All through the nation, there are approximately 12,000 summer camp programs for children and adults, with around 5,000 operating during the day alone. For many families, summer camps for kids get children out of the house and moving around, and they can also provide childcare during the summer months away from school, too. Most importantly, however, summer camp is the perfect place for kids to make new friends and learn valuable lessons about teamwork that they otherwise wouldn’t get by staying home all summer.
So what should your kids expect when they enroll in summer kids camps? Here are three things you’ll find in virtually every summer camp throughout the United States:
Swimming and Other Water Activities
Most kids camps are located somewhere near water, so swimming and other activities on the water can take up some or even most of a camper’s day. For instance, beach camps may have more emphasis on swimming and other water activities than a camp by a small lake may have. However, just about all camps will have some type of swimming available. Typically, campers will swim together, so no one is out on the water alone. Some camps even have campers wake up early to swim in polar bear clubs, named so because of the low temperatures of lake or ocean water in the early morning. Other water activities include canoeing, kayaking, jet-skiing, and other activities aboard watercraft. Just remember that safety is important. Don’t hesitate to ask a camp if it has qualified lifeguards on duty and how campers will be supervised.
Camp-Wide Games
One thing that campers of all ages look forward to is the chance to get outdoors and play. A time-honored tradition of summer camps is for the whole camp to get together to compete in a single game. Most often, this is something like capture the flag, where campers compete in groups (often by the cabin they’re staying in or by age group) to steal a flag from an opposing team. Other activities may include paintball, water balloon wars, tag, or other fun outdoor games.
Teamwork and Other Valuable Life Skills
As children participate in these popular kids camps activities, they learn the value of working together and getting along with others. Many camps focus on team-building exercises, so kids who may have a hard time getting to know others can feel included in the group. Because kids fitness is the goal for many camps, many activities get kids outdoors and moving around. However, other activities may include arts and crafts, lessons on nature, and more, all while providing kids nutrition they need to stay healthy and active.
Have more questions about what to expect at a summer camp program for your kids, whether they stay for a week or only go during the day? Leave a comment below.