For 150 years, summer camp has been providing children with the opportunity to try new activities such as sailing, waterskiing, ropes course and archery. But families should know there’s much more to camp than just a good time. In addition to fun, parents should be aware of these five reasons their child needs camp.
Camp forever changes your child…for the better
American Camp Association® (ACA) research has confirmed that camps build skills necessary to prepare campers to assume roles as successful adults. Campers said that camp helped them make new friends (96%), get to know kids who are different from them (93%), feel good about themselves (92%), and try things they were afraid to do at first (74%).
Camp keeps kids active and moving, promoting a healthy and active lifestyle
Camp provides children the opportunity to try new things and participate in human powered activities. An estimated 22 million of the world’s children under the age of five are already considered obese. According to research conducted by ACA, 63 percent of children who learn new activities at camp tend to continue engaging in these activities after they return home. This leads to continued physical exercise that lasts a lifetime.
Camp keeps all that hard work from going to waste
Camps understand the critical role they play in helping young people learn and grow. Many offer programs that help reduce summer learning loss, bolster academic enrichment and socialization, provide opportunities for leadership development, and ensure that campers achieve their full potential.
Camp allows kids to take a deep breath and feel the nature
Camp is a great way for your child to unplug from technology and plug into the world around them. According to a study by two Cornell University environmental psychologists, being close to nature can help boost a child’s attention span. Additionally, a study conducted by the University of Essex in England concluded that nature can help people recover from pre-existing stresses or problems, has an immunizing effect that can protect from future stresses, and helps people to concentrate and think more clearly. In some instances, camp may be the only time a child is in contact with the natural world.
Camp is fun
At camp, children are allowed to play in a safe and nurturing environment, and are allowed to just be kids. Play is a powerful form of learning that contributes mightily to the child’s healthy physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development. According to an American Academy of Pediatrics report, creative free play protects a child’s emotional development and reduces a child’s risk of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Parents searching for a day or resident camp can visit the American Camp Association, New York, and New Jersey’s camp database website www.campwizard.org. For more information, please visit the American Camp Association, New York and New Jersey’s website www.aca-ny.org.
