Summer can be a blessing and a curse for family wellness. Sure, your kids are a lot happier now they have nothing to do, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t! It might be tempting to stick them in front of the TV so you can get your work done, but this could have a serious impact on their wellbeing. Research shows that children whose wellness is at risk for obesity tend to gain weight more rapidly when they are out of school in the summer, so how can you get your kids to be more physically active and enjoy their school holidays at the same time?
In the US, more than 11 million children attend summer camp, be it during the day or overnight. Not only does camp allow your kids to have fun while you get your work done, but it also gives your children the opportunity to hone in their life-skills and enhance their cognitive and behavioural development. However, it can be difficult to send your child off to summer camp – especially if you don’t know if they are ready. According to Bob Ditter, M.Ed., LCSW, who has worked with children’s summer camps since 1982, ‘There are some six and seven year-olds who march eagerly off to camp without a problem, while some eleven year-olds cower with a fear of becoming homesick.’
However, it’s healthy for your children to separate themselves from you. This helps them to become resilient and less reliant on you for healthy cognitive and behavioural development. Dr. Fran Walfish, a leading child, teen, parent, and family psychotherapist and author in Beverly Hills, CA, argues that separation from parents is ‘the primary key psychological and emotional benefit for children and parents going to sleep away camp.’ Your child can learn independence, while you can reclaim something of yourself before you had kids.
In addition to this, going to summer camps gives your kids:
- A sense of resiliency when they face new challenges, like learning how to build a fire, going on a hike or conquering a high ropes course, in a safe environment
- The opportunity to implement new methods of doing things without a set time limit on when the task should be done
- Greater self-esteem and a “can-do” attitude
- Better social skills and respect for others