Debating if you should send your child to camp or not? Camp is fun and provides children with an abundance of activities, experiences, and knowledge. According to the research available on the matter, camp is incredibly beneficial to children and should at least be considered by all parents. Here we uncover 7 benefits to sending your child to camp.
1. Camp Increases Self Esteem
Want to know how to increase your child’s self esteem? Send them off to camp! Camp is known to enhance a child’s overall feelings of competency. One main goal of any quality camp is to boost self-esteem, plus the circumstances surrounding the camp experience enhance self-esteem too. The first day at camp can be a bit overwhelming for some kids, with a new group of peers to befriend and unknown activities on the horizon. But your child will quickly learn that they are capable of making new friends and thriving in any situation. This brings about an overall higher confidence level. High self-esteem leads to better grades in school, better overall decision-making, and many other benefits.
2. Camp Gets Your Child Outdoors
Many years ago, before iPads and Wii video games, kids wanted to spend most of their time outdoors. Indoor was considered a stuffy and boring place for children. Now, with so many forms of digital media to keep kids entertained, less and less children take to the outdoors the moment they get home from school. More likely they hop on the computer or power up the iPad. The issue with this is that kids NEED time outside in nature to properly develop and thrive.
Physical exercise and fresh air are only two of the many reasons it’s good for kids to play outside. Outdoor exposure is known to benefit children socially, economically, environmentally, and even health-wise. Playing outdoors increases ones’ quality of life and gives them the opportunity to practice social skills. According to the OPENspace Research Centre, “Mental health and wellbeing benefits from play in natural settings appear to be long-term, realized in the form of emotional stability in young adulthood.” Sending your child to camp helps ensure they get plenty of outdoor play time no matter what time of year it is.
3. Camp Provides Exposure To Diversity
Similar people tend to live in the same school districts, so while school in general provides some exposure to diversity, camp invites even more diversity. Children attend the same camp from a much wider area, often including other states and countries. Research finds that the earlier kids are exposed to diversity, the better (see here).
4. Camp Promotes Development Of Many Skills
The things children learn at camp can benefit them at school and all throughout life by establishing certain skills. Sports, arts and crafts, canoeing, all of the things kids learn to enjoy at camp builds upon their list of useable skills. Ultimately this makes children more confident and capable into the following school year. There are 7 developmental needs all children have, these include: physical activity, competence/achievement, self-definition, creative self-expression, positive social interactions, setting limits, and expressive participation. There are few places kids are guaranteed to further develop all of these skills, camp being one of them. (Full article here)
5. Camp Prevents Boredom
Winter break, summer vacation, any extended break from school can lead to bored kids. Unfortunately, bored kids are more likely to get into trouble than their busy peers. When kids have activities to keep them entertained they are more fulfilled and less likely to purposely go looking for trouble. Camp provides kids with a healthy dose of entertainment to keep them happy, productive, and out of trouble.
6. Enhanced Social Experience
Cliquey groups often form in schools causing many kids to feel left out. Time and time again, kids report feeling more confident at camp because their peers seem more accepting than they are at school. Children that struggle socially can truly benefit from camp, where they can meet life long friends and increase their social confidence. Ultimately, this will help your child make new friends when they return to school in the fall.
7. Increased Independence
It’s always good for kids to spend a lot of quality time with their family, but they also need to be on their own some in order to learn how to make good decisions and fend for themselves. Camp is the perfect, safe environment for children to start establishing some independence. In general camp can help foster development of the amazing little person your child is deep inside!
The benefits of camp are often realized the following school year, but can also extend into adulthood. For the last several decades, Camp Live Oak has witnessed campers learn and grow in so many ways. Grant your child the never-ending benefits of camp. Register today for summer, spring, or winter camp!