Summer camps are awesome for a child’s overall development and independent living. There are ample reasons on why we must put our kids to summer camps every year. And there are several benefits each camp brings to a child’s development. But Overnight camps need some careful examination and research as not every age is appropriate for them. Here are some pros and cons of Overnight camp which would help us in deciding about their feasibility for our children.
[Read: Is my child ready for Overnight camp]
Pros and cons of overnight camp:
Times have changed from summer camps being just wilderness immersion to now more structured and academically enriching ones. With increasing competition every parent wants their child to benefit from activities which would benefit in the years ahead. The idea of camps for fun has changed to a more intellectually inspiring one. And with increasing challenges at competitive exams, the need for preparing well in advance is justified.
Some Pros of overnight camps include:
1- Overnight camps help in becoming independent:
Children become independent too soon when they join Overnight camps. From morning till night they are responsible for their own activities. They take charge for what they would wear, how they would eat and what they will play. No more helicopter parenting now, and kids are getting more and more self-confident too
2- Making friends for life:
Overnight camp friends are generally the most treasured of all friendships in life. The situation in which kids are bonding makes for a wonderful friendship. They are learning to take charge of their daily activities and deciding most of their day. And looking at other kids in their situation helps them in connecting well
[Read: Fun things to bring to summer camps]
3- Focussed camps:
Overnight camps are focussed camps and they groom and enrich the child in that particular activity or subject. When children stay at overnight camps, they get a detailed learning of the activity in an organized manner.
4- Instills self-confidence:
Overnight camps instill self-confidence in children. They take charge of their own self. Their daily activities are decided by them. And they begin getting more and more self-confident. They start believing in their own strengths and potential.
[Read: First time camping tips and tricks]
5- Focussed training:
Overnight camps are structured in a manner that focusses on complete training on the subject in hand. They have fewer distractions and undivided learning about the opted activity. This gives an edge to such camps as value derived from them is immense.
6- Children get some time off technology:
Time off technology and electronic devices is extremely important for them to get nature connect and enjoy the real world activities. As a parent born in the 80’s i certainly recommend disconnecting from technology for improved understanding of self, people around and activities.
7- Experience success and develop life long skills:
Overnight camps help in developing life long skills like leadership, management, coordination, problem solving and decision making. These skills are truly important for the child and their overall development.
8- Physical activities:
With the technological advancements children get lesser time for fitness and activities outdoors. These overnight camps have structured some physical activities during the day which keeps the kids active and fit.
[Read: Summer camp behavior management guidelines]
Some cons of overnight camps include:
1- Overnight camps are expensive:
The financial constraints are sometimes too challenging for parents. As these camps are extremely high on parental expenditure. Some of these camps make budgeting crisis and thus despite their benefits parents can not afford to send their child every year.
2- Reduced family time:
With overnight camps children are forced to stay away from home, this reduces their family bonding time. Some may even start disliking family times after attending overnight camps and enjoying there. Which is a serious issue. The child must get ample time with family and relatives for unconditional family love and care.
3- Missing the fun activities which are enriching too:
Spending entire summer at overnight camps make the child miss those family board games, park fun, trips with family, library and museum getaways and many more activities which are extremely important for their overall development.
4- Some summer camps are over-rated:
With the flow we sometimes end up picking an average camp with high expenses. The over-rated reviews and marketing makes us get trapped and choose the wrong overnight camp for our child.
[Read: All inclusive packing list for summer camps]
5- Homesickness:
Children become more and more homesick by attending overnight camps. They may not like staying away from family but since we have opted for these camps, they are bound to attend. This may even make them sad and upset.
6- Adopt bad behavior:
Overnight camps have kids from diverse geographies and backgrounds. This is the time kids stay together all day and night. This makes them learn from each other through interactions and associations. Children adopt bad behavior too quickly, and there is not parental check or control to contain them.
7- Less time to study:
By attending overnight camps kids get less time to study during their summers. This hits their academic scores and progress also. And after returning from camps, kids are too involved in sharing the stories of their wonderful camps away, that this delays academic routine
8- Overnight camps may also cause health issues:
These camps are away from the health and hygiene conditions of home. Mostly they are amid the wild, this causes a lot of health issues to the children too. There must be strict adherence to food standards and medicare to ensure uninterrupted health and safety of children.
The above compilation on What are the Pros and cons of overnight camp, is based on readings and learnings overtime. Though there are some cons but overnight camps are a part of development for our child, so it is important to wisely opt for the camps. Do not force your child into anything in particular, just let them decide. Be sure to check reviews and meet the camp coordinators before picking any camp.
Check campnavigator for an exclusive list of summer camp and other summer programs. These are sure to enrich your child’s summer.
By Minu Manisha
