summer camps to suit your child’s interests totally possible

The summer is upon us and soon, very soon the need for you to identify a summer camp suited to your child’s interest will be facing you. The time is right now to consider your choices…

Re-imagining summer camps for today’s day and time

Summer camps have become an obvious outgrowth of a summer break. Think about it. We sign-up our children for summer camps on auto-mode. Let’s step back and put some thought into it. Instead of viewing summer camps as a natural part of vacations, what if we analysed our children’s natural interests? And then chose a summer camp that would complement and hone these interests and abilities?

There are summer camps galore…

In April last year, Bangalore Times covered the bustling summer camps of the city. It stated that “from pinata-making, quilting, music, dance and yoga to storytelling, wildlife photography, bringing out a magazine as well as learning the tricks of acting and scenography – these workshops promise to provide pointers on a lot of skills”.

For the first time ever last year, the Delhi government held summer camps for students of Class VI in more than 500 government schools. Aimed to enhance learning skills, these camps focussed on blending fun-filled activities with education. The themes included food, water and waste recycling. The indications are clear. There is so much variety in summer camps that there is something in it for everyone.

It is now possible to match summer camps to the interests of children

In a survey conducted by the American Camp Association, it was estimated that in 2016 over 56% of summer camps will be implementing community service projects into their programming. Nature trails were also touted as a big category to look out for. This kind of variety increases the chances of children finding a camp that is tailor-made for their interests. It is also now possible to zero in on the natural interests of children with parenting apps such as PiNWi.  

It facilitates listening to children in a systematic and logical way, essential to understanding what drives their interests without bias. In fact, it is a proprietary tool for parents and offers personalised reports and recommendations. 

Summer-camps have the potential to grow into career-camps

With tools such as PiNWi which enable precise measurement of a child’s interests, parents can choose camps that are a natural fit, and thus invite more engagement from the child. It enables the child to explore his natural interests further and deeper. For instance, a child who is more artistically inclined gets an opportunity to hone skills at an art camp. In the long term, this consistent focus on the child’s natural interests keeps the child happy and engaged and has the potential to grow into a viable career option.

It is finally possible that with a consistent measurement technique, parents can track a child’s interests and then only choose activities aligned with their natural inclination. It makes sense to ride this new wave and make the seas ahead easier to conquer.