Use of Out-of-School Time
How children spend their out-of-school time can have a considerable impact on their development. Providing children with access to quality programming, safe spaces, and supportive adults during the after-school hours presents opportunities to support and improve children’s well-being, including their social and emotional competence, feelings of connectedness to their school and community, academic success, and positive behaviours Durlak et al., 2010; Durlak & Weissberg, 2007.
Children’s involvement in activities outside of school hours exposes them to important social and learning environments. A healthy balance of structured out-of-school programs, social opportunities, physical activity, play, and rest are all important experiences that promote children’s thriving and resilience Immordino-Yang et al., 2019; Linver et al., 2009. Out-of-school activities such as art and music classes, sports teams, and community groups provide distinct and important experiences that can help children to build relationship skills and gain competencies.
The MDI's Measures of Out-of-School Time
Organized Activities
Participating in activities outside of school hours can provide children with important benefits and enrichment opportunities. Children who participate in a variety of out-of-school programs (sports and other activities such as art and music) have more positive developmental outcomes than those children who do not participate in any activities or only participate in sports
Linver et al., 2009. Out-of-school programs also offer opportunities to form positive relationships with caring adults which can boost children’s social and emotional skills and well-being
Hurd & Deutsch, 2017.
Challenging and enjoyable out-of-school programs can improve children’s ability to reason and problem solve, exercise choice and discipline, and be creative and flexible, all of which are strong predictors of academic, career, and life success Diamond & Ling, 2016. Taking part in organized out-of-school programs in the middle years is also linked to higher scores on academic assessments, greater social confidence, and less risk-taking and impulsivity into the teen years
Vandell et al., 2020.
The Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI) asks children how often they spend time doing organized activities in a normal week outside of school hours.
How Children Spend Their Time (unstructured activities)
Children in the middle years also need time to relax and play and should have some choice in how they spend their free time. Out-of-school time should include a variety of activities both structured and unstructured. For example, quiet reflection time is just as essential to brain health and social-emotional development as are active and focused activities
Immordino-Yang et al., 2019. The MDI asks children how they spend their time outside of school hours, in a normal week.
After-School Places
The MDI asks children about where they spend their time after-school.
For more detailed information on the measures included in the Use of Out-of-School Time dimension of the MDI including a full list of questions that contribute to each measure, how each measure is scored, and how the results are visualized, please consult the MDI Companion Guide.
