We’ve got plenty of great day trips in mind for summer 2016, and there’s a simple way to let your child get first dibs on which ones to enjoy.
Consider using your tax refund to sign up.
Summer camp is a structured environment designed to keep your child safe and feeling secure while providing the downtime needed to be creative, have fun, gain skills and build a circle of friends. It helps your child develop what psychologists call social intelligence, which has two parts: social awareness and social facility.
Social awareness is when your child is in tune with his or her own inner world, which includes thoughts and feelings. When someone is socially aware, he or she can feel empathy with others. Social facility refers to how someone uses social awareness to interact with others. And, according to this article, summer camp allows children to develop both sides of social intelligence. As they are introduced to new people and given a chance to practice socializing with them, they gain skills that can help them during the rest of their lives.
Here’s how New York Metro Parents describes the experience: “What makes it so exciting is that you’re doing it on your own, making friends with kids whose parents Mom and Dad don’t even know! Taking part in the traditions of chanting, singing, and clapping—an oral history that is handed down from child to child. There’s no parent telling you from the sideline what a great job you’re doing. Kids take ownership of the whole experience, and this shapes their identity and their character.”
And in this Internet-intensive world of 2016, it’s also a great way for your child to disconnect. “None of us thinks we can live without electronics. We’re all completely hooked. So it’s useful for kids to see and know that we can survive without electronics.”
It’s hard to believe, but summer is just around the corner. We’d love to talk to you about your summer camp needs. Please let us know if you have questions about the benefits of prepaying for your child’s summer camp activity fees. It’s going to be a great summer!