10 benefits of summer camp!
by Christa Melnyk Hines
A
s 14 million children across the country head off to day and overnight camps this summer,
they’ll return home with more than just a cute camp t-shirt. The summer camp experience can
give kids an advantage in school and in life. Here’s how camp benefits kids:
nurtures social skills eases the summer slide
Camp is a community away from home and school
where kids learn to work with each other and adult
mentors, build relationships and manage conflict.
“You learn to navigate through group dynamics, to
barter, to keep one another happy, to be sensitive and to
support a friend who’s sad,” says James Spearin, YMCA
senior vice president of youth development. “These skills
transfer and build adults with strong character
and leadership.” You know that old saying, “if you snooze, you lose?”
In the absence of regular enrichment over summer
break, research finds that kids typically lose as much as
two months of grade level equivalency in math. Reading
comprehension and spelling skills also take a hit during
the summer.
To help curb summer learning loss, many specialized
camps offer educational opportunities in STEM (science,
technology, engineering and math) that make learning
and problem solving fun and interactive. Also, look for
camps geared toward reading, writing and the arts.
models healthy living
According to the Centers for Disease Control, obesity
in children has doubled, and in teens has quadrupled, in
the last 30 years. Thanks to the many activities camp
offers, kids stay busy and physically active.
More camps are also working to offer healthier food
choices for their campers. According to 2014 study in the
American Journal of Health Behavior, camps that offer
wholesome foods are more likely to turn out campers
who eat more fruits and veggies. Many resident and day
camps now offer cooking and gardening tracks where
kids learn how to prepare nutritious meals.
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provides a sense of
achievement
From rock climbing to whitewater rafting and
horseback riding, summer camp gives kids a chance to
try activities that they wouldn’t ordinarily get to try.
“Trying new things in an encouraging environment
creates a greenhouse for growing young leaders,” says
Garret Perkins, director of Camp Kanakuk, a faith-based
camp that offers overnight, day and family camps.