When it comes to stringing together wonderful experiences for your children this summer, imagine the beads that would go on a charm bracelet for each of your kids. Which beads best represent your child’s interests: A soccer ball, a book, and a pair of hiking boots? Or perhaps a fairy wand, ballet slippers, and a teacup? No matter what the collection of interests, gather up some regional guides, hop online and conduct searches, and ask friends what they have planned for their kids. You are going on a summer activity hunt.
As millions of children across the country head off to day and overnight camps this summer, they’ll return home with more than just a cute camp T-shirt. The summer camp experience can give kids an advantage in school and in life. Here’s how camp benefits kids.
A mistake parents can make when choosing a camp is confusing their child’s needs with their own needs. If you want your child to be happy at camp, focus on who they are rather than on who you were as a camper. Your goal is to create a harmonious relationship between each of your children and the camp experience, not for your child to follow in your well-worn hiking boots.
Growing up in South Africa, sleepover camps weren’t nearly as popular as they are in North America. (Or maybe it was just me who didn’t care to know much about them.) I hated the idea of not having a washroom in my cabin and having to make my way to one with only a flashlight to guide me. And I didn’t want to sit around campfires listening to ghost stories that I feared would keep me awake at night.
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