGCA STEM Challenge. Get those prizes! STEM can be intimidating for adults, let alone young girls. But when it’s presented in an approachable way, it’s much... Continue Reading →
Poetry – No Rules, Just Right! Four Modern Poetry Styles to Get Your Members Writing
Today's post is from one of the newest members of the Youth Development team, Lesa Sexton! I dislike poetry vehemently adamantly Even when recited delightfully expressively dramatically It makes me feel fidgety consistently grumpily I would rather watch water drip, slowly rhythmically naturally Than subject my thoughts to such tedious verbosity yea really sincerely Source... Continue Reading →
It’s Braille Literacy Month! Tips for Making Your Club an Inclusive Space and Three Activities for Introducing Braille to Sighted Youth
Welcome to 2019! Here on the ClubX Blog we LOVE holidays and awareness weeks and months. They are an easy way to ignite ideas for activities and special events, and help to keep things fresh. Special holidays are also good opportunities to highlight wonderful differences and bring diversity into programming. January is Braille Literacy Month,... Continue Reading →
5 Tips for Encouraging Boys to Read
I recently came across this article about the fact that in just about every developed country, girls are reading more than boys. Some key points: Boys dedicate less than than girls to processing words, are more prone to skipping passages or entire sections, and frequently choose books beneath their reading levels. Girls are more likely to... Continue Reading →
October is National Fantasy Month! Ideas For All Month Long
At my Club and in my former life as a classroom teacher, I was always looking for fun themes to help spark my creative flow. Once I had a theme in mind, I worked to adapt games or activities we were already going to do, or had done before, to the theme to keep things... Continue Reading →
Club Story: Read All About It! Achieving Great Outcomes Through Newspaper Club
Today's Club Story comes from Tiffanie Panagakos at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine. When I found out she ran a Newspaper Club, I HAD to learn more. Turns out she is doing all kinds of amazing things in Maine, so this won't be the last time you hear from her! First, can you... Continue Reading →
Link Roundup! Pool Noodle Activities for Every Club Area
One of the greatest strengths of Boys & Girls Club staff is our creativity with unconventional and affordable materials. I know at my Club I was always thinking about how I could do the most with the least. As we are now in the downward slope of summer, stores will begin to clear out their... Continue Reading →
