When school breaks for Thanksgiving or Christmas, it is a popular time to hit the road or board an airplane to visit family in different parts of the country.

But with COVID-19 cases spiking across the country, travel is being put on hold for many families. According to SEMrush, an online analytics company, online searches for “holiday travel” were down 43 percent from last year. 

With travel off the table, parents are seeking new ways to keep their children engaged and entertained while school is out of session.

KidzToPros and other education providers across the country are offering new programs to engage kids, teach them new skills and offer opportunities to socialize.. Holiday Camps pack all of the excitement and learning of traditional summer camp into a few days, keeping kids happy, healthy and safe while schools are on break.

Benefits of participating in online or on-campus Holiday Camps

Holiday Camps are designed to be fun for kids while also helping develop critical thinking skills, creativity and social skills. There are many benefits — for parents and children alike — to enrolling in an upcoming Holiday Camp.

Support for Working Families

The holidays should be merry and bright. But for working families, they can be a source of stress and anxiety as parents attempt to coordinate school holidays with their own work schedule. 

According to one survey, 60 percent of working mothers said school holidays make it challenging to focus on work and achieve their usual work performance. That stress often remains even after the workday is over, casting a shadow over the holiday festivities.

Holiday Camps keep children engaged and entertained during the workday so families can enjoy quality time this Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Socialization

Although cell phones and social media can help students connect outside of school, nothing replaces real-time interaction with peers — whether on a screen or in person.

Relationships and friendships play a key role in a child’s development, and Holiday Camps allow children to maintain their existing friendships or form new ones.

According to an American Camp Association survey of more than 5,000 families in the U.S., 96 percent of campers said that attending camp helped them make new friends. Camps also encourage children to get to know kids from different backgrounds and with different interests, expanding their social circle and their worldview. 

Critical-Thinking Skills

Child development expert Ellen Galinsky lists critical thinking as one of the most essential life skills needed by every child. 

Solid critical thinking skills help students in every aspect of life, from friendships to tackling the complex problems of the future. Critical thinking involves analyzing, reflecting, problem solving and evaluating.

Holiday Camps are intentionally designed to promote critical thinking. Students are given opportunities to create their own projects and explore their curiosity. 

Creativity

Studies have proven the benefit of arts education for kids. According to a Brookings Institute study, students who participate in arts classes score 13 percent better on standardized writing assessments and are 3.6 percent less likely to get in trouble at school.

Art helps kids explore their creativity, build their self-esteem and develop compassion for others. For young learners, completing arts and crafts can help enhance fine-motor skills.

Physical Fitness

The World Health Organization recommends that kids receive at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day, and Holiday Camps help kids meet that target. Many camps incorporate fitness into fun games based on soccer, basketball or other sports.

In addition to boosting physical fitness, participating in sports and other active play has been shown to have academic and mental benefits.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “physical activity can have an impact on cognitive skills and attitudes and academic behavior, all of which are important components of improved academic performance. These include enhanced concentration and attention as well as improved classroom behavior.”

Confidence Boost

As campers develop new skills, their self-esteem is also getting a boost. Camps provide a safe and supportive environment for students to try something new without the fear of failure holding them back.

Kids will beam with pride when they finish their first origami crane or build their first website. That newfound confidence will carry over into the rest of their life, empowering them to do their best and take on more challenges.

How to sign up for a KidzToPros Holiday Camp

Whether you’re a working parent, need some time to yourself to wrap gifts and prepare large meals at home, or just want your child to remain engaged during school break, KidzToPros Holiday Camps can help.

KidzToPros offers two types of Holiday Camps near Thanksgiving and Christmas that are designed to keep kids engaged and learning while school is out of session. 

Both the on-campus and online camps are taught by KidzToPros’ professional and passionate instructors who help campers gain new skills, build their confidence and meet new friends. 

On-campus

On-campus Holiday Camps are offered at more than a dozen schools and parks throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Each day includes an engaging mix of activities to keep kids engaged, happy and safe during the holiday breaks.

The on-campus sessions bring together KidzToPros’ most popular activities for an exciting mix of STEM, Sports and Arts:

• Play It All! Sports gets kids up and moving through soccer, basketball, tennis and more.
• Campers get creative by drawing, painting in watercolors or mastering the art of origami.
• Daily coding and robotics challenges teach new skills that will provide lifelong value.

Holiday Camps take place Nov. 23-25 (Thanksgiving), Dec. 21-23 (Winter Break Camp 1) and Dec. 28-30 (Winter Break Camp 2). 

Online

Online Holiday Camps bring KidzToPros’ best-in-class curriculum to kids anywhere in the world. The online sessions are live and interactive. Small class sizes allow students to socialize and collaborate with their peers while still receiving individualized attention from an instructor.

Camps are offered online three days a week for two hours. 

Children in Grades K-1 can choose from combo sessions that feature two topics from STEM, Arts and Sports. 

Camps for Grades 2-3, Grades 4-5 and Grades 6-8 cover only one topic so students can take a deeper dive into the content, which ranges from anime art skills and origami to Esports coaching and graphic design.