The pandemic disrupted people’s ability to connect, which caused challenges for many children. Youths had fewer chances to establish relationships outside the home, and some had little access to social networks or even the internet.

Students Need Healthy Relationships

The reality is that students need healthy relationships to thrive. Now that the world seems ready to get back to normal, we can finally give our children the opportunities to build the relationships they need with new friends and authority figures.

Having healthy relationships with peers and caring adults throughout childhood can have a lifelong impact on students. Many of those relationships are built at school and summer camp.

Summer Camps Help Kids Move Past the Pandemic

Summer camp is a great way to help kids out of their comfort zone, get a head start on the next school year, and prepare for a post-pandemic world.

Remind Your Kids About St Louis Traditions

This summer in St Louis, kids may have their first opportunities to try out normal St Louis traditions since the pandemic hit. You could have a picnic in Forest Park followed by the St Louis Zoo and the Science Center. Or you could let your kids explore the Magic House and the City Museum. For those who are fully vaccinated, you can now attend a St Louis Cardinals game without a mask. And who could forget Ted Drewes for dessert!

This is All New For Your Youngsters

From an adult’s perspective, we must realize that our younger kids may not have any memories of what life was like before the pandemic. Children who were toddlers when the pandemic hit are now entering their third and fourth years of life. Pandemic life has been the only thing they know. So, summer activities such as playing outside, going to summer camp, and making new friends may seem normal to you, but for your little kids, it can be a new experience.

Plan the Best Summer Ever For Your Kids

Make up for lost time by planning the best summer ever! Find the best summer camp experiences for your children through the free Blueprint4Summer search app.

The best part is you can plan and keep track of it all through the My Blueprint Calendar feature – especially helpful if you have more than one child!

Just click “Add to Blueprint” when you find something you like.

Summer Programs Can Connect Children to Nature

Your kids will enjoy getting outside during the summer and feeling the grass under their toes. The feeling of being grounded to earth, connecting with nature, and getting some fresh air can be very beneficial to kids who’ve spent a long winter cooped up inside. For those who physically cannot go outside, there are programs for them too. They can connect with nature on their terms through virtual summer camps or indoor summer camp programs.

Catch Up Academically and Socially

Navigating logistics for school during the pandemic has been stressful for families. Many are concerned about their children falling behind or missing key educational components. This summer is a critical time for students to catch up with what’s been missed. Academic summer camps present valuable opportunities to fill in the blanks, solidify core academic concepts, and enhance their studying and social skills.

Summer Camps Help Children Heal From the Pandemic

We need to ensure that our future generation has quality education, positive social experiences, and above all, consistent support from our family, teachers, and other authority figures throughout childhood. Unfortunately, during the pandemic, many kids have lost loved ones and were removed from social situations. During the school closures, health professionals saw increased mental health-related challenges among children. Summer camp programs can be therapeutic to children and help them start the healing process.

Adjust to New Teachers and Authority Figures

It can be difficult for students to adjust to their new teachers after spending much time indoors and at home during the pandemic. Children can be suspicious of strangers in unfamiliar settings and want to stay near their parents and guardians. It can be challenging to explain to your child that a new caregiver will protect them, especially if they cannot express their feelings clearly. Summer camps can help.

Summer Programs Prepare Students For Regular School Days

Are you nostalgic for those long and lazy summer breaks, when the sun set late, the days seemed endless, and time seemed to pass by almost instantly? Those days were so nice. However, do you also remember the jarring return to reality that followed when it was time to go back to school? That grueling grind that comes with a new school year can be difficult to handle when summer ends so abruptly.

Now you can help your kids by giving them some structure to their summer! Structure is important for maintaining routine and making the transition between summer fun and back-to-school easier to handle.

Children who attend summer camps will have that structure and routine and have fun at the same time, which can make it easier for them to transition back to school when summer ends.

Find Summer Camps to Relieve the Pressures of the Pandemic

Children need to be relieved of the pressures of the pandemic. Summer camp programs can set students up for success by giving them safe environments and outlets to express themselves and grow. There’s a summer camp to fit every child’s sense of adventure.

• Do they like to work it out physically on the field, court, or gym? They’ll love a sports camp!
• Do they express their feelings creatively? An art, music, or drama camp will be a smash hit!
• Do they like all types of creatures, outdoors, and plants? They’ll never forget sleeping under the stars or gardening and countless discoveries at nature camp!
• Do your kids always ask a million questions a day about how things work? They’ll love STEM camps!

You can’t go wrong because all the summer camps are FUN!

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