According to the Search Institute, which specializes on research to determine what children need to succeed, young people have seven developmental needs:
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Physical Activity
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Competence and Achievement
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Self-Definition
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Creative Self-Expression
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Positive Social Interactions
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Structure and Clear Limits
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Meaningful Participation
As parents, we of course want to provide opportunities for our children to tick off each of these important needs to allow our children to grow to be productive members of society. As always, I so strongly believe in the value of the right summer experience to enhance a child’s development alongside the activities that occur in the home and throughout the school year. Camp is the perfect partner to dinner at the family table, strong academic support, great after school programming, giving back to the community at large, and the guidelines set by parents and other role models at home.
Why Is It Important To Send Your Child To Camp?
Youth development experts agree that children need a variety of experiences to help them grow into healthy adolescents and adults. In order to develop and internalize these positive behaviors, experiences must produce:
· A sense of industry and competency
Do they develop skills? Do they learn to work for what is important? Are they successful at what they do?
· A feeling of connectedness to others and to society
Do they feel like they “fit”? Do they see a role they can play in their group, family, or community? Do they have friends?
· A belief in their ability to make decisions
Do they learn to make good choices? Do they see the results of their decisions?
· A stable identity
Are they learning what their skills are? Are they receiving positive feedback about themselves?
25% of your child’s life is during the summer. And in today’s pressure-oriented society, camp provides a non-threatening environment for kids to be active, to develop competence in life skills, to learn about and enhance their own abilities and to benefit from meaningful participation in a community designed just for them.
Camp is for every child, every budget, every family, everywhere. Invest in your child’s future….