The sleepaway summer camp tradition is nearly as old as the United States. And yet, sending kids to sleepaway summer camp remains as popular as ever.
So, why do so many parents consider summer camp an important part of their child’s development?
Well, one of the major benefits of summer camp is that children learn numerous social skills which they wouldn’t have otherwise.
Socializing is so central to the summer camp experience that you could go as far as to call it socializing camp.
Do you want to know more about how summer camp builds essential social skills and happiness for kids? Read more below!
1. Getting Along with People
For most children, living at home with their family is all they know.
But, the experience of living with other strangers is hugely valuable in their development.
You find yourself without Mommy or Daddy and you have to learn to get along with other kids. And yet, you’re still in a safe environment with responsible adults around to help.
That’s why 93% of kids who go to summer camp say that they learned how to get know kids who are different from themselves.
We know that children who spend time with other kids develop social skills much faster than those who don’t.
In the real world, adults need to be able to get along with people who are different from themselves throughout their life. Therefore, it’s important to start young.
2. Waiting Your Turn to Speak
Do your kids interrupt you while you’re speaking?
This isn’t about talking over children when the adults are speaking. But rather, we should all learn to wait our turn to speak.
We know that the taking of turns when talking is a universal trait of human societies. And yet, learning when the right time to speak emerges isn’t always easy for children.
However, at sleepaway summer camp, kids are interacting with adults and children all day long. This is the ideal opportunity to learn when to listen and when to talk.
3. Sharing Stories and Songs
Storytelling and singing songs have always been an important part of sleepaway summer camp.
Your kids will have those unforgettable camp songs etched into their subconscious. They’ll never forget them!
The ability to share stories and listen to other people’s stories is an essential part of human communication.
We forget how important stories are to expressing our identity, feelings, and dreams to other people.
At summer camp, stories and songs continue to be at the heart of everything.
4. How to Work as Part of a Team
At sleepaway summer camp, the challenges and activities are often team-based.
That means that your kid has to work together with others. Working as part of a team is about learning when to follow and when to lead.
Teamwork requires your kids to be able to communicate effectively with others with different experience and skills.
5. Dinner Table Manners
Dinner table manners are not always the same in different family homes.
For example, some parents teach their children to avoid putting elbows on the dinner table, while others don’t consider this rude in the slightest.
And yet, it’s important to be able to behave politely while eating with other people.
At summer camp, kids are encouraged to say “please” and “thank-you” at the table.
They’re told not to talk with their mouth full of food or leave the table until others have finished.
6. How to Involve Others
“You’re not playing with us” is a statement which echoes around every playground at recess.
However, at summer camp, children are taught how to involve others in activities and games.
It’s important they understand when they need to extend an invitation to another child.
Nobody is discriminated against at summer camp as the kids are encouraged to be inclusive to everyone.
7. Curiosity About People
At a young age, kids are all about “me.” At summer camp, this all changes.
Kids are encouraged to learn about each other.
Which sport does the kid next to you like to play? What is someone else’s favorite food?
Curiosity about other people and the world has been overlooked as a social skill.
However, did you know that research shows that the trait has been connected with openness to people and ideas?
If you want your kid to show his or her creativity, then encouraging your kid to be curious is an important step too.
8. Emotional Intelligence
We hear a lot about IQ all the time. But, what about EQ?
Emotional intelligence has been proven to take your kid further in life.
Summer camp is an excellent opportunity to develop empathy and other qualities of emotional intelligence.
When another kid falls down when playing games, kids are encouraged to help pick them up.
If the kid next to you drops his marshmallow in the fire, another camper is there to offer a replacement marshmallow.
9. Anger Management
Anger management in children can be a huge problem!
For many parents, sleepaway summer camp is an excellent opportunity to encourage your kid to better manage their own anger.
We know that spending time in nature can help to improve anger and calm down children.
It could also be that your kid simply has too much screentime. At camp, your child will get the chance to spend time outdoors without screens.
10. Happy Kids
Social skills in children have also been shown to improve happiness levels.
Therefore, if you want your kids to live a happy life, then sending them to summer camp is a great start.
Around 92% of kids who go to summer camp say they feel good about themselves. This is an amazing statistic!
Send Your Kids to Socializing Camp
If you want your kid to develop better social skills, then sending them to summer camp is definitely the answer.
Sleepaway summer camp can quickly turn into socializing camp with the amount of time kids get to spend learning about themselves and others.
If you want to discover more about summer camp, contact a camp expert advisor near you for more information.
