When you think about why you want your kids to go to summer camp, I’m sure a flurry of reasons come to mind. “Have fun!” “Make new friends!” “Keep them entertained while we’re out of school!” All of these reasons ring true, but at Kids in the Game we believe Summer Camp can play a significant role in a kid’s life. Here are 5 of the reasons we believe in summer camp.
1. Development of Social Skills & Opportunities for Friendship
Social Development: Our adolescent years are the best time for us to develop many of our social skills and learn how to interact with others. Most of these skills are discovered and developed in our youth through play and new friendships. Interaction with new children as well as new adults allow for new growth socially everyday, and this is even more evident as we come off of years of hybrid and remote activities.
Establishing Relationships: Summer camp allows for daily opportunities to make new friends and establish new relationships! In our youth, we often establish long lasting friendships that stay with us for a lifetime. Many of these friendships are developed in school, sports, and summer camp.
2. Healthy Benefits & Outdoor Play
Break from Devices: Time away from electronics and indoors is crucial for social and behavioral development. With use of electronics, video games, and social media on the rise, children are starting to use these features earlier every year. Having multiple hours of the day away from electronics keeps kids active, develops new skills, reduces eye and mental strain, and increases overall engagement with other kids.
Outdoors: While at summer camp, kids have ample time in the sun and nature. The constant fresh air and vitamin D are extremely beneficial for their health! Additionally, interaction with nature and learning how to protect it and respect it is crucial for the future of our planet.
Physical Activity: Keeping kids in shape and using lots of energy so they sleep well at night is a parent’s dream. Sports and outside activities or play keep kids active and healthy! Running, jumping, and swimming all promote great cardiovascular health. Additionally, increased development of motor skills and coordination take place. At summer camp, kids are exposed to plenty of different sports and activities that allow them to improve their hand eye coordination and footwork ability.
3. Teamwork Building & Community Connection
Group Play: Group play and activities promote teamwork, and that’s a huge part of how we run our camp. Group involvement and interaction allows children to come together to work and learn together! This allows kids to use their social skills and have opportunities to develop them even deeper in the summer months.
Community and Representation: At Kids in the Game, our groups are broken into age groups with exciting names like “Firebirds” or “Hornets”. Through these simple names, our campers gain connection and a sense of community, allowing kids to feel a part of something larger than themselves.
4. Exposure to New Experiences
New Experiences: Being exposed to new settings and new environments is something that we all experience, so the earlier kids go through that, the easier they’re able to deal with being in new environments. At summer camp, kids are given the opportunity to learn and try new things through games, sports, and activities.
Field Trips: At summer camp, kids are given the opportunity to see, explore, and enjoy experiences on field trips!Especially in NYC, we have access to so much. From parks and museums to events, kids get the chance to see and explore new things with their friends.
Diversity: Meeting people from different backgrounds. Living in New York, we are in a melting pot of different cultures, ideologies, and ethnicities. It is crucial for our children to be exposed, interact, and learn from their differences because it will allow them to better understand the people around them, as well as themselves. Last year, we had kids from over 100 zip codes attend our summer camps. This creates a diverse environment for every camper!
5. Personal Independence & Self Esteem Growth
Independence: At summer camp, kids are away from home and their parents for a long part of the day. Because of this, kids get a break from their usual routine and have the opportunity to be more independent, ultimately learning how to use their voices outside of parental and school settings.
As you can see, we really believe in Summer Camp. Registration for Summer 2022 is officially live, so sign up today and make sure your kids get in on the fun, as well as the long term benefits!