Keeping Your Child Healthy Through Sports

A healthy lifestyle does not happen overnight; it takes effort and determination. Some adults find it difficult to live a healthy lifestyle because they did not begin early. Some manage to change but most fail to do so. The combination of environment, diet and physical activity will determine if your child will become one of the many obese children.

Lay the foundation for a healthy lifestyle by enrolling your kids in a summer day camp that has a sports program.

Sports teach your child life lessons and keeps them busy during weekends and long summers. This program strengthens their mind and bodies while teaching them new skills.

Improve Overall Health

Sports are a fun and enriching way to introduce your child to a healthy lifestyle. They will not only learn a new skill but will also get several health benefits.

Sports improve the circulation and cardiovascular strength of your child. Childhood obesity has led to ailments that kids should not be dealing with, such as diabetes, and heart and lung problems. Weight issues at a young age will lead to problems once they reach adulthood. When you enrol them in a sport, you teach them the importance of physical activity.

A sport such as swimming, basketball, volleyball and others in summer day camp improves your child’s stamina and endurance. They will not tire easily and will feel energized throughout the day. They will also have better sleep because of the exercise they get.

Sports also train and improve your child’s gross and fine motor skills. The former involves large muscle groups used for walking, running, balancing and others. The latter uses small muscle groups that you use for precise movements. The dynamic movements needed in sports combine both these skill sets. Your child can use the training in kids summer camp in real life situations.

Other than getting exercise, summer day camp provides your child with an opportunity to make new friends. The chosen sports program enables them to share similar interests, making it easy to start conversations and make a connection.

Which Sport Will Your Child Like?

Choose a sport that your child shows interest in; it will make it easier for you to convince him or her to join camp. They will also feel less anxious about staying at camp when they are enjoying swimming, basketball, volleyball or whatever sport.

There are several programs; browse through each one and ask your child which one they prefer. Go on a personal visit to the summer day camp with your kid. Meet with the instructors to help your child familiarize with the people who will coach them in their chosen sport.

Sports provide your child with a holistic approach to healthy living.

Day Camps: A First Step at Independence

As a child grows, they must learn accountability, responsibility and independence. One of the best ways to teach them these life skills is to enrol them at a summer camp. Camp provides your kid with several opportunities to grow physically and emotionally.

Life Skills at Camp

Day camp provides your child with several opportunities to learn about themselves, develop certain skills and make new friends.

Camp is a first step to independence; it teaches kids to do things on their own without help from their parents. It is their first taste of the real world once they leave the confines of home. They have to learn how to communicate with others, take care of their things and make their own decisions.

Their initiation to camp starts before the actual date; kids will start preparing the things they need to bring such as extra clothes and materials for the program they will join. They must learn how to be accountable for their things so that they will not lose or misplace anything at camp.

The preparation and making sure to keep their things secure at camp teaches your child to be responsible. The responsibility will teach them a valuable lesson of what it is like to be independent.

Day camp is one of the places where your child will be alone with other children. They might be shy at first, but camp teaches them to come out of their shell and make new friends. The exposure to a new environment will pique their curiosity about others. They will learn to share experiences and things with other kids their age. They will learn how to work with others in the different activities they will do at camp. This teaches them that independence is not about isolation and doing things on their own, but working as a team despite the differences they might have with others.

Prepare for Day Camp

Some kids will feel anxious about leaving the comforts of home despite knowing they will return on the same day. Make them feel comfortable about going to day camp by helping your child prepare for their first camp experience. This relieves some of their anxiety, as they know you will support them even if you are not physically present.

Go on a personal visit to camp to familiarize your child with the environment, things to do and the counsellors who will be with them throughout the program.

Camp is a fun experience for kids because they will learn important life lessons. It is a rite of passage for kids who will take the next step to maturity.

Make Camp Fun For Your Child

Summer camps for kids are the best way a parent can take some days off and still give their children countless opportunities to learn and connect with people and the activities that they are inclined to. While many might think summer camps are worrisome since the children will be out of their sight and their supervision, there is another point of view you can take to change this perspective.

Summer camps for kids offer endless possibilities for children to unwind and develop many skills in a more informal setting. It also gives them a chance for independence and being able to do things on their own without the scrutiny of their parents. Summer day camp for kids provide a breather from their normal environment and can encourage them to become more relaxed and as a result, can encourage them to be more creative and expressive.

In these summer camps, children experience new things and gain many skills and values as they spend time with their co-campers. Daily life can be quite busy and stressful and summer camps for kids can offer a wonderful break for your children.

Summer day camps are all about setting the right tone for your children and explaining to them how these summer programs can help them grow in so many aspects. There are many ways a camp can be turned into a fun and memorable experience for your child. Let us show you how:

 

1. Discuss with them what they want. Summer camp for kids is an excellent chance to know your child better. Get to know what their inclinations are so you can enroll them in summer programs that are sure to bring out the best in them. If your child loves to cook, enroll him or her in a culinary course. If your child loves to perform, there are many summer programs for kids that are geared towards the building your child’s acumen in the performing arts.
2. Explain to them how camps work. If this is the first time your child is venturing out in a summer camp, it could be terrifying for him or her. Make sure that you explain thoroughly what happens in camps and all the great activities he or she can join in. Also bank on the idea of them having to meet kids of their own age and interest. This way, you will be able to goad them into overcoming their fears and looking forward to forge new friendships.
3. Show them pictures of the summer programs they can enroll in. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Showing them pictures of happy campers in a fun and happy environment will easily do the trick.

Once your child gets settled with the idea of camps, it won’t be hard to get them excited to participate in the summer programs that these day camps offer.

Zodiac’s summer program for kids will help your child uncover his or her talents. At the same time, he or she will be able to develop social, emotional and physical skills along the way while discovering new friendships with his fellow campers.

How Early Should You Send Your Child to Camp

Camp provides your child with enriching experiences that will build their self-confidence, communication skills and discover talents that they did not know. Before you enrol your child in a program, you must determine if they are ready for camp.

Some children have yet to reach a certain level of maturity for day camp. This results in bad experiences and anxiety throughout the camp. Your child may not want to return to camp because of these. You must consider the maturity level or age of your kid before you sign them up.

Determine the Maturity Level of Your Child

The ideal age to send children to summer camps for kids is around nine years old. At this age, most kids are mature enough to have some responsibilities such as bathing, dressing and taking care of their own things. However, some kids are independent enough to do these things on their own at an earlier age. Some children are mature already to go to camp as early as six or seven years old.

Determine how responsible your child is by observing the way he or she takes care of their things. Do they put them away after or just leave them wherever they play? If your child knows how to return things to where they should be, they are ready to participate in any summer camps for kids.

Is He or She Responsible and Independent Enough?

Some kids are not ready to be away from home for a long time, especially if their parents are nowhere in sight. These children tend to feel anxious about staying at day camp. They will not enjoy the experience because all they would think about is going home.

If your child is nervous whenever you are away for a long time, it is a clear sign that they are not ready to go to camp. They may need a bit more time to feel comfortable doing things on their own.

Is Your Child Ready for an Adventure?

It is difficult to determine how your child will react when you leave them for a long time. If they are comfortable with staying at a friend’s house for the whole day or at grandma’s, they are ready for summer camp.

Is your child curious about their environment? Do they like being outside the house? Are they sociable with other kids they just met? If your answer is yes to these questions, your child is confident and independent enough to participate in any summer camps for kids.

What are your child’s interests?

Identify the interests of your child to know if they will feel excited about going to camp. You have several options as to what type of program your child can enjoy. Show them some pictures or videos of the activities at camp. Take them to the facility to familiarize with their surroundings before the actual date. Some children like sports some prefer arts. Determine what piques your child’s curiosity so that they will have fun at summer camp.

Developing Language Skills Through Singing

Children are very drawn to music and rhymes. There is something captivating when listening to melodies and being able to jive with them. This is the reason why children enjoy singing. In fact, play a tune and your child is most likely to break into a singing or dancing. But, did you know that there is more to music and singing than just the entertainment that notes and melodies bring?

Studies show that children who were constantly exposed to music and were given many opportunities to sing with their families and classmates at school are more likely to have advanced verbal or oral skills. Through constant singing, children develop their memory and gain a wider vocabulary.

Singing is a very enjoyable and is still one of the most educational activities for children. This is the reason why nursery rhymes never run out of style and almost all kiddie shows would involve singing songs. Kids tend to learn faster through repetition, and letting them sing in repetitive lines helps to develop their memory and literacy. Because of the element of tunes, singing is proven to be more enjoyable and preferred by children over formal speech. Making children memorize lines formally seems to drain their energy and interest fast, which is why singing with repetitive lines is more productive.

Singing nursery rhymes develop a child’s language skills since they learn how sentences are constructed and how words are strung together to form a complete thought. They are unconsciously learning as they are enjoying the activity and because of this, parents are encouraged to sing with their children in their early years. Singing is an introduction to language, and parents should sing to  their children as early as their baby stages.

There are many classes out there that offer learning activities for your children. Summer day camps offer activities that include singing with the whole class where children are encouraged to join. This way, they develop many skills while participating in activities summer day camps have in store for them.

Zodiac is known to be an enjoyable kids’ summer camp that is open for children of all ages. No matter what age your child is, there is a summer program fitted for his/her age where learning is effective and is anchored on their own pace. There are various summer camp activities children can participate in so they can learn and have fun at the same time. Summer day camps are less formal compared to being in a classroom, and children tend to be more open and relaxed in them compared to being in school.

The less stressed the children are, the more open they are for development and learning. Now don’t think twice and enroll your child, and let them experience something they will look back to in their older years.