When was the last time your child went to a summer camp? Research suggests that annually, 11 million children go to a day or resident camp. Read this article to identify the mental and physical benefits of summer camp.
If you spend the majority of time with your child, sending them for summer camp may seem a nightmare. How does my child spend some days and night without me around? How well is she or he cared for? These could be some of your concerns.
You don’t have to worry about that. Summer camps are not only fun and safe but have significant mental health benefits.
What are the Mental Benefits of Summer Camp
Camps provide unique programs that accord children a comprehensive set of skills. 70% of parents that allow their children to go to summer camp attest that it helps boost self-confidence. You need to loosen up and let your child attend summer camp.
It’ll help improve their psycho-social skills and mental health. Choose the best summer camp for your child and watch them develop their psychological and social skills.
1. Builds Independence
In this digital world, children have high dependence rates. If you doubt this, observe how long today’s children take to move out from their parent’s home. Currently, more than 40% of millennia at their 30’s are still depending on their parents.
Every parent wants to be part of their child’s life in all ways possible. It’s a common thing for parents to brag about their tight relationships and connections. You want to help them make friends, fight their battles, and remind them of a lunch box among other responsibilities.
Do you wonder when is the ideal time to let them go and give them a chance of being independent is? You need to nurture the aspect of independence from a young age.
Summer camps give your child unique experiences without hovering around you. They become responsible for themselves and make their dependence. Such experiences are valuable for your child to build autonomy.
2. Facilitates Mental Stimulation and Physical Activity
Today, the typical fun activities that children participate include playing games, social media socialization, or watching movies. Digital trends limit physical and mental engagement for your child.
Summer camps help with mental stimulation and physical activity. How?
It gets your child off the couch and teaches them how to create games. No matter which summer camp they are in, the programs have engaging activities. Games like an outdoor word search will challenge your child’s reasoning.
Common activities for summer camps are:
- Spray painting
- The Maze
- Art and craft
- Bicycle games and swimming among others
The events exercise them physically and mentally.
Note: Choose the best summer camps for your child that accords them unique and fun activities.
3. Improves Life Long Skills
Summer camps enhance life skills like problem-solving leadership, communication, and others. How?
- Guiding other children on a hike or other activities develops leadership skills.
- When dividing chores among others, communication skills are put to the test.
- Challenges at summer camps sharpen their problem solving and decision-making skills.
- Participation of other children improves diversity integration skills
The different activities during summer camp challenge a child to become a better person. Who doesn’t want that for their child?
4. Develops Socialization and Relationship Skills
Child or adult, they’re all social beings. People thrive best with excellent socialization skills. You don’t want your child to be the lonely kid at school or home, isn’t it?
Summer camps make your child adept in socialization. How?
Access to many people in a new environment puts them in the right place to socialize. Also, constant interactions with others demands for good relationships. Playtime and social activities in groups create a need for socializing.
Spending summer at home increases your child’s screen time rather than interactions with friends. Eventually, loneliness, isolation, and poor socialization skills hit.
Do you want to prepare your child for healthier interactions in all aspects of life? If the answer is yes, summer camp is an ideal environment for that.
5. Builds Resilience
Everyone in life needs to be resilient. Life is full of challenges and disappointments. If you allow the drawbacks to rule, you may never achieve anything for yourself.
You don’t want your child to give up on their dreams and desires because of setbacks in life. Then, you need to shape their resilience skills at a young age. So, how would summer camps help?
Camps offer opportunities for challenges and practices on overcoming the problems. For instance, while participating in soccer, your child may not win the first game. The child will, however, learn that practice will help them become a better player.
Camps accords your child with lessons on the values and efforts that help them believe what they do. If you want your child to beat various challenges with patience, determination, and drive to succeed, send them for summer camp.
6. Belonging to a Community
American society values individualism, which is the norm for many. Commonly, children never get the sense of being or belonging to a community. Your child needs to learn how to live in a community.
Summer camps help build social awareness skills like empathy and attunement to others. It shapes how your child acts towards others. It guards your child against being a cruel and mean person.
Learning to live with each other prepares them for a better relationship with others.
Are Summer Camps a Place for Your Child?
Every parent wants to raise their kids in the best way possible. If you find yourself in doubts whether your child needs to attend summer camp, it’s because you care. You, however, need to worry less about summer camps.
Wrapping Up
Summer camps are safe-havens for your child. The benefits of summer camp trickle beyond social and educational aspects. It builds your child’s character, social skills, problem-solving skills, and influences mental stimulation and physical activity.
Once in a while, organize summer camps for your child or yourself. It’ll improve mental and social skills.
Contact our summer camp advisers to find the best camp in your area for your child.
