I am a big believer in consistency and less transitioning for children. Studies show when children are in the same place for long periods of time their growth and development blossoms. Having the same staff, same friends, same expectations and same surroundings for a minimum of 15 days can be powerful.

 

Campers settle in, build rapport and begin taking risks because they feel safe. To me, this is why we send our children to camp. Exposing them to a wide variety of activities with a developmental progression from week to week can increase feelings of mastery and confidence. What a great way to build your child’s self esteem. 

 

Moving from one camp to the next every week is stressful. Learning new rules, meeting new people and settling into camp takes time. Just as children begin feeling comfortable in 5 day programs, the session is over and it is time to rinse and repeat. Stress levels can increase over the summer with this transitioning. Most adults would not choose this schedule for themselves, why do it to our children?

 

Coming to camp for 3-6-9 weeks does wonders for children of any age. At Dream BIG Day Camp we believe in teaching life through camp but we cannot do that in 5 days. Building character, catching a child doing something right, and recognizing them for trying hard and doing nice things for others is our Kool-Aid. We have lots of it to share!

 

www.www.dreambigdaycamp.com/a-typical-day-dream-big-day-camp/