Has your child shown an interest in joining a club? These activities come with loads of benefits, from learning something new to developing confident social skills. If you need help narrowing down your choices, read our blog. Here are five local clubs your family can join in Lone Tree, Colorado.

Mile High Rowing Club

Photo of Men on Watercraft by Patrick Case is licensed with Pexels License

Mile High Rowing Club offers kids 13 and up the chance to join an outstanding rowing program. Coaches Grace Malacrida and Kati O’Hara founded the group in 2009. With the help of parent volunteers, this non-profit has grown into Colorado’s leading rowing club for kids. There are fun activities all year and fall, winter, and spring competitions. In addition, your child can attend intensive winter training programs and summer camps where new participants can improve their skills and techniques. Some members even qualify for the U.S. Rowing Youth Nationals each year.

Cherry Creek State Park is also a wonderful place to burn off energy. The whole family can go swimming, fishing, boating, jet skiing, or sailboarding. There’s plenty to do off the water, including camping, biking, and birding. The reservoir is also a flagship location for various youth programs through the Community Sailing Program of Colorado.  Consider this sports club if sailing is a better fit for your family than rowing.

Arapahoe Library Clubs

Everyone in the family can join one of many Arapahoe County library clubs. While meetings vary by branch, there are all-ages book clubs for a variety of interests, from non-fiction to mystery. If you have a child between the ages of 5 and 8, consider enrolling them in Book Buddies. They’ll play games, create art, and discover new reads. Club members meet every Thursday afternoon at the Castlewood branch or on Tuesdays at Smokey Hill. There’s also an online chess club and a classic board and card game club at most locations. Check online for a complete listing.

Arapahoe County’s library system serves 250,000 residents through its eight branches. Residents of Centennial are free to visit any location, and with a library card, you can borrow items to bring home. While its shelves are lined with books of all genres, you can also check out movies, e-books, and games. This is also the spot to take advantage of the latest technology. You’ll find computers, printers, copiers for homework or online shopping, a 3-D printer, and a well-equipped Makerspace. It’s just the place to create something amazing.

4-H Clubs

The local 4-H provides children opportunities to learn new things that schools may not expose them to, such as agriculture. That’s why we recommend joining 4-H. It’s the country’s largest youth development organization, with nearly six million club members. It’s also been around for 120 years, so you know its programs are successful. This inclusive community offers kids and teens programs that enable them to complete hands-on projects in other areas beyond the CLOVER farming club, such as civic engagement, science, and healthy living.

No matter which of the four programs your family chooses, your kids will learn skills that empower them for life. The healthy living club teaches kids to care for their bodies — and minds — while providing teens with leadership opportunities. Tech Changemakers is a community-centered program that enables members to teach digital skills to locals. The 4-H’s innovative STEM and agriculture programs help kids succeed at school and beyond with a broad focus on topics such as computer science, robotics, financial literacy, and environmental and veterinary sciences.

Arapahoe County’s 4-H office is located right in Centennial. Its mission is to provide a place for every young resident to unlock their full potential. Your family will discover seemingly endless opportunities for children to confidently lead peers, engage in their school and community, and form lasting friendships. So, if your child is ready for a life-changing experience, consider enrolling them in 4-H.

All Buckets Club

If your child, ages 8 to 14, is interested in learning how to play basketball, this is the group for them. The county-run Trails Recreation Center hosts this coed instructional playing club. Coaches give members a chance to master the fundamentals, play games with officiating, and advance their skills through friendly competition. When you enroll your kids, they’ll meet with other club members for two hours once a week for four weeks.

If soccer is your family’s game, you’re also in luck. Kids can join the fun with Lil’ Kickers. It’s a great league for kids as young as 3. Trails Recreation Center also offers loads of other clubs and programs, including the Serve It Up Volleyball Club for players 8 and up and the Triple Threat Baseball League for younger kids, ages 5 to 10. There’s so much for your active family to do here, including volleyball clinics, baseball, and flag football summer camps, climbing and gymnastics classes, private youth skills lessons, and adult leagues.

This outstanding facility also offers an impressive aquatics facility with a leisure pool, a current channel, a pair of water slides, a 25-yard lap pool, and a hot tub. It’s also the place to bring your child’s artistic talents to light. There are programs for all ages, including cooking, crafting, dance, fine arts, photography, pottery, sculpting, and theater.

Chess Club

Chess is a fun game that incorporates humor, storytelling, and learning. According to the masters, it’s one of the best ways to foster critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication. PALS Chess Academy offers new and experienced players a chance to join one of Lone Tree’s best chess clubs. The organization provides club members with a fantastic overall experience. Sessions run seasonally year-round, and registration includes an easy online process.

The PALS Academy also offers other high-quality ways for your child to learn to play chess, including camps and tournaments. Membership meetings are usually held for an hour after school. Instructors engage and entertain the kids yet still impart valuable critical thinking and life skills with every lesson. Students learn planning skills, how to evaluate their mistakes, and ways to overcome obstacles.

Well, there you have it. Crème de la Crème’s team of early childhood educators put together this guide to some of Lone Tree’s best local clubs your family can join. Let us know if we missed your child’s favorite group. We want to share your ideas with other Colorado parents. So, drop us a line today.