Why should your school-aged child go to summer camp? If you’re not sure what your child should do when school is done for the year, take a look at the reasons to choose a Montessori day camp.
Build Confidence
Summer camp is a fun-filled way to spend out-of-school days — and so much more. Montessori education provides children with a way to learn and develop new skills in a self-paced environment. This helps young students to take control of their own education and build confidence.
Even though a summer-time program may not have the same structure or content you would see in a regular school-year classroom, the philosophy behind Montessori summer camp is still the same. The child-centered nature of Montessori education combined with the fun and freedom of a summer camp create the ideal environment for your child to develop the self-esteem they need to believe in themselves and their abilities.
Get Outside
Without the structure of the school day to keep your child busy, it’s easy for them to fall into a binge-watching or all-day tech-time routine. While some types of technology use can help your child to learn, too much time in front of a screen isn’t the best way to spend the summer. If you’re not sure how to help your child unplug and leave the screen behind, a Montessori camp is an option to explore.
While each program’s summer camp may have some differences, you won’t find that Montessori schools promote heavy indoor screen-time use. Instead, your child will get the chance to learn, play, and develop outdoors in a natural setting. Not only will this help your young student to unplug and leave screen-time behind, they’ll also get the physical activity they need and explore through their senses.
Make Friends
Whether you child attends the Montessori program during the school year or not, a summer camp is the perfect place to make new friends and build on existing relationships. The Montessori classroom creates a caring community that encourages social and emotional development. The same is true for the summer-time camp setting.
Your child will get the chance to meet new peers as they relax and enjoy special summer-time activities. The less formal (in comparison to school) environment is the ideal place to build friendships. Even though your child will make friends at camp through games, play, and other shared activities, these new relationships aren’t necessarily just for the summertime. Camp friendships can extend well past the summer days—into the school year and beyond.
Along with friendships, Montessori summer camp can also help your child to build on their growing social and emotional skills. The Montessori philosophy embraces the idea of creating a caring community. As a student in a summer program, your child will develop citizenship skills and begin to understand how they can positively affect their peers and the other people around them.
Prepare for the Next School Year
The weight each summer program places on academic content depends on the school. Unlike traditional school-based summer programs, Montessori camps won’t include teacher-led lessons and lectures. But this doesn’t mean your child won’t get the chance to prepare for the next school year.
Again, Montessori summer camps can help school-aged children to build social and emotional skills. Even though these may not seem necessary in the context of the elementary curriculum, without adequate social/emotional development your child may struggle in school. The ability to understand their role in the classroom community and society as a whole can help your child to advance in academic and non-academic ways.
Beyond the social and emotional aspects of a Montessori camp, these programs also help children to develop critical cognitive and physical skills. From critical thinking and problem solving to movement and fine motor play, your child’s summer-time experiences will help them next school year and for years to come.
Are you ready to register your child for summer camp? Contact Miniapple International Montessori School for more information.