There’s just something about summer camp that plays a role in a child’s formative years. Think about it, after months of dogging it through the routine of school, homework, and, at least to a child’s mind, an endless barrage of chores, the prospect of summer camp represents freedom and adventure in a way they have never known before. Sure, kids across North America can find adventure in their own backyards, but summer camp represents a time filled with new experiences – away from home.
Each summer, millions of parents send their kids off to summer camp, but considering how busy our daily lives have become and the ever-decreasing amount of family time we have available to us, one must beg the question – why not join them?
Summer Bonding Options
As the snow melts away and spring returns, it’s often time to start considering where to go and what to do for a family vacation. Many parents will rent a cottage for a week or two, others may decide to rough it even more and either throw up a tent in the woods or sleep beneath the stars.
While these are equally good opportunities to bond as a family, there are a few downsides to consider.
Planning Activities
The wonders found in many of the National, State, or Provincial parks are something every child should be exposed to. But regardless of whether you’ve secured a cabin or are pitching a tent, you’re still going to need to keep your kids entertained, which as parents know, is no small feat.
For many, the responsibility of planning enough activities to fill a day (let alone a week) can really put a dampener on the vacation – at least where parents are concerned. More often than not, parents might feel as though duties like organizing activities and preparing meals diminishes the time they have to spend one on one with their kids while on vacation.
Tagging along to a family-oriented summer camp takes the pressure of the activity coordinator away from the parent – allowing you to unwind and truly enjoy the time you have with your family. What’s more, these programmes can be full of activities you simply wouldn’t be able to organize on your own, so it will surely be a fun experience for you too.
Summer Camps: Benefits to Parents
Imagine the amount of work involved in scheduling horseback riding, archery classes, and swimming all in one day. These are just a sample of the typical activities found at any number of summer camps. Enrolling your child in a summer camp means you don’t have to figure out the logistics of getting them from one activity to the next – they’re all in one convenient location – and your family has access to all of them.
Food too, can be a hassle to organize when spending a week or two away from home. Summer camps not only take the pressure of scheduling activities off the parent, they also remove the responsibility of preparing meals. It might not sound like much, but not having to worry about meal prep and clean-up can free up several hours a day, increasing the amount of family time you have at your disposal.
Witness Your Child Grow
We’ve already mentioned that camp is a place where your kids come face to face with new and exciting challenges. But unlike family-oriented camps, parents with children attending traditional camps must often wait until the child returns home to hear of their personal victories. While proud of their child’s accomplishments, parents could nonetheless feel as though they’ve missed some of the accomplishments and experiences that will go on to shape their child.
It goes without saying that tagging along to camp with your child will allow you to witness their growth firsthand; and as their formative years are so short, many parents feel as though they should experience as much as possible.
Can’t Afford a Week Away? There Are Still Options
If your work schedule simply won’t permit an extended vacation away from home, consider other family bonding activities like tennis or drama camps. Both these and other similar programmes are open to child and parent alike and provide an activity that the entire family can enjoy and learn from together.
Photo Credits
Campers at Rudd Pond – Wikimedia Creative Commons
Hiking trails around Lake Mohonk – Wikimedia Creative Commons
Guest Author Bio
John Berwick
John Berwick may be a Technical Writer by trade, but he enjoys blogging and voicing his opinion on a wide variety of topics more than anything else in the world. He has written for many different sectors including health care, software development, security, marketing, and e-commerce industries.
Visit John’s Site: John Berwick Freelance
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