Top 10 Benefits of Summer Camps for Kids

What was the last time your child learned a new activity or made new friends? Do you think they are focused? or confident?

Undoubtedly, you are not giving attention to these points. Let us inform you that it is vital to keep an eye on your child’s personal growth. And, this kind of development is not possible in school, they need to be recognized for different activities.

When it is the summer vacation, and the school doors are closed, you can enable the child to grasp the basic or fundamental skills, motor skill learning activities, embark on new experiences, and have much fun. Summer camp is the name for you!

Certainly, there are many children who attend summer camps and enhance their abilities. If you are not acquainted with the summer camps, have never sent your child, and are in dilemma to do so, then, we are here to help!

We have created a write-up for you so that you can decide if the summer camp is beneficial for your kid or not. Here, all the benefits related will be explained with some questions and answers that might be helpful for you!

How are summer camps essential?

Consider summer camp as a community where the children collectively have fun, acquire lifelong lessons and develop fine motor skills activities. The camp setting is such that the child can develop a sense of independence and try many adventures.

The summer camps are acknowledged for the fun activities and safe environment that they provide. The activities related to summer camps build social skills such as conflict resolution and communication.

We recognize that summer camps have magic built-in and the enduring experience they offer. Every camp is exceptional and provides various summer camp activities that make the child confident and independent.

Many consider the summer holidays as visiting grandparents’ houses and finishing homework. But, it is not, at least till recently! Give your child the chance to expose themselves, be socializing, learn new skills and make new friends.

How is Summer Camps beneficial for kids?

1. Socializing and Friendship Building 

The major benefit of summer camps for the child is that they get the chance to meet new people and socialize with them. In the summer break, the children get very little chance to build and maintain a friendship with the companions of their age. Besides their cousins or siblings, the child states that they essentially communicate with the adults when they are not in school.

Not just the child builds important life skills with socializing, like, problem-solving, setting boundaries, and sharing, however, they are also developing healthy and strong relationships by communicating with their companions.

The summer camp programs present a safe environment for the children to create decision-making skills and social skills and might also experience excellent outdoors. Also, socializing at a younger age lets the child achieve more development and growth. than eating vegetables and reading.

2. Reducing Screen Time and Getting Training

In this high-tech world, sedentary-oriented conditions are growing. However, physical inactivity is recently the main reason for disability and disease and it all begins in childhood. As per the reports of the World Health Organization (WHO), sedentary lifestyles improves the causes of mortality and increases the risks of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and higher the risks of osteoporosis, high blood pressure, colon cancer, anxiety, and depression – however, is totally preventable.

As some additional creativity to make the child active and reduce the screen time at home in the summer is usually needed, summer camp is the right solution. Many of the programs are set in the large outdoors and implement several physical activities for the child to participate in. Not only will the kids get out of the house and experience fun, besides they can get solid practice as well from activities, like, team sports, zip-lining, swimming, horseback riding, archery, hiking, etc. Enable the child to open themselves in the outdoors and communicate with new ones to get acquainted with the new world and expand their perspective in the summer vacations.

3. Promotes Lifelong Skills

In the summer camp, the kids participate in different group activities. As in, by participating in sports, like, bowling or volleyball, the students acquire how to solve issues on their own, interact with others, and work on the team.

The kid can build leadership skills, by leading a team of others on a hike. Or, the child can grow communication skills when categorizing the chores in the overnight camp. Moreover, the child can develop essential decision-making skills as they overcome hindrances and face challenges while seeking new and interesting activities such as archery or zip-lining at Camp Lakewood. Every skill is essential in the real world and is cultivated in the summer camp.  

Definitely, the student receives social skills in the school also. Though the summer camp serves children together in an interactive environment that promotes a sense of appreciation and community for the individual differences, the school focuses on educational development majorly.

4. Directs Resiliency

Resiliency is an important skill as it implies moving after the inevitable setback. The summer camp gives the opportunity to the student to face several challenges and overcome them. Like, they may not win the initial soccer game, however, learn and practice to be a better player.

Also, they may not touch the top of the climbing tower at Camp Lakewood straight away. Although they will understand not to give up and try again. When they will be able to reach, they can feel resilient and stronger than before. Camp teaches the value of effort and assists the child to believe in themselves. Because they overcome challenges with patience, determination, and gain success. Understanding new hobbies such as table tennis teach the positive outlets to keep up with life struggles. The children can build a great support system of comping companions to assist them to win over obstacles.

5. Positive Role Models

The next benefit of summer camps is that it offers the kid with the possibility to communicate with the positive adult role models. In general, the camp counselors are the youngsters who choose to work part-time or volunteer on the summer break from the university. These are not just the counselor’s energy. Although the children recognize them as cool and are more relatable with the parents as well.

Most of the time, it assists the children to know what their own life could be in some years only. If the camp counselor has good character and integrity, then the kid is likely to follow them. In addition, it provides the teenager or child a sense of community while working with others. The development of these types of relationships assists the child to grow skills, self-esteem, and confidence. These all are required to be successful in life or in schools. In all, the more positive or healthy the relationships that the youth or child have in their life, the more chances are there to be successful in such areas. It is even when the summer camps end.

6. Fosters Independence

Because in summer camp, the children are away from their home, hence, they can create a sense of identity. Because of this independent time, the kids could be self-reliant, identify their interests, and explore their weaknesses and strengths. They understand how to trust their gut rather than relying on the teacher or parent to notify them what to do. Independence is essential to be a self-sufficient grown-up.

Most of the children at a young age do not go outside alone or sleep alone, from the practices of the summer camp, they can make their transition to be independent. They could explore the world in a unique or exciting way. The independence also assists them to boost their confidence.

Fostering a self-supporting child implies giving a safe environment, promoting exploration, and teaching responsibility to the child to build decisions independently.

7. Discovering New Hobbies

As a parent, you might have spent several hours letting the child participate in different artistic pursuits, creatives, and sports. When the summer camp assists by ideally unearthing the new age, they succeed.

The summer camp allows the kid to practice their hand on different host activities. The engaging environment where the child can improve their skill set, the best environment where the kids can discover their niche at the summer camp. An outlet and something to focus on is vital for the kid’s development. They will not only understand the new skills, however, also gain confidence by excelling in their field.

8. Cultivates a Connection with Nature

Considering the time aside from technology, the child also requires nature in their life. The basic or important thing is that nature incites every sense. When the kid is outdoors, they experience nature- they hear, touch, smell, see and also taste nature. Because of sensory development, life becomes fuller, richer, and indeed, more pleasurable. However, spending much time indoors also deprives children and dulls their senses of the pure pleasures in life.

What is more important is that- outdoor time promotes movement, which is essential for emotional, mental, and physical health. Outside, the children are free to breathe, laugh, climb, jump, skip and run. In addition, they receive a healthy dose of Vitamin D from the sun which is, of course, very essential for the body.

9. Infuses recognition and appreciation 

Definitely, the time away from the home encourages the kids to appreciate parents, belongings, and home, the food cooked by parents, and everything they do not hold at the summer camp.

Sadly, the gratitude does not last long in kids and may exercise more than a week away from them to recognize all that is delivered to them daily. However, recognition surely takes shape at the camp.

10. Encourages Healthy Living

The summer camps reinforce healthy physical and eating activity.  At this time, the child holds the opportunity to engage in all variants of fun physical activity at every skill level. Every child can participate in physical activity, despite which camp they pick. 

Just one in three children is active each day when it is about physical health.  Believe it or not- physical activity is important for health and maintaining a healthy weight and improves confidence and supports in regulating stress.  

It is essential to teach the essentially of physical activity when the kids are young so they bring exercise habits into adulthood.  Generally, the child depends on fun, socializing, learning, and activities to release stress at the summer camp, despite engaging in unhealthy activities.

What about the duration of the summer camp?

There are several options for the parents searching for summer camps. Nowadays, you can notice that they are branched properly beyond just outdoor or sport activity-oriented camps. Many parents who desire their children to succeed in other fields may send them to the focused academic camp or the foreign language camp.

The summer camps differentiate in the term lengths as well. Choosing the absolute length for the kid relies on the circumstances and the perspectives of the whole family. In general, they come into one of three categories. The short-term sessions might serve for one or two weeks. These are excellent for the children who are visiting their first camp and have never spent more time away from the family.

The mid-term sessions last for three to five weeks. It is a great option when you have different summer plans, although still need the child to leverage from the camps.

Also, you can find full-summer camp sessions which last from six to eight weeks.  These can reside for a while during summer vacation time, enabling the kid to relish everything that comes with this.

Which type of summer camps are available?

The summer camps appear in various types, the two major streams are; day and night camps. At the day camp, the students attend camp in the morning and then return back for the whole of the day.  Overnight camps need the student to stay overnight for a specific time (these can take days, weeks, and months).

Another way camp is differentiated is by what they provide. Some camps offer more specific activities, such as art camp, cheer camp and sports camp, etc.

When the Children Are Ready for the Summer Camp?

There is no defined age on when it is relevant to start, however, despite depending on the child and what kind of summer camp you are sending your child to.

The overnight camps might need the child to be grown one; at least around ten years of age, although, day camps are only meant for the school-going child.

Concluding Remarks

The summer camps have been here for a long time now. The children and the parents are leveraging the communities that are organizing the summer camps.

At the end of their experience, the children come out with more rounded personalities, new skills, and lasting friendships. And, if you have not sent your kid to the summer camp, and are wondering about its benefits then, we hope that this article is helpful for you!

Share your relatable thoughts in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!