Many of us attended summer camps growing up, and still have vivid memories of time spent there. The good news is that today’s summer camps are on a whole new level, offering kids a wider variety of activities, under more highly trained supervision, for a uniquely unforgettable experience.
Summer camp is a unique and wonderful experience leading to lifelong skills and memories.
If you’re considering a Denver summer camp experience for your children, we encourage you to explore the possibilities. You can be confident that your decision to send your children to camp will be an excellent one for both them and for you. Here are the top seven reasons to send your child to camp this summer.
1. It Helps Kids Develop Their Independence
Spending time away from their parents helps children develop healthy levels of autonomy. In fact, many children come home from camp with greater self-confidence due to having conquered new challenges on their own. Kids at camp are empowered to look after themselves, yet have a full schedule guided by counselors. A great Denver summer camp experience teaches kids how to trust themselves and the decisions they make. This benefits them and the family unit as a whole once they return home.
2. It Offers Opportunities to Improve Self-Esteem
Summer camp teaches kids how to approach people and connect with them, including children their own age, as well as counselors and instructors. Plus, with each new skill a child learns at camp, their confidence grows. Camp provides children with a great opportunity to define themselves apart from the classroom and family roles they’re accustomed to, and many kids thrive with this opportunity, becoming more outgoing and confident.
3. It Exposes Them to Richer Human Diversity
Maybe your child has grown up within the same school system, and that’s great for consistency and stability. What camp offers, however, is exposure to a greater range of human diversity. Not only will they meet kids they wouldn’t have met otherwise, but they will also work with instructors and counselors from a variety of backgrounds. This exposure to diversity broadens kids’ horizons and helps them appreciate the wide range of human experiences. They’ll go back to their familiar school and home environments having enriched their own background.
4. It Can Lead to Lifelong Friendships and Memories
Some of the strongest, longest lasting friendships develop at summer camps. Kids may not see the same faces every summer, but they still are in an environment that is conducive to teamwork and connection. And when kids do return to camp and see some of the friends they made in previous years, it only adds to the sense of excitement and adventure about what this year’s camp experience will bring.
5. They Can Discover New Interests and Aptitudes
Camp gives children opportunities to try activities they may never have tried otherwise.
A child may not realize how much they love a particular sport until they’re taught how to play at camp. Likewise, children can discover a passion for drama, music, and artistic projects that they would never have known about if it weren’t for camp. Seeing a child discover a new interest and excel at it is great for parents. It helps them better guide their children during the rest of the year, when they’re choosing school electives and extracurricular activities. The right Denver summer camp can light a fire inside your child, igniting a new drive to excel.
6. They Can “Disconnect” and Participate in Physical Activities
How often does your child really disconnect, with no constant electronic connection to seemingly everyone and everything? If you had the experience of going to camp growing up, you probably remember the unique joy of being part of a cohesive group, yet being apart from the rest of the world for a while. It’s something that many kids today don’t get to experience, and we think summer camp is the perfect opportunity to put the mobile devices away and enjoy other activities wholeheartedly.
7. We’ll Admit It: Camp Gives Parents and Kids a Break from Each Other
Summers can sometimes grow boring or strained as day after day dawns with kids wondering what they can do and parents trying to keep their kids occupied and entertained. It’s especially challenging in families where both parents have full-time jobs. Summer camp makes sense for a lot of reasons, and we don’t mind admitting that many parents love camp because it gives them a break and gives them the very real gift of missing their kids and anticipating their return.
Summer camp can shape kids’ experiences in ways that school attendance and family vacations can’t. The right Denver summer camp is an exciting experience led by committed counselors and staff who are devoted to giving children an unforgettable summer learning, playing and growing as people. If you are interested in sending your children to a Denver summer camp, click here to go to Colorado Academy’s summer programs registration page. It’s step one to planning a great summer for your kids.