Summer camp might be something your child looks forward to because of the adventures and activities that await them. You might even secretly look forward to it just to get a brief respite from parenting. In either case, it’s useful to remember that summer camp can shape your child in many different ways. Knowing how it can shape your child will help you find the right summer camps.
Mental Stillness
Kids can have much busier schedules than you think, and through most of them, they’re actually rather helpless and completely dependent upon adults for many things. As much as they yearn to be like adults, knowing they’re not grown up yet can be very stressful. Throw in a lot of television and social media time, and their minds can be very hectic places. Summer camp is a chance for their minds to slow down and even find some sense of calm. This is useful in helping them develop long-term memories that retain some of what they learned as young kids.
Making Friends
Summer camp friendships might not last past the actual summer camp, but it’s always great for children to develop their social skills. They’ll need to make new sets of friends in every stage of life. Hopefully, they’ll get good enough at it to make some truly lifelong relationships along the way.
Independence
Whether it’s Galileo Learning or a full week of camp away from the family, your child is going to spend time away from you. While they should be in an environment where they are safe and cared for, they won’t have you around for a while. This will help them develop some sense of independence that proves useful later in life.
Fun
Perhaps the most vital thing that summer camp can do for your kid is give them a chance to have fun. They might be getting older to the point that they don’t have lots of unstructured playtimes anymore. They can still benefit from having as much fun as possible. This is especially true if it’s during their break from the school year. And with the right camp, they can have fun, and continue to learn at the same time!
Many different things will shape your child into the adult they eventually become. However, summer camp might not be one of the things you think about as formative experiences go. Knowing different ways how summer camp might shape your child helps you pick the right ones for them to go to.
