Since children get such a long summer break, many parents like to enroll their children in kids summer camps to make sure that they have a fun and fulfilling vacation.

If it’s your child’s first time going to summer camp, they’re bound to have some questions or concerns. Here are five ways parents can get their children ready for summer camp activities:

1. Give your child a preview of camp

We all need to be mentally prepared to face new things in life, and the same goes for children. Give them a taste of what to expect at summer camp by showing them brochures, the website and online videos. Once they see how happy the children are and how much fun they’re having, they’ll be more excited about summer camp.

2. Meet with the camp organizer

If possible, have a meet and greet with the organizer to get your child familiar with the adults there. Other than giving them a chance to see that the camp organizer is friendly and not a mean person, it is also a great way to share your child’s specific needs (phobias, allergies) with the camp organizer. The more the camp organizer knows about your child, the better they can make your child’s experience.

3. Show faith in your child’s abilities

We all get a little scared sometimes. If your child is afraid of meeting new people or participating in group activities, don’t criticize those fears. Instead, give kids the tools they need to develop confidence to handle problems. This is a good life lesson. As your child grows up, they’ll need to learn to face their fears in the future. Even if they get scared at summer camp, they’ll remember their parent’s unconditional support and faith in them.

4. Tell your child what to expect at camp

Other than giving them a preview of the summer camp activities, you can go into further details by selling the “fun” element of summer camp. You can tell them about how there will be a range of activities, and that they’ll get a chance to make new friends and have fun together. After all, what child doesn’t like to have fun?

5. Tell your child it’s all part of growing up

Preparing your child for summer camp is also a great lesson for them in growing up. Since parents won’t be there to watch or guide them during summer camp, they can develop important qualities like independence, cooperation, and teamwork. At kids summer camps, they’ll learn that parents can’t always be there for them and that they need to learn to fend for themselves.

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Since we live in the age of technology, we often worry whether our children will become too obsessed with gadgets and forget about the joy of interacting with others. In the good old days, childhood was all about running around and playing with other children outdoors, but nowadays most children prefer to stay at home and play video games.

If you want your child to unplug this summer, here are five ways summer camp helps your child reconnect with the real world:

1. Participating in group activities

Children can enjoy group activities, instead of spending time alone all the time. Summer camp includes a range of fun and fulfilling activities that help children bond and become good friends. Other than social interaction, group activities help children learn how to co-operate and compromise with others.

2. Running around outdoors

Instead of staying indoors all day, children can take advantage of the fresh air and sunny weather during summer camp. Unplugging from technology has great benefits for children, as it helps them stay present and active. It also teaches them that running around outdoors with other children can be as fun and exciting as videogames.

3. Talking instead of texting

Although texting has become the communication norm in our society, children should learn to talk to each other in real life instead of texting all day. Face-to-face interaction will help them improve their communication skills, since texting can affect children’s expressions and emotions.

4. Having fun in the offline world

Sometimes children can get lost in virtual reality and use it as a form of escape from the real world. In order for them to stay present in real life and enjoy it, they should learn to have fun in the offline world. Since summer camp consists of fun and fulfilling group activities, this will help children learn the simple joys of real life.

5. Socializing with other kids

If your child is too immersed in the world of technology, they will gradually forget how to interact and socialise with other children. In order to avoid this phenomenon, summer camp can help your child socialize with other children, as they participate in group activities and spend a large amount of time together.

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If your child has never been to summer camp, you may have a doubt or two on its benefits or effectiveness. Before you scratch summer camp off the list for good, here are a few misconceptions people have about summer camp:

1. The best camp is the most expensive one

It is human nature to assume that we must pay a highest possible price for quality, but this isn’t exactly the case for summer camp. Instead of looking for the fanciest or most expensive summer camp for your child, you should find one that suits your child’s personality or areas of development. Other than price, location, course details and duration are also factors to consider when picking out the ideal summer camp.

2. My child must go with a friend to summer camp

A new and foreign environment may seem terrifying for your child, but just like school, your child will make friends in a short time. If your child goes with a close friend to summer camp, this may hinder their chance in making new friends, as they’ll stick together in their comfort zone and may alienate other children.

3. My child is too young for camp

Some parents may have the misconception that their child is too young for camp, but the fact is that there is a wide range of summer camp options for various ages. Instead of focusing on the age of your child, you should instead focus on the activities of the summer camp and whether these activities are suitable for your child’s age group.

4. Not every child is cut out for camp

Parents may assume that their quiet and shy children aren’t cut out for camp, but summer camp helps children develop certain skills, such as leadership and independence. Playing with large groups of children might be out of your child’s comfort zone, but your child will gradually adapt to the changes and become more social in the end.

5. I can start planning in spring

Popular summer camps fill up early in the year, so it’s never too early to start planning a fun and fulfilling summer holiday for your child. Instead of finding a random summer camp as a last minute resort, parents should carefully consider their options and decide whether their children will benefit from the chosen summer camp.

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Just enter your email address below to view pricing and details for our karate sports summer camp.

If you don’t want your kid to become a couch potato and watch TV 12 hours a day, summer camp is a great way for your child to have fun, run around and mingle with other kids. Other than socializing and leading an active lifestyle, summer camp also helps your kid develop valuable life skills that will benefit them in the future. Here are 5 ways summer camp will help your child succeed:

1. Get used to being more independent

When kids are taken out of their comfort zone, they learn to adapt to a new and unfamiliar environment. Since their parents aren’t there to protect them in summer camp (especially in sleepaway camps), they have to learn to fend for themselves. Becoming independent at a young age is a valuable life skill, as it will help your kid adapt quickly to changes and new environments, such as high school and college.

2. Learn to work in a team environment

On the other hand, summer camp also teaches kids the importance of teamwork. As summer camp includes a range of group activities, kids have to learn to work with new friends and kids from different age groups. Even if they have different ideas and opinions, they learn to work together and compromise in order to achieve the end result.

3. Boost their self-confidence

Learning a new skill or completing a new task can give kids a sense of accomplishment. At Urban Martial Arts, our karate sports summer camp helps boosts kids’ confidence, as karate is a new skill for most of them and they learn to conquer new challenges outside of the academic and social competition.

4. Increase their self-esteem

If your kid suffers from low self-esteem, you should send them to a summer camp. As kids at summer camps are exposed to different personalities and age groups, this will help develop their interpersonal skills and hence build a higher sense of self-esteem. Once they learn how to interact with different kinds of people, they’ll no longer feel socially awkward or have a low self esteem.

5. Learn to never give up

Sometimes kids require the support of other kids to develop perseverance. Encouragement from others in summer camps can help your kid develop this valuable life skill, as they will help motivate each other in completing challenging tasks. Once your child learns this valuable life skill, they’ll be able to develop perseverance internally and use it to get through challenges in life, such as studying for a difficult exam or learning to adapt to a new environment.

Get Summer Camp Prices & Details

Just enter your email address below to view pricing and details for our karate sports summer camp.

It is actually possible to pay for summer camp without dipping into your child’s college fund! Check out these tips.

Get Summer Camp Prices & Details

Just enter your email address below to view pricing and details for our summer camp, and to request a free orientation.

Be sure to confirm your request by clicking the link on the confirmation email you’ll receive from us.

Get Summer Camp Prices & Details

Just enter your email address below to view pricing and details for our summer camp, and to request a free orientation.

Be sure to confirm your request by clicking the link on the confirmation email you’ll receive from us.

Get Summer Camp Prices & Details

Just enter your email address below to view pricing and details for our summer camp, and to request a free orientation.

Be sure to confirm your request by clicking the link on the confirmation email you’ll receive from us.

When most people think of summer camps, they think of sleepaway camps, which keep children for weeks at a time in the summer. Now, sleepaway camps can be fun, but if you live in Brooklyn, day camps might just be a better option for you. Here are some reasons why you should go for day camps in Brooklyn over sleepaway camps.

1. Day camps ease you and your child into the summer camp lifestyle
Some children have never been to a summer camp and they might be nervous about camp. Day camps are a much better alternative for these children. They get to enjoy all the advantages of camp and then go back home at the end of the day. This helps them build new social, physical and mental skills that will help them gain more confidence and make it easier for them to enjoy any type of camp they want.

2. Day camps offer a greater partnership between camp and parent
At a sleepaway camp, the camp is totally in charge of all the learning and growth that will happen during the summer. Day camps however, allow both parties to participate in the growth and development of the child throughout the summer. The parent still plays an important role in the child’s daily life. At the end of the day, parents can help the child work through obstacles that the child faces, giving guidance and helping to shape solutions.

3. Day camps are more affordable
Day camp is significantly less expensive than sleepaway camps. This is because at a day camp, you only pay for the available resources and the camp itself. You don’t have to pay for boarding and feeding fees. So if budget is a consideration, or if you are stringing together multiple camps over the summer, you might want to go for day camps.

4. Day camps offer greater specialization
Unlike sleepaway camps, where the goal is to build social skills over the summer, day camps often focus more on teaching specific skills. At the Urban Martial Arts karate sports summer camp, for example, we specialize in introducing children to martial arts, and having fun in the process. Day camps teach your child a specific skill, as well as social skills to get through life.

Traditionally, sleepaway camps are what people consider when they think of camps, but day camps come with a lot of advantages. With the ready availability of parents if there is a problem, and all the other advantages listed in this article, day camps in Brooklyn are the better alternative for some families.

Get Summer Camp Prices & Details

Just enter your email address below to view pricing and details for our karate sports summer camp.