The Benefits of Overnight Youth Camps: Explained
Overnight youth camps, also known as ‘summer camps,’ are not simply a way to get the kids out of the house. They offer plenty of advantages for parents and the kids.
Let’s start with the basics, and then we’ll delve into the more complex and long-term advantages of overnight youth camps as we go.
Developing Lifelong Skills
The whole premise of going to overnight youth camps is the variety of group activities that your kid will take a part in.
For instance, your child may participate in team-based sports like basketball or volleyball. This way, your child will intuitively learn how to work with teammates for a common goal. They’ll also face communication challenges, and start solving problems on their own.
Another great lifelong skill that will be nurtured during a sleepaway camp would be leadership skills. This is one of the soft skills that (almost) all employers ask to see in their potential employees.
Your kid will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills. They do this by guiding their teammates on a hike or dividing up chores equally across their new friends.
Sure, kids can also learn social skills in school. However, in the middle of a competitive and academic-based environment, the focus tends to be on grades. The student’s personal development takes a back seat.
Your children will need a different environment to promote a deeper sense of community and appreciation for everyone’s unique qualities.
Develops a Sense of Independence
Ever heard of helicopter parenting?
Basically, it’s when parents plan for every single step in their kids’ lives. This can be harmful as children need some space to breathe and make their own decisions.
Helicopter parenting tends to lead to a lot of developmental problems as well as a lack of identity-forming experiences.
When your kids get to stay away from their comfort zone for a little while, they start becoming more self-reliant out of necessity. Then, they’ll begin enjoying the experience and explore a variety of interests.
They’ll start trusting their own judgment. Instead of always depending on an authority figure (parent or teacher) to lead them to the right choice.
What’s great about camp is it’s a gentle teacher via experiences, while remaining in a safe environment. Your child is free to make mistakes and learn from them without any harm.
After all, there’s no undo button in real life. But, with camp, your kid gets to enjoy a rather realistic simulation of the real world and learn how to make good decisions.
Nurtures Resiliency
Take a quick look at the sheer scope of cyberbullying and other forms of internet threats our kids face daily. It’s obvious that resiliency is now more important for our children’s mental health than ever before.
After any kind of setback, our kids need to be able to dust themselves up and push forward. In camp, there will be a multitude of opportunities for your kid to fail and learn to overcome challenges.
For example, they might lose their first soccer game. All that will do is give them a higher drive to succeed and become better players.
In addition to highlighting the importance of continuous effort, the overnight camp has a way of teaching children to believe in themselves and their own abilities.
After all, there’s the absence of parental hovering in overnight camps. This can force kids to start spreading their wings and learn how to fly.
This can be done by learning new skillsets and exploring new hobbies, all with the ever-present support system of camping friends and buddies.
Boosts Self-Confidence
One way or another, stress is going to be a part of your kid’s life. Thankfully, one of the elements that can cut down stress from the roots before it fully forms is a high degree of self-confidence or self-esteem.
The main ingredient to building a solid sense of self-esteem is by having the opportunity to achieve something.
For example, say your kid is interested in fishing or drawing by getting involved in a gently competitive environment. They get to develop both new skills and a deeper appreciation towards their own abilities once they’re showcased and compared with others in their peer groups.
It’s not only about having an easier time making friends in school but having self-confidence is the main factor in the way we make life decisions. After all, your kid will grow and have to make important decisions regarding their academics, their relationships, and their career options.
They can’t truly make the right decisions without having an innate sense of self-confidence and assigning value to themselves based on achievement and hard work.
Picking the Right Overnight Youth Camps?
Now that you’ve become familiar with the benefits of sending your kiddo to overnight camp, it’s time to nail down the key factors you want to consider when you’re shopping around for the perfect youth camp.
Start With Interests
Is your child into music? or are they rather artsy? Maybe they’re more into coding and the tech world or even gaming.
Whatever your child is passionate about, you’ll want to pick an overnight camp that has that interest in spades.
If there isn’t something specific, you can always go for a general camp. Those will have a plethora of different activities for your kid to explore and figure out their preferences.
Your Kid’s Personality
Your kid might be more outgoing, or more reserved in nature. You’ll want to pick the camp’s size and structure based on your child’s personality.
For instance, kiddos that are more reserved might do a lot better in camps that are small in size and are made of smaller groups.
On the other hand, maybe your kid is outgoing and is always interested in making new friends, so bigger camps might just be the ticket.
Unlocking the Benefits of Overnight Youth Camps
We know that it can be a bit overwhelming, especially for parents who are sending their kids to overnight youth camps for the first time, to pick the right camp for their child’s needs.
Hopefully, our exploratory guide into the advantages of overnight camps has shed some light on the sheer size of opportunities for your child’s personal development.
If you enjoyed this article, you’ll want to check out our kids and parenting section for the tips and advice you could need on your parenting journey.
