Summer is officially here which means no school! While some families will go on vacation, other parents will enroll their children in summer camps. From sports to the great outdoors, there are summer camps for numerous interests and learning abilities. The following article explains how these camps are a great option to keep kids engaged and learning, during summer break.

Discover New Interests or Cultivate Talents

One of the main reasons why parents send their children to summer camp is to cultivate love or interest in a specific hobby. Whether someone is interested in sports or learning more about nature, there is a summer camp out there that will cater to specific niche interests.

How is this different from enrolling a child in a summer class? At summer camps, children are completely immersed in the experience and are spending several weeks learning about a specific interest. In a classroom, there is often a focus on several different subjects, so it’s not as activity centered, or as in-depth towards your child’s specific interest.

Develop Social Skills

Summer camp attendees are going to be interacting with their peers who have had different experiences and backgrounds. Oftentimes, there will be instances where kids have a chance to meet and talk with others, which could potentially lead to lifelong friendships.

According to Psychology Today, friendship is one of the most important aspects of a person’s life. Being able to make friends, especially in a social group setting such as summer camp, can enrich someone’s life and offer health benefits that will last for the rest of their lives. They will learn to take an interest in others and how to form meaningful connections.

Teaches Teamwork

Similar to the social aspect, learning to make friends also goes hand-in-hand with improving upon teamwork-building skills. Being part of a team and learning to navigate all the nuances of different personalities is an important life skill for anyone, especially kids. By teaching teamwork early in a summer camp setting, the child is gaining an edge both in the classroom and in life.

In addition, summer camp shows that teamwork is a positive and poignant aspect of life. Children will come to understand that teamwork is a solution, and not a barrier, to get tasks and projects done. Children will want to learn from others, and working as a team makes that easier.

Responsibility And Decision-Making

Many summer camps are sleepaway, meaning that participants will be away from home and will spend upwards of days to several weeks’ accommodation at the camp. It’s often the first time that a child is away for an extended period without their parents.

While this can seem scary, many people cite this part of summer camp as one of the most important to a child’s development. They will learn responsibility and decision-making since they cannot turn to their parent for advice while away. Of course, there are adults and counselors at the summer camp, but they will encourage the kids to make choices based on the environment and circumstances.

Promotes Self-Sufficiency and Independence

Much like learning about responsibility and decision-making, summer camps are also a wonderful way to promote self-sufficiency and independence. There is usually a set schedule for the day and activities or programs at certain times at a camp. This teaches the kids to learn how to be productive, efficient and be responsible for scheduled tasks throughout the day.

Time management and figuring out how to make it to activities is a fantastic way to cultivate a sense of independence and can help a child become better suited to the real world. Learning from experience is one of the best ways to better understand how society functions.

Time Away from Screens

Lastly, summer camps are a way to get kids away from their screens. The federal health website says most children spend a total of seven and a half hours each day with a screen, which can affect sleeping patterns and how well they do in school, productivity, and mood.

During summer camps, participants are often without any technology for extended periods of time, some with limited or no reception to access the internet. Without the distractions of a phone or tablet, children will be able to fully immerse themselves in the camp and its provided programming.