The Debate: Activities vs. Printable Materials in Summer Camps
Posted On: March 6, 2021 By Jim Newton
Summer camp is an essential part of many kid’s lives. Over 11 million children per year are estimated to attend summer camp. Just as they allow children to play games and make new friends, summer camps also offer learning opportunities and an educational experience a child might not experience in their regular classroom.
The available opportunities and methods of engaging children have led to an age-old question for summer camp professionals: are activities or printed materials more important? Both offer pros and cons, and both offer different yet critical experiences for the child that can help make their camp experience the best it can be. Let’s take a deep dive into this debate.
The Pros and Cons of Activities
Activities are the big draw for most kids. Both indoor and outdoor activities provide children with fun and energetic experiences children expect when they go to camp. Summer camps offer a safe and exciting way to break from their traditional routine, and this is accomplished through activities.
Summer camp activities can vary widely from camp to camp depending on their available resources, such as arts and crafts, swimming, and movie-watching. Some even have a way of transporting kids to different locations, allowing them to go on field trips beyond the camp.
Regardless of the activity, children use the opportunity to play and interact with children their age. These crucial interactions can often be with diverse groups of kids, which is valuable exposure for them at a young age.
Even more important is the development of teamwork. Many camps offer activities that encourage children to work together to achieve a common goal. Because children are often not expected to work with one another, this is an essential change from their typical mentality and encourages them to think of others.
Activities focused on team problem solving also develop critical thinking to overcome their common problem and promote unity amongst children that further allows healthy interactions.
While there are undoubtedly many pros to running activities, there are some drawbacks, namely that they can easily not be inclusive to all children, because most activities rely on the children being physically fit and without any disabilities for children to participate. Unless you go to a specialized disability camp, these problems are often not addressed to the best extent they can be.
Additionally, most activities will function with children in close contact with one another, which is an issue that is becoming increasingly problematic in the era of COVID-19.
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The Pros and Cons of Printable Materials
Printable materials are also a crucial part of any summer camp. Just like activities, printed lessons can vary wildly from camp to camp. However, all of them have the same goal: to teach children.
The perks of printable materials at a summer camp is that the lessons taught can be in conjunction with the activity to give children a more cohesive camp experience, such as a lesson about space with an activity concerning constellations. Printable materials give children an educational experience that allows them to continue to grow and develop, even when school isn’t in session.
Another important aspect is that printable materials are inclusive to virtually all campers. Even if there are children who cannot read well or have a disability that prevents them from writing, there are easy adaptations that can be made to provide the child with an alternative and similar experience.
Printable materials are also incredibly affordable and easy to access to camps. They can be easily adapted and changed with short notice, which isn’t always the case for activities, which can have a long planning period or can be cut short by rapidly-changing weather.
However, just like activities, printable materials have their drawbacks as well. They can simply be not as exciting for children because of its similarity to regular schoolwork or challenges with reading and comprehension. If overused, printable materials can lead to a lack of enthusiasm and a much less exciting camp experience for children who like to learn by doing a task instead of reading about it.
We Welcome Your Child to Join Us For Camp
Ultimately, having a blend of printable materials and activities is critical for the perfect camp experience, and Great Beginnings has found that perfect mix for a fun and enjoyable summer.
Great Beginnings Child Care and Learning Center is a comprehensive learning center that prepares your child for a bright future. Established in 1997 in Sugar Hill, GA, our school provides infant care, preschool, pre-kindergarten classes, after-school care, and summer camp programs for children ages 6 weeks to 14 years.
Our facility includes five pre-K classrooms and a large gymnasium, which gives us the space for countless days of fun for summer camp. Call us today for an appointment or to speak with our knowledgeable staff.
