Report on Activities, Play, and Development for School-Aged Children

This report examines the significance of school-aged childcare, emphasizing the development of emotional, physical, and mental abilities in children aged 6 to 12. It highlights the importance of high-quality, accessible childcare services, particularly in the context of Ireland's historical trends. The report details a comprehensive range of activities, including eco-clubs, construction play, and various clubs, designed to foster motor skills and personality development. It underscores the crucial role of play in promoting creativity, dexterity, and cognitive strength, while also addressing the need for homework assistance and healthy home environments. The report emphasizes the importance of a quality physical environment and the planning guidelines for childcare facilities, ensuring health and safety for children.

Range of activities with focus on play for the school
aged children

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
School aged childcare is referred to as the development which is useful in the development
of the emotional, physical and mental abilities among the children who are between 6 to 12 years
of age. Building of the sustainable, high quality, affordable and accessible childcare services
within the Ireland is of utmost importance. Within Ireland the pre-school did not tend to exist
between 1980 to 1990. The childcare earlier was usually provided by the family members
(ACTION PLAN ON SCHOOL AGE CHILDCARE, 2020). The quality in school aged
childcare is significant in meeting and complying with the needs of schools, children and parents.
It is of key relevant importance to comply with the good hygiene, health and safety in order to be
highly responsive care to the child.
The National quality framework for the early childhood education, 2006 is useful for
regulating and also helps in the quality assessment related with the care services and education.
United nation convention on the rights of the child is useful in setting out the right of the
child to participation and helps in expressing the viewpoints freely.
The Early Childcare and Education scheme in turn has been significantly provided to the
early childhood care and it leads to imparting of the education the children who belong to the
pre-school age.
The Childcare act 1991 which mainly seeks at effectively promoting the welfare of the
children who in turn does not receive protection and adequate level of care. This legislation is
useful in promotion of the significant welfare of the child.
MAIN BODY
Comprehensive range of activities
The School age childcare model in Ireland mainly comprises of the range of organised set
of appropriate degree of structured programmes, activities and clubs for the specific school aged
children which tends to take place within the specific supervised environment. This model
mainly comprise of the accessibility, child and family centred care, affordability and quality
standards (Gavin, and et.al., 2015). The children rights based approach with the guiding
principles has been complied with effectively. The programme for partnership government, 2016
mainly contains specific set of recommendations and commitments associated with the school
age childcare. The government mainly focuses on developing key set of commitment associated
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with the introduction of new set of systems which helps in expanding and supporting quality
after the school aged children after school.
School aged childcare is useful in promoting the learning and development and also focus
on providing the collaborative work relationship between the community, voluntary, private
sectors and statutory (Forde and Hussey, 2015). It is considered to be highly crucial in providing
nutrition, safety, health and hygiene for the well-being of the child.
There are range of activities which must be included for the school aged children which
mainly includes Eco- club, story box club, litter picking club, construction club, making Roald
Dahl Dream Jar, gardening club, cooking club, photography activities, science club, board games
club, craft club, school newsletter, drama club, animation activities, loom band club, colouring
club, programming skill activities, sports and pet club, spelling and letter writing activities,
classroom decorating club, business club activities, sign language club, den building club,
reading activities, music club, deb building club, forest school activities, stone painting activities
using acrylic paints and markers, etc. are the key activities which helps in building the key motor
skills and is also highly significant in the development of the individual personality (Keane and
et.al., 2017).
Construction based play is useful because it ranges from the building of the blocks with
effectively shaping the system in order to make cardboard box cities, houses, forts and various
other construction projects. Such plays are directly highly compatible associated with the
science, maths and art curriculum and helps in building skills and knowledge among children.
The children spend wide set of hours within the school aged programs which is very crucial to
effectively develop a positive and appropriate high quality environment which is useful in
supporting the development of the each child associated with the cognitive, physical, emotional,
social and physical domains (Elgar and et.al., 2015). The school must focus on providing healthy
home environment to the children. The quality physical environment for the children helps
school aged childcare in order to effectively contribute widely to the quality of experiences. The
school must have high quality infrastructure and resources to carry out range of indoor and
outdoor range of activities.
Complying with the rules, carrying out development activities for all the age group and
diagnosing the learning problems helps in promoting the positive behaviour within school age
childcare.
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Strong emphasis on the importance of play
The play is one of the key integral importance which helps in allowing the children to be
creative at the time of developing the dexterity, emotional, physical, cognitive and imagination
strength (Healy and et.al., 2017). Play is vital for the school aged children because it is important
for the development of the healthy brain.
Homework always does not tend to significantly occur at the home where the perceived
demand for the high degree of after school homework assistance after the school programs
(Bolger and et.al., 2018). This is useful in providing wide set of homework assistance. There are
various range of outdoor activities like water balloon, hula hoop, sensory hunt, mud pies,
obstacle activities, etc. which helps in improving and developing various domains among the
child.
The planning authorities must focus on the setting effective guidelines associated with the
childcare facilities (Keane and et.al., 2017). The key elements comprise of public transport,
educational establishments, and place of employment, centres and residential area. It is of key
relevant importance to ensure health and safety for the school aged children in order to prevent
any sort of injuries or illness.
CONCLUSION
From the conducted study it has been summarized that, early childhood is considered to be
one of the key integral stage which is valid and itself vital. After school services and the quality
early childhood is significant in promoting the wellbeing and health of the children.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bolger, L.E and et.al., 2018. Age and sex differences in fundamental movement skills among a
cohort of Irish school children. Journal of motor learning and development, 6(1), pp.81-100.
Elgar, F.J and et.al., 2015. Socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent health 2002–2010: a time-
series analysis of 34 countries participating in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children
study. The Lancet, 385(9982), pp.2088-2095.
Forde, C. and Hussey, J., 2015. How children use active videogames and the association between
screen time and physical activity. Games for health Journal, 4(4), pp.312-317.
Gavin, A., and et.al., 2015. The Irish health behaviour in school-aged children (HBSC) study
2014.
Healy, S and et.al., 2017. Physical activity, screen-time behavior, and obesity among 13-year
olds in Ireland with and without autism spectrum disorder. Journal of autism and developmental
disorders, 47(1), pp.49-57.
Keane, E and et.al., 2017. Physical activity, screen time and the risk of subjective health
complaints in school-aged children. Preventive medicine, 96, pp.21-27.
Online
ACTION PLAN ON SCHOOL AGE CHILDCARE. 2020. [ONLINE]. Available through<
https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/sites/planipolis/files/ressources/action-plan-on-school-
age-childcare.pdf>
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