A Children’s Club is a group of children who meet regularly together in their community. They meet to mix with each other, talk about things that interest them, their lives, problems, to have fun and to make friends. It has a formal structure.

For more about what a club is, how it can be best set up, what the benefits are, ideas for activities and more read our Q&A On Setting Up Children’s Clubs article. Once your club is established, read Working with Children in Clubs: Some Tips, it’ll help the club run smoothly and safely. Anyone involved with the club should read our Professional Conduct in Relation to Children, it lays out expectations and ensures everyone is safe. Finally, read our favourite handbooks:

• LifeSkills Handbook
  Clare Hanbury, our director, wrote the LifeSkills Handbook. It provides advice and active learning activities for teaching life skills to young people. It supports and guides all people who plan, manage, teach or work on formal and non-formal education programmes. It can be adapted and used in different cultural contexts worldwide. The Lifeskills Handbook is available from our resources section and Amazon Kindle Store.
• A Parrot On your Shoulder
  This illustrated activity guide is aimed at facilitators and trainers who are starting to work with children affected by HIV/AIDS. Drawing on the experiences of the Aids Alliance, its partners, and other organisations working in the field, it gives some pointers on working with children, including cultural and gender considerations. The guide provides 30 activities for engaging children in group work, as well as fun ideas for ice-breakers and energisers, group work and co-operation, observation, active listening and analytical skills, drama, mime and role play, and painting and drawing.
• Bamboo shoots
  This is a training manual for child-centred community development practitioners and facilitators. It promotes and helps ensure that child rights are upheld by including children in the development of their communities. After exploring the concept of rights, the manual provides various methods and practical exercises to help children identify child rights violations in their daily lives, understand the causes of these and propose practical solutions to address them.  

Good luck! Contact us with any queries.