Why summer camp is important for young children
There are countless reasons why summer camp is important, but here are five reasons why you should invest in summer camp to benefit your young child’s continued education and development – while having a summer-long adventure of fun, creativity, and friendship.
Within a safe and loving environment, summer camp allows children to build cognitive and social skills for greater creativity, independence, responsibility, teamwork, and long-lasting friendships with happy memories that last a lifetime.
1. Exercising communication and social skills
Participating in summer camp brings children together to learn and play, building a community of shared experiences and engagement to help develop their interpersonal skills. The social connection with other children helps develop their identity and fosters independence, confidence and self-reliance in interacting socially.
2. Enjoying outdoor activities instead of screen time
According to Medline Plus, most American children spend approximately three hours a day watching TV, plus additional screen time on a computer or playing video games for a total of five to seven hours per day. Too much screen time and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to sleeplessness, attention problems, anxiety, depression, and obesity. It’s recommended that screen time be limited to one to two hours for day for children over age two.
Breathing fresh air and enjoying outdoor activities is a healthier choice for young children, both physically and mentally. Actively engaging in team sports, swimming, walking, and running stimulates the brain and exercises muscles to strengthen your child. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), regular physical activity can help children improve fitness, build strong bones and muscles, keep children healthy, and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
3. Building friendships and relationships
One of the key benefits of summer camp is friendship and relationship-building. At summer camp, children are encouraged to work together as part of a team to help develop communication skills, emotional intelligence, and leadership in working collaboratively with others. Learning the value of teamwork and friendships are important life lessons that will enrich your child and prepare them for actively being part of a community, whether at home or school, for many years to come.
4. Gaining self-esteem and confidence
As children engage in a fun, active environment and learn new skills independently, they develop self-reliance and self-esteem, giving them the confidence to explore and master new creative and educational pursuits, while navigating social situations successfully.
5. Learning through hands-on, theme-oriented activities
With the freedom to discover new activities and interests, children find their own voice, make decisions independently, and learn new talents and strengths. Activities such as drama, painting, cooking, math and science, encourage creative thinking and problem solving. Summer camp helps children become more well-rounded, spurring a sense of accomplishment. They realize that the joy of learning is a life-long pursuit.
For over 50 years, Apple Montessori’s Summer Camp has offered young children a fun, healthy and stimulating learning experience that builds on the education of the school year with knowledge that stimulates greater engagement for student achievement and success.
Each day is filled with immersive, interactive activities, including daily swimming lessons, hands-on computer and robotics programs, music, drama, arts, cooking, sports, educational Montessori materials and resources, plus much more! Most locations offer daily swim lessons with Red Cross-certified instructors, and for other locations, campers enjoy water-play activities with splash pads or sprinklers. For our Hoboken locations, we offer off-site swim lessons taught by certified lifeguards. All summer long, you can trust that your child is learning in a safe, nurturing, loving environment.
Our Camp Programs include:
- Innovators & Explorers: Hands-on lab experiments and other STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) activities
- Crafts & Creations: Weekly themes to discover artistic capabilities
- Tech Time: Computer-based activities, including a coding & robotics program
- Montessori Connections: Daily lessons including practical life skills, math, sensorial, language, science and geography
- All-Star Action: Games and exercises designed for the theme of the week
- Young Chefs: Learning the joys of cooking with their own creations
“Summer camp, rooted in the Montessori model, reinforces and builds upon the growth achieved during the academic year. The quality of instruction and care provided in AMS summer camp is top-notch. As a parent, I find it invaluable to know that my child is not only in great hands during the summer months but is also learning and having fun!” ― Laurie D.
Give your child a summer to remember! Learn more.
