Your teen can round out their high school resume despite COVID-19.

Most high school students have lost the opportunity to participate in spring extra- curricular activities due to the impact of the coronavirus.

Athletic seasons have been cancelled, along with spring theatre productions, community service projects, music concerts, dance recitals, tutoring sessions, and more.

For juniors, this leaves a gaping hole on their high school activity sheet or resume and therefore their college applications. Of course most other juniors are facing the same issue.

But if your teen wants to show a college who they really are, there are ways to fill in the blank spots for this spring.

Keep in mind, organizing any activity that involves bringing together and directing other kids can count as a leadership position.

This is helpful for kids who are losing leadership roles because school has been cancelled.

Extracurricular Activities During a Pandemic

Get creative Artistic students can learn or create new works. Online sites provide lessons in both visual and performing arts, computers work as recording devices for audio and video, and social media and YouTube make it easy to upload and share new work with friends, family or the public.

Students can make virtual communities to work collectively. There are also other opportunities.

• Actors can conduct improv sessions with a group or record and upload their own lessons. A similar approach works for dancers and musicians.
• Visual artists can provide live or recorded instruction in their favorite medium for peers, younger kids, even adults.

Get moving Athletes in all sports want to stay in shape and strengthen their skills.

Your teen can use the opportunity to help teammates and even younger kids find some of the fun they’re missing out on because of the lost season.

• Work out virtually with teammates.
• Create sport-specific workouts and/or skills drills for fellow athletes.
• Develop skill or workout programs for younger kids, like the local Little League teams that had their spring season cancelled, too. Their parents will say thank you.

Get volunteering Though school-based community service projects have been cancelled, students can stay involved by reaching out on their own.

• Join a local non-profit in delivering food and/or other supplies to those in need, especially senior citizens.
• Ask the local senior center director if they need someone to set up an online bingo session or a Zoom chat for members to stay in contact with each other as a group.
• Lead an online book club for family, friends or younger kids.
• Find out if your local library needs someone to read online to children or provide homework help virtually.
• Create a virtual babysitting service, leading activities online for younger children allowing their parents time to do their own work or to just take a break.

Get tutoring With so many school districts switching to online learning, there’s an even greater need for students to help each other academically.

• If your teen was holding in-person tutoring sessions at school or home, they can go online/virtual if both students have access to a computer, tablet or smartphone.
• Organize review sessions for the upcoming AP exams with classmates beyond what the classroom teacher has been providing.
• Find parents of younger children who need online/virtual tutoring for their kids during the day, especially if they’re busy working from home or are an essential worker.
• High school students with good technical skills can offer to assist teachers who are hitting glitches as they move into the next phase of online instruction and testing.

Using technology, creativity and resourcefulness, your teen can continue or design new extra-curricular activities that will not only boost their high school resume/activity sheet, but help them find a positive way to deal with a disappointing season.

This article orgiinally appeared in parentsguidetothecollege puzzle.com

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