How to Promote After School Clubs and Boost Participation

Ever notice how pizza parties always pack a room faster than any announcement ever could? When it comes to after school clubs, bland flyers and teacher reminders won't cut it—kids need a hook, something they can't resist bragging about. If you're struggling with low signups, you're definitely not alone. Even at my kids’ school, some clubs sit half-empty while others have waitlists a mile long.

The secret? Getting kids genuinely pumped about what’s on offer—and making sure their parents know, too. This means using simple, bold signs in places kids actually hang out (think lunchroom, not just the office hallway), and sharing real stories from students who loved their club experience. If Odessa raves about robotics to her friends, suddenly ten more kids want to sign up. Max could sniff that one out from a mile away.

• What Grabs Students’ Attention
• Using Word of Mouth and Stories
• Getting Families and Staff Involved
• Creative Promotion Tactics
• Tracking What Actually Works

What Grabs Students’ Attention

If you want kids to actually join after school clubs, you have to think like they do. It isn’t enough to say, “Join Chess Club!” You need to answer the question floating in their heads—what’s in it for me?

Kids are drawn in by things that look fun, let them hang out with friends, or help them try something new. When schools ditch plain posters and use colorful, photo-packed displays, interest shoots up. The Afterschool Alliance pointed out that clubs with hands-on demos during lunch or at assemblies often spark a big jump in signups.

One elementary principal told Edutopia,

"If kids see their friends building robots or launching rockets in the hallway, they don’t want to be left out—the curiosity is contagious."

Here are a few things that make kids actually stop and look:

• Photo boards or slideshows in busy halls (photos of kids having fun—not just logos)
• Live mini-demos at lunch or after school pickup (think robots scooting across a table, or art club painting big banners)
• Club members wearing badges or T-shirts on "promotion days" so other kids can ask about their club
• Short, funny preview videos starring current club members (posted online or shown during announcements)

Don’t just push a list of clubs—sell the story and the experience. Kids need to picture themselves having fun and fitting in. Even better, give them a way to test the club in a no-pressure way, like "bring a friend" days, which almost always get shy kids to try something new.

Using Word of Mouth and Stories

The fastest way to get kids curious about after school clubs? It's not another email home or a poster—they’ll forget those in a heartbeat. The real magic happens when kids talk to each other, swapping stories about the cool stuff they're doing after the bell rings. If Conrad comes home raving about his science club volcanoes, you can bet three of his classmates will want to see for themselves next week.

Here’s where it gets practical. Start by having a few club veterans share their own highlights at lunch or during morning announcements. Keep it simple and honest. For example, "Last Thursday we built marble rollercoasters and mine made it the farthest!" makes other kids want in. Schools that do this see a jump in sign-ups year over year.

Another tip: invite club leaders or older students to visit classrooms for quick Q&A sessions. Let them bring along a finished project, wear their club T-shirts, or do a two-minute demo. When kids see someone like them actually doing something fun—rather than just hearing about it—they're more willing to try. Don’t underestimate how far a simple, upbeat story can go compared to a list of club rules.

Parents are part of this too. Share bite-size stories or photos from club meetings in family newsletters and school socials. Tag friends and family for a bigger reach. I’ve seen first-hand how sharing a photo of a messy art project gets my phone buzzing with other parents asking for details.

If you want the after school clubs to go from barely-known to hugely popular, nudge your best promoters—students themselves—to share their favorite moments. Real stories make kids imagine themselves in that club, which gets them through the door faster than any poster could.

Getting Families and Staff Involved

If you want after school clubs to really take off, you can’t just leave it to the students. Families and staff have to be in on it from the start. Parents, for example, are usually the ones signing permission slips, shelling out fees, juggling pickups, and even nudging their kids to try something new. I can’t count how many times my wife learned about club signups from another mom at baseball practice—not from the school newsletter.

The goal is to make sure families see joining a club as a win, not just another item on their to-do list. Here’s what actually works:

• Send short, clear texts or emails about clubs right before registration opens—a reminder right before dinner or on Sunday night gets more eyes than another flyer stuffed in a backpack.
• Invite families to "club showcase" days, where kids can try activities and parents can meet the club leaders. When parents see the club in action, they get way more interested.
• If your school has a parent-teacher group or family Facebook page, get club info posted there. Those pages get way more regular attention than the school website.
• Don’t forget to tap into teachers and staff. When a trusted teacher mentions how much fun chess club is or shares a quick story about a former student's project, kids listen. Some schools let teachers offer a "sneak peek" in class or bring up club shout-outs during morning announcements—they work wonders for encouragement.

It helps to include concrete club benefits for families. We’re talking about kids making friends, learning cool new things, and maybe even improving grades—all perks parents love to hear. When parents and staff hype up after school clubs, hype spreads fast among students.

Creative Promotion Tactics

When your goal is to get kids excited about after-school clubs, you’ve got to get creative or risk getting drowned out by all the other noise in their day. Forget the old-school newsletter buried at the bottom of a backpack. Think bigger and bolder—something that actually makes kids talk.

Here are a few ways to make your after school clubs stand out:

• Live Demos and “Test Drives”: Host quick sessions during lunch where club leaders (or older students) do a mini-activity right in the cafeteria. For example, the chess club can play speed matches with volunteers, or the coding group might run a fun 10-minute game jam. When kids see the action, their curiosity spikes.
• Personalized Invitations: Print simple cards or stickers with each club’s name and hand them to students who might be interested. My son, Conrad, got a “Join Robotics” sticker from a teacher, and I swear, he wore it for two days. Little things like that make students feel chosen.
• Social Media Shoutouts: Post club “behind the scenes” videos on the school’s Instagram or Facebook page—nothing staged, just real kids having a blast, showing off their latest project or dance move. Even younger kids love seeing their faces online, and parents definitely notice.
• Pop-Up Sign-Up Stations: Set up a table with colorful posters and a few hands-on activities right outside popular pick-up spots. Add a bowl of school-safe snacks or a wheel for small prizes (think stickers, pencils). Make it easy for parents and kids to sign up on the spot—no need to remember to go online at home later.
• Club Passports: Give students a “passport” to be stamped at club open house events. If they collect three or more stamps, they get a small reward. This makes it a game to check out different clubs, and kids will drag their friends along for the ride.

One thing I’ve seen work is letting the students help with the marketing. When they make posters or lead lunchtime announcements, it comes off way more genuine—other kids actually listen. And if you really want buzz, ask your most involved students to make goofy one-minute “ad” videos. Goofy beats polished, every time.

Tracking What Actually Works

If you just throw flyers out there and hope for the best, you’ll never really know what made kids show up for the club. Getting smart about tracking results helps you spend your time (and budget) where it counts. I’ve learned that putting just a little effort into tracking saves a lot of scrambling later.

Start simple. Ask students, “Hey, how did you hear about the after school clubs?” You'd be surprised—sometimes word of mouth from a buddy beats the official emails by a mile. Keep a quick tally sheet about which promo ideas bring in the most kids: was it the poster, the morning announcement, the cool demo at assembly, or something else?

Some schools send out a quick online survey after sign-up week. Use tools like Google Forms or a paper slip if your crowd isn’t into tech. Just two or three questions is plenty—otherwise nobody fills them out. Example questions: "Why did you join?" "Where did you first hear about the club?" "What made you actually sign up?"

• If you run multiple clubs, compare the turnout numbers for each promo effort. Chart this for easy patterns—sometimes the type of club impacts what promo works best.
• Pay attention to which clubs get a spike in signups right after something happens, like a hands-on demo or a crazy lunchtime announcement.
• Keep an eye on dropouts. If kids start but bail after the first few weeks, you might have a promotion problem—or a club experience problem.

Schools that stick with tracking for a couple of rounds always get sharper at filling clubs. They end up cutting wasted effort, doubling down on what actually brings kids through the door, and building clubs that stay popular year after year.