With the start of the school year quickly approaching, summer camps will start winding down soon, too. As a parent, you might be wondering what benefits you’ll see from sending your kids to camp this year. Some of the perks are quickly obvious: your kids were safe, busy, and occupied with fun activities this summer. Other benefits take longer to see results from but these are the ones that truly make a difference throughout your child’s life. Read on to see what long-term advantages come from a summer of camps!

You might not realize it yet, but practicing archery or bunking with 8 other kids at sleepaway camp is actually helping your child develop soft skills that are necessary for later in life. Many traditional camp activities help with personal reflection and processing new experiences, and allow kids to practice their social and emotional skills like empathy, perseverance and collaboration.

Attending high-quality summer and after school programs has also been shown to lead to improved social and emotional competencies for kids. While at camp, your child isn’t JUST having fun! They are learning to interact with peers outside of a structured setting, they’re meeting (and keeping) new friends, and facing new challenges. It takes time, but these are all ways your child will develop a healthy sense of identity, an ability to manage their emotions, and a drive to achieve goals later in life.

Summer camp can also help your child succeed in school, even if you’re not sending them to an academic-focused camp. Many of the summer camps listed on the Blueprint4 search platform prioritizing fun and learning by incorporating math and literacy skills into camp activities.

You want your child to have fun during summer, but we also know that you need to prepare them for new experiences and challenges ahead, too. The joy of summer camp is that it can do both for your child! What benefits have you seen from your kids attending summer camp this year?