Moving to Toronto with kids: tips on finding the best after-school activities

If you are moving to Toronto with kids, you have found the right city! Choosing Toronto as your new home town can be exciting for both you and your children. It is considered the fourth most liveable city in the world. With over 300 sunny days a year and over 1600 beautiful parks in this city, it makes a perfect family destination! Moving to Toronto with children includes making a plan for housing, finding the best neighborhoods in Toronto for families, but also planning your child’s everyday routine once you move.
Finding after-school activities for children in Toronto can enrich your child’s lifestyle, improve the experience of the city and help him socialize and bond with his new friends. Whether you are looking for a hobby, art class or a sports activity you want your child to attend, there are few things to consider before making a decision.
When searching for the best after-school activities in Toronto, you should ask yourself following questions:

1. Is the activity you look for age appropriate for your child?
2. What type of activity is your child interested in?
3. How busy do you want your child to be (few times a week or just on weekends)?
4. Does your child prefer sports or art activities?
5. Is your goal to find an art class or outdoor sports activity? Would you choose the one that improves learning skills of your child?
6. What will be the distance from your new home to the after-school activity?
7. What is the price range of the chosen activity?

Choosing the after-school activity: what to look for?

Before moving to Toronto, talk to your child about his future home town. Try to find out how he would like to spend his free time in Toronto. If you kid is too young, consider that his wishes and beliefs could change very quickly. If your child is already involved with some sort of activity at home, think about whether he wants to continue with it or add a new one in his life once you move. Consider whether you prefer the benefits of outdoors activities such as individual and group sports, self-expressing art class or a language class. If you already prefer one more than the other, make sure you find the Canadian school hours so you can make a plan for a weekly routine.

Sports, language or art centers?

When looking for a facility for the right after-school activity, you should consider your child’s personality and social skills. Is he rather going to be a “team player” or an individual one? Depending on the answer, he would more likely attend either group sports activity, or be motivated by learning and practicing on his own. This can also be the case in attending art classes. Your child could be happy to be involved with other kids while learning music. On the other hand, private lessons could be the right choice for him.
It is a known fact that Canada is a land of hockey. If that’s the activity you choose for your child, there are many websites offering hockey training, summer camps and many other sports. On website http://www.toronto4kids.com you can look for more information about after-school programs, camps and fun family things to do in Toronto.

If your kid is already attending some music classes, or you plan to introduce him to a new instrument playing. When you move to Toronto, you can find many facilities offering music teaching programs. Website http://www.canadamusicacademy.ca offers a variety of music teachers you can hire for the in-home music teaching. You can also decide to bring your child to have lessons in the facility. You can search the web site by selecting your city, neighborhood or an instrument you want.
Maybe active afternoons are not your kid’s first choice. You can always choose an activity that is stimulating brain activity and/or offering him to get crafty. Choose between drawing, painting or clay modeling lessons. For some kids, learning is an easy process. The majority consider it not the favorite thing to do during the day. In this video you can take a closer look at the after-school reading program in Toronto inspiring kids to like the reading process:

Finding the facility

So you found the activity type you want your child to attend. Now it’s time to check the destination of the venue. Consider the distance from your neighborhood to the activity class and back. Find out all the education facts in Canada and whether some public schools in Toronto already offer some after-school programs. If that is the case, you can save some time on driving all around the town few times a week. When looking for a good time to apply for an activity program, make sure to do so before it starts. That time will probably occur around summer or winter holiday break.
Speaking of the cost of after-school sports activities, the price range is definitely something to think about in advance. As it turns out, the average cost for a child training in a hockey team goes from C$1.666 per year. That makes hockey the most expensive sport for children in Canada, topping even the equestrian. On the other hand, swimming is becoming the most popular organized sport in Canada. It costs around C$400 annually, which is the quarter of a price of training for a hockey.
If you are on the budget and don’t want to make a payment every month, Toronto is offering many fun outdoor activities for families. Whether it’s summer or winter, moving to Toronto will make your family want to explore the beautiful nature all around the city!