Benefits of Summer Camps for Children
Summer is loading! It is a great time for inviting summer camps into our lives for our children. We know that parents always want the best for their kids. Good health, ability to build strong relations with others, thinking and problem-solving skills, and good self-concept are some of the features that parents wish for their children. Besides them, kids also need self-esteem, life skills, and pro-social behaviors. The summer camp environment of Hub21 offers a nurturing atmosphere away from the distractions to build up such skills with its rich educational content. Here are just a few of the everlasting benefits of summer camps.
Socializing and Making New Friends
One of the most important benefits of summer camps for kids is to make new friends. We often hear that children mainly interact with adults when they are not in school. Not only do adults develop valuable skills through socializing, but also kids need to interact with their peers to share, setting boundaries, being team players and problem-solvers. In Hub21’s summer camps, kids reunite with their peers in hands-on projects. They learn how to build strong and healthy relationships with the same age group outside of their school. With this safe environment led by tech-savvy and trained tutors, children develop social skills and decision-making skills while exploring the great outdoors. Building new relationships during this summer would be more beneficial than staying alone playing on their tablets or computers!
Personal Growth, Learning, and Development
A study made by American Camp Association (ACA, 2015) provides scientific evidence that summer camps are a positive force in youth development. Parents, camp staff, and children themselves reported a significant growth in their four domains: Positive Identity, Social Skills, Physical & Thinking Skills, and Positive Values. The overall results of this study suggest that summer camp typically benefits children in the following ways:
- Kids become more confident and experience increased self-esteem.
- Kids develop more social skills that help them make new friends.
- Kids grow more independent and show more leadership skills.
- Kids become more adventurous and willing to try new things.
For example, in our camps, kids are free to create and rethink each project the way they want. The positive effect of freedom, helps students develop their self-esteem and decision-making skills.
While talking about growing social skills in the summer camps, the study highlighted leadership, friendship skills, social comfort, and peer-to-peer learning. We designed Hub21 summer camps with near-pear mentoring so our tutors are always here to encourage our students to start over if they fail. As a result, children gain social comfort and self-confidence to pursue their goals!
Children also have the opportunity to develop their scientific thinking skills in Hub21’s Summer Camps. As Hub21, we build our programs on the basis of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) besides all the content that is enriched by student’s interests. And STEM gains its power from its objectives aiming to give light to students about adventure & exploration with environmental awareness.
Positive Role Models
When children are surrounded by positive role models — near pear mentoring — they learn in a very efficient way. When the tutors of camp are younger adults as we have in Hub21, they seem energetic and ‘cool’ from the kids’ side. Often, young tutors are found to be more relatable than their own parents. :) Kids have a chance to dream how their lives will look in just a few years when they look at their ‘cool camp tutor’ and if the tutor has integrity and a good character, your child is likely to emulate them, too. It also gives children or teenagers ‘a sense of community’ while working with others. The formation of these role model relationships can help kids to develop the confidence, self-esteem, and skills they need to be successful in school and life. Overall, the more healthy, positive adult relationships that a child or youth has in their life, the more likely they are to thrive in all areas, long after summer camp has ended.
Sources:
https://www.all4kids.org/news/blog/top-benefits-of-summer-camp-for-children/
UK Company Number: 13406905