Your main role as a teaching assistant is to support the teacher with everything from lesson planning to pupil development. But it doens’t hurt to have a few extra strings to your bow! Passions and interests you have outside the classroom can be brought to life within school as extra curricular activities with great results. 

Extra-curricular activities help students to learn about themselves and develop and use their skills and knowledge in different contexts. There are a range of different extra-cirricular activities that children can do from sports to cooking, drama to gardening. So, if you consider yourself the next Alan Titchmarsh, Andy Murray or Dam Judie Dench, this is your time to shine! 

Offering to run an extra-cirricular activity, even if only once a week, can really help you stand out in school (for all the right reasons!). Below we’ve shared some ideas of extra-cirricular activities that you could run and how they’ll benefit the students. 

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Cooking  

Cooking is a really useful skill to have and it’s fun. Plus the possibilities are endless as there are so many things to try out! Cookery provides a great way for children to explore their senses - touch, taste, smell, see, hear - which is particularly important for Key Stage 1 and EYSF pupils. 

Parents may also rejoice at their child learning to cook as it can help to their child’s palette which is sure to make mealtimes a little easier at home making you their new favouite teaching assistant. Learning to cook can also help children to make healthier food choices an important lesson for later in life. 

Gardening 

Gardening is a very simple project and a great way to get the kids outside entertained and away from their iPads, laptops and gaming consoles. Gardening is suitable for children of any age and can provide a really great opportunity for you as a teaching assistant to bond with the pupils yo you are working with. 

There are lots of life lessons that children can learn from gardening which is what makes it such a great extra-cirricular. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a summer only activity though, there are still gardening activities that you can do during the winter like cress growing. 

Art 

Art is a pretty popular subject among students and one that that benefits their cognitive and physical skills. Again, when it comes to art, there is no limit to the things that you can do. Ultimately, it’s a chance for students to get messy and have some fun. 

By running art as extra-cirricular, you provide an outlet for creativity and self-expression. In addition, you also give students the opportunity to develop their organisational and observational skills. Plus, it’s one of the few extra cirriculars where students get to take something home with them. This could be a painting, seasonal card or even a clay pig (we can’t be the only ones who made one of these right?).

Sports

Tennis, basketball, football, rugby, netball; there are so many different sports that you could offer depending on your skillset and interests. Team sports in particular are about so much more than just the physical benefits. They teach students vital communication, decision-making skills as well as the ability to work alongside others as a part of a team. We’ve seen this first hand through our Smile Soccer Stars football tournaments with the Albion Foundation.

Offering to run sports related extra curricular activity is great for those who are looking to become sports coaches as it shows the school your skillset beyond the classroom. We’re confident you’ll have no objections against it with a report from the Social Mobility Commission revealing that sport is by far the most popular extra-curricular activity with nearly 50% of youth taking part.

Drama

Are you a teaching assistant with a flair for the dramatics? How about running an after school drama workshop? Drama teaches students a range of skills that will be useful both in the classroom and later on in life. Students can learn about everything from respect to being flexible through creative learning in the arts.

You could even take things one step further by offering to organise a school play or assembly which is sure to earn you some brownie points with the school’s senior leadership team. You can find inspiration for primary school musicals here and secondary school plays here.

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With restrictions now coming to an end, there is no better time than the present to set up an extra-cirricular activity in your school. If you have had success in the past doing this or your a teaching assistant who is currently doing this, then get in touch. We would love to hear from you.

Remember, if you are looking for a change, we help. We work with schools across the West Midlands and can help you to secure a teaching assistant role in a school that you’ll love. Send your CV our way now to get your registration process started.