What’s the best way for your child to spend their free time during the summer? Some believe that summer vacation should be all about playing and having fun. Others think it’s an opportunity for kids to hone their studies and develop new skills. But what if you could help your child do both playing and learning at the same time? There’s only one destination that gets kids to have fun while also learning and developing lifelong skills: a summer camp.
Summer camps offer plenty of benefits to kids thanks to its outside-of-the-classroom type of learning. It gets kids to really learn by experiencing which brings real value to their knowledge. Yet, summer camps don’t only teach kids what a summer school would such as information on multiple topics, they also teach them lifelong skills that play a major role in shaping them into successful adults.
Torn between sending your child to a summer camp or not this summer? Here are the reasons why you should without hesitation:
Table of Contents
1. It helps ease the summer slide
You know what they say “If you snooze, you lose” and that pretty much applies here too as most kids tend to lose academic ground during summertime. Over the summer break, kids typically lose as much as two months of grade-level equivalency in math, according to research. Plus, their reading comprehension and spelling skills also take a hit during the warm months.
Why? Simply because during summer, kids no longer, or very rarely, engage in academic activities such as reading, writing, or solving math exercises. Therefore, their academic abilities tend to lose some ground.
Now, summer camps might be just the solution to this dilemma. They neither tire the kids with too much information when they should be taking a break from schoolnor allows them to lose their learning capabilities. By combining learning with playing, summer camp activities keep kids’ minds active but in a fun way.
2. It makes them resilient
Resilience is a real buzz word these days that is often associated with successful adults. Why? Because resilience represents the ability to overcome challenges, failure, stress, and any negative emotion and transforming it into a success. And, which parent wouldn’t want their child to be able to do that, right?
If you are wondering what summer camps have to do with building resilience in kids, let us tell you that it is all about encouraging kids to experience challenges and overcome them. Summer camps get kids involved in a number of simple challenges from learning how to build a fire to going on a hike or finishing a race first. Getting a little dirty and even feeling a bit of frustration while also having fun and meeting new friends is the best way to nurture resilience in kids.
3. It makes them more self-confident
There’s nothing better than achievements and learning new skills at making kids feel more self-confident. When at home, your kids come to you for everything they need help with because it’s easier and more convenient. However, camps promote independence which, whether they like or not, means that they need to learn to do things on their own.
Summer camps give children the opportunity to grow more independent. Whether for a day of an entire summer, separation from their parents helps them learn how to rely on themselves. And, the ability to think independently boosts self-confidence in kids.
4. It unplugs them from technology
Every modern parent’s struggle is to find fun ways to unplug their kids from technology and devices. Today, kids spend more of their free time on their computer or on their devices than they do actually playing outside. In fact, data shows that they spend more than 7.5 hours a day engaged with technology.
And, on the long-term, spending too much time in front of the screen can have multiple health consequences including obesity, reduced vision capabilities, asociality, and, according to several studies, depression, and anxiety.
So, what can you do when your child refuses to go out and play instead of playing on their computer? You send them to one of the best day camps in Queens. Most summer camps ask kids and teens to put their devices away. Moreover, they promote outdoor activities that encourage kids to rediscover the joy of getting a little dirty while playing and having fun.
5. They make a lot of friends
One thing is for sure, your child will make a lot of new friends during summer camp. The whole idea of summer camps is to help kids develop their social skills, to teach them how to collaborate with others, and to encourage kids to be open to diversity.Most summer camp activities promote teamwork which encourages kids to bond with each other, communicate, and work together towards completing a task.
Apart from teamwork activities, summer camps are also about playing together. There are various games and activities that encourage communication and socialization. And, let’s be honest, kids love to find new playmates all the time. So, it’s no doubt that summer camp can leave your child with some great lifelong friends and playmates.
6. It’s fun
Last but not least, summer camps are all about having fun. Childhood should be about playing and having fun all day long. So, sending your child to a summer camp is a great way to make sure that they will spend a fun summer instead of a boring one inside the house. They will play, learn, make new friends, travel, experience new things, and develop some new skills.
Summer camps can benefit your child in more ways than one. They are more than just a fun place for kids to be when school is not in the plan. They have some great long-term meaningful benefits that can help children grow into well-shaped teens and, later, adults.
