Heading off to camp each summer gets kids excited. They know there’s a wealth of benefits to enjoy, and they’ll have lots of fun learning and playing with new friends at camp. This experience also benefits parents, as they relax knowing their children are safe and sound. At summer camps for kids, youngsters try new things, grow in self-confidence and extend their learning beyond the school year. KidzToPros’ (KTP) local summer camps accomplish this by joining communities and partnering with local schools, recreational centers and educated staff, while parents work or tend to other responsibilities. 

Summer camps benefit students in many other ways, as well. Read on for all the details, and consider how sending your children to camp might help them reap some of the following benefits. 

1. They’re Educational

When kids head off to summer camp, they’re ready for carefree days spent playing sports, performing, drawing or making video games. But they’re also looking forward to some time away from the stress and demands of the school year. 

Camp differs from school in several ways. For instance, instructors don’t assign homework. They don’t give tests over what kids learn, and campers don’t have to spend their evenings studying. 

But that doesn’t mean kids aren’t learning – even if they don’t realize it. Summer camps engage students in social-emotional learning, which is vital for academic and professional success. At KidzToPros’ local summer camps, we make sure kids feel a sense of community, set end goals for themselves, and learn to solve problems effectively. They then take these important life lessons back to school with them in the fall, making them better learners, as well.

Summer camp also helps prevent learning loss. Every summer, kids lose knowledge without intellectual stimulation. But not at KidzToPros’ camps! Our campers read, plan, think critically, solve problems, reflect on their learning, and keep their brains working all summer long. 

2. Campers Learn New Skills

During KidzToPros’ camps for kids, campers learn something new almost every day. For instance, while playing soccer or basketball, kids learn how to work within a team, communicate with other players, and do their part to achieve goals together. 

Some campers develop public speaking skills by performing a comedy skit for friends. Others develop computer programming skills by creating new code or inventions. Still others create beautiful graphics and drawings for their own websites. The possibilities are nearly endless! 

3. Kids Handle Tricky Situations

Facing new situations and persevering through them isn’t easy, especially when they require advanced thinking and some grit. Campers must feel comfortable asking for support, learning new points of view, and understanding that it’s OK to fail. KTP’s local summer camps encourage this growth mindset and help youngsters gain the confidence they need to keep trying.

Supportive camp coaches and instructors work hard to model appropriate behavior, encourage kids, and celebrate wins with gusto, whether campers are learning a new ball-handling skill or how to communicate more effectively. In fact, every day brings another opportunity for endurance, persistance and negotiation. Kids leave camp knowing they’ve endured, grown and become better students, as a result.

This also applies to situations regarding homesickness. It’s perfectly natural for kids to miss their families at camp, especially little ones who’ve never spent a chunk of time away from home. With the help of caring staff and peers, campers work through their feelings, realize they’re natural and expected, and understand they’re safe and secure in this new environment. 

4. Youngsters Gain Independence

When should you start letting go and giving your kids the independence to make their own decisions? 

Summer camp with KTP is a great time to start! Being away from laptops, phones and parents fosters independence and gets children thinking for themselves, trusting their own decisions and understanding what they’re truly capable of. For instance, they can memorize a scene for a film. They can make a soccer goal with enough practice. They can program a robot all on their own. 

As campers build independence, they learn to hold themselves accountable and take control of their lives and learning. And that makes everyone feel good! 

5. Students Improve Organizational Skills

If your child struggles to get and stay organized, take heart! Summer camps help kids learn how to organize their thoughts, create and follow plans to reach their goals, and set up ways to keep themselves on track in the process. Doing so keeps them motivated and moving forward.

At KidzToPros’ camps for kids, students become experts at monitoring and regulating themselves, whether working on a coding project, setting up the ball to score a shot in soccer, or  preparing themselves to perform on stage. They learn to follow a process that helps them succeed every time! With enough practice, they apply these same organizational skills to the rest of the lives, leading to graduation from high school, employment, and physical and mental health as adults.

6. Followers Become Leaders

Good leaders learn to assess strengths and weaknesses. They also understand how to delegate, motivate others, and organize everyone under them. 

KTP campers practice management and leadership skills that help them long after camp is over. Knowing how to direct, inspire and work in teams proves critical in high school, college and life, and makes summer camp an invaluable experience and place to grow.

7. Campers Cultivate Real Relationships

Kids often go to school with other children like them, so they have limited contact with peers outside their age group and socioeconomic status. At camp, however, students meet and work with peers from a larger geographical area. They select activities they’re interested in and make friends with others who have those same or similar interests. This sets them up for more meaningful interactions and like-minded relationship-building, skills they need as they grow.

Get Ready for School

Summer camps will be winding down soon, so don’t miss this chance to give your children all the benefits that KTP camps for kids have to offer. Help them learn, grow, develop friendships and build memories that make them better students in the fall. Enroll your kids in local summer camps today!