Getting outfitted for outdoors

Rithu Dravid

It is summertime and if you are wondering how your children are going to spend the hot days at home then summer camp is your answer.

What do children learn at a summer camp? These camps are a good way to encourage children to go outside their comfort zone and get involved in activities such as swimming, dramatics, music, and wilderness exploration.

Until recently, summer holidays simply meant finishing homework and a visit to the grandparents’ homes. However, parents have begun to realise the importance of camp activities for kids. Not only do these camps encourage children to socialise and make new friends, they even help them learn new skills. “A yearly break is all that my daughters wait for. The academic year is so stressful and without time for leisure activities, it gets mundane. They always look forward to these camps,” says Amitha.

Summer camps also give children something structured to do during the holiday months thus keeping boredom at bay.

Learning new things, meeting new people and having fun is what a perfect summer camp offers. It is more than a way to spend the holidays; it teaches a child many new skills.

A typical day at a summer camp involves waking up early, getting lots of physical activity, eating meals together and spending the majority of your time outdoors. “My son is so glued to his phone during his holidays that I have to forcefully snatch it away from him, and pack him off to a summer camp,” says Tanya.

Parents find that summer camps encourage children to develop new interests and have a positive learning experience. Camps help children learn skills that can have a lasting psychological impact on their development.

“At camps children are always on their feet, engaging in team sports, or just playing outside with other kids,” says Lee, a camp coach. At these camps, kids get to bond with their peers while participating in activities. When a child realises how much fun any physical activity can be, it’s much easier to get them off the couch, and out of the door.

For 12-year-old Carol, the skills she acquired at the summer camps she had attended are now being put to use in the schoolyard. “To a timid child like me, the camps gave me a huge confidence boost. I was very shy to take part in summer camps, and now I am one of the most outgoing people,” she says.

These camps reinforce independence in children by enabling them to be creative and also physically fit.

Summer camps not only offer children the tools to entertain themselves, but also build their imagination. “Academics are so competition driven. At camps, winning or losing is never the focus. Kids set their boundaries and this helps them in their overall growth,” says Fatima.

Summer camps are a great way of killing two birds with one stone: not only do children get a much-needed break from books, but also get to have fun in the sun.