City Programs to Help Students Learn and Stay Engaged

Kids and teens are now busy into the school year with homework, assignments, tests and more homework. For those looking to add some extracurricular activities into their everyday school routine, the City of Mississauga offers plenty of stimulating programs – from learning new skills, developing existing skills, volunteering or meeting new friends.

Here are some fun, engaging and educational activities for students of all ages:

Learn and Create at the Library:

Book Clubs
Students of all ages can join in a variety of book clubs at their nearest library location. Get together with tweens and teens to talk about and share the books they have been reading. Join the tween and teen book clubs, but also check out the Social Justice Book Club and the Teen Graphic Fiction Book Club.

Tween Scene
A great way for tweens (ages 9-12) to make new friends with a wide variety of activities and games where they can discover, create, learn and be inspired.

Arts and Crafts for Teens and Tweens
There are a variety of art activities where students (ages 9-19) can showcase their artistic talent or learn new art skills. Participate in a Microsoft Paint Challenge, create something to take home or learn the basics of painting.

The Burnhamthorpe, Courtneypark and Meadowvale libraries each have a dedicated Makerspace area where anyone can explore new technology and develop new skills from 3D printing, coding, digital editing and more.

Click here to learn more about the above programs and all other programs in November and December, including locations and times.

Learn and Play at a Community Centre:

Community centres are more than just sports and athletic programs. There are many creative and learning programs designed for all age groups such as art, drama, music, dance and more. Programs are available for registration or drop-in at various community centres in Mississauga.

Robotics Programs for Aspiring Engineers
In partnership with Kids Love Tech and the City of Mississauga, kids can learn all about building structures and machines. The programs reinforce STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) concepts.

Spelling Bees
Make spelling a fun exercise with games while learning a new vocabulary and meeting new friends. Take part in a spelling bee challenge at the end of the program.

Public Speaking
Class presentations can be nerve-wracking for some. Stand Up and Speak for Kids/Youth are introductory public speaking workshops to help students become more comfortable in front of their class.

For a list of other educational and creative programs, including Mad Science and preschool learning programs, visit activemississauga.ca.

Network and Earn Volunteer Hours:

Volunteering is a great way to build work experience and meet new people. For high school students who will be graduating, earning those volunteer hours is important.

The New Youth Council welcomes all youth between the ages of 15-21 to participate in weekly creative workshops. Held every Wednesday at the Small Arms Inspection Building until the end of November, participants will work on creative projects, meet artists and go on off-site trips – all while developing leadership skills and earning volunteer hours.

There are also other volunteer opportunities for students in different areas of the City including Animal Services, the Library, Recreation, Parks, Forestry and Environment, MiWay and more. Visit mississauga.ca/volunteer for more details.

Taking transit? Students can plan their trip with MiWay using the Trip Planner.

Tags

• Libraries
• Recreation and Sports
• Students, Children & Youth