Finding the Perfect Summer Camp Option

Find the perfect fit for your camper—sports, arts, theater, adventure, more Lea Hanson

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hile summer is still months away, parents who send their children to day camps when school is out of session have already begun the process of choosing from the varying options. The majority of northern Coloradans who are employed full-time and throughout the year want to find a safe, fun, and enriching place for their children to be while they are at work.

When looking for summer activities for their children, northern Colorado parents today are faced with an incredible wealth of options. Churches, gyms, schools, activity centers, and more offer summer day camp options. With so many from which to choose, the process of planning and registration can feel overwhelming and frustrating to the parents and caregivers who make these decisions. Despite these frustrations, parents and caregivers universally want to give their children opportunities for fun, learning, and enrichment rather than simply a safe place for them to be all day.

Whether your family is seeking camp-care each week over the summer, or only for a few weeks to add excitement and fun to the summer, the benefits remain meaningful and plentiful. Summer camp is important because it offers a structured opportunity for children to grow. Kids go from home to school to extracurriculars, with each environment contributing to their development.

Summer camp, then, is another unique venue for growth, allowing kids to become independent and self-confident,

while socializing and making new friends, and even learning new skills.

CAMPS OFFER NEW EXPERIENCES At the most basic level, day camps can offer kids unique opportunities that nurture creative impulses or exposure to places or ideas that aren’t always addressed in schools. Kristen Wilkinson, Program Coordinator for the Environmental Learning Center with Colorado State University contributes to the oversight of the ELC’s youth summer camp program. She says, “In my experience, one of the biggest benefits

of kids participating in summer camp is the opportunity spend time in nature in a way that fosters personal connections to a place.”

Kids Do It All summer theater camp offers a completely different type of new experiences by offering campers a unique opportunity that encourages teamwork and cooperation while encouraging kids to be totally creative.

A group of 10-15 kids come together as strangers on Monday and by Saturday, they are a creative team showcasing a finished theatrical production.

“It’s pretty incredible what kids can

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accomplish in a short of amount of time, and that is empowering, both for the kids in the camp and the counselors who work with them,” says Debbie Swann of the Theatre Faculty at the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at CSU, who assists in the coordination of the Kids Do It All summer day camp series.

CAMP BUILDS SOCIAL SKILLS Swann says, “Building social skills is one of the biggest benefits of camps from a parent perspective. It’s important for kids continue to interact with new people, outside of home and school, to learn how communicate, cooperate, and adapt to changing social situations.

These skills last a lifetime.” The reason for this is simple: going to camp provides the perfect environment for children to take social risks. It may seem scary at first to enter a whole new social world at camp. However, camp offers a crash course on meeting new people— helping children build social skills, explore their independence, and improve their self-esteem.

CAMP BUILDS CONFIDENCE Camp reinforces independence and empowerment; even if you think your 10

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kids are independent, nothing brings out and tests that independence more than giving them time away from you, on their own. Without parents around, kids need to make their own decisions. Wilkinson says, “Spending so much time in nature [or any new camp environment] increases kids’ confidence in themselves and we see them get more comfortable with exploring and becoming more confident as the week goes on.”

CAMPS FACILITATE NEW FRIENDSHIPS Ninety-six percent of youth campers say, “Camp helped me make new friends.” Camps give kids an extraordinary opportunity meet new friends with whom they might not otherwise interact. Students often attend school year after year with the same peers, which can lead to labeling and being ‘stuck’ with a particular perception. A child may become known as studious, quiet, etc., when, really, he can be boisterous in another setting. Children who go to day or sleepaway camps meet a whole other group of people in a different environment. Often times, a child will break out of his supposed

categorization if given the chance.

Wilkinson supported this sentiment, “Camp also gives kids the opportunity to form new friendships with their peers and build bonds with summer camp instructors.”

FINDING A FIT Finding a camp environment that fits and suits your child’s needs and interests is crucial. Experiences and opportunities in northern Colorado vary greatly. Wilkinson says what makes ELC camps unique options for youths is “ELC summer camps have full access to our 212-acre property, which includes access to the Cache la Poudre river, four distinct ecosystems and ample opportunity for wildlife viewing. We spend all day exploring nature during our camps, taking full advantage of this resource.”

Whether it’s the outdoors, increased athletic skills, training in the arts or sciences, intentionally developed social skills, or simply days filled with fun and games, summer day camp opportunities abound in Northern Colorado.

Check out our full listing of camps.

Find the best ones for your campers.