My cousin Tom used to like playing video games very much．He could spend the whole weekend playing video games without going out．At last，his parents became concerned．They wanted to change the situation．So they arranged some after-school programs for him At first，Tom didn't like them．But as time went by，he fell in love with after-school programs．Now he no longer plays video games and spends most of his time attending after-school programs，through which he has gained many important skills．After-school programs can be very helpful．Here are some reasons．

Children need friends．But many of today's children find it hard to make new friends because they haven't enough opportunities．After-school programs are good for children to develop new friendships．Two of my close friends and I first met in a singing program．If I hadn't attended that program，I might not have made friends with them．

Children need after-school programs because the programs often supplement（补充） the education children receive in school．This is particularly true for tutoring （辅导） programs．The tutors give children new ways of learning their material，and the children benefit from the encouragement tutors provide．

An important part of a child's development is having healthy social skills，and after-school programs help developthis．For example，when a program participant takes painting lessons with fellow participants，he builds new friendships through this new skill and learns values of teamwork，honesty，selflessness and how to encourage others．

In after-school sports clubs，children get necessary exercise that will benefit their health in the future．According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention，children should spend at least one hour a day on physical activities．

After-school programs may also help children become more well-rounded through taking part in various cultural activities．For example，children may go to a book signing at a public library，a free