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We do not have a kid to send to a summer camp. That day won’t come in next few years. But we have friends and family members who regularly send their kids to summer camps.Some organize events on their own. This post is about the summer camp alternatives that you can consider this summer.
Giving what’s best for kids is what every parent’s primary goal. Needless to say, being a parent is not an easy task particularly because you have to take care of everything from the littlest details to the biggest ones. Kid’s happiness and welfare are surely what every parent works so hard for.
Without a doubt, camping is what most kids love to do. However, parents should not stop searching for other worthwhile and fun activities. Indeed, it is delighting to know that there are plenty of budget-friendly summer camp alternatives, which all parents can consider to ensure that their kids get what they truly deserve.
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Fortunately, it is now easier to look for inexpensive summer camps, which parents can organize without having to spend much. It is essential to note that being a parent entails countless responsibilities and the most important thing is that you’re able to take better care of your children at all times.
List of 10 Reasonably Priced Alternatives to Summer Camp
1. Parents may consider engaging their kids to a Local Sports Camp. These distinctive summer workshops usually concentrate on a particular activity or sport such as soccer or football, baseball, and basketball. Other activities they focus on also include gymnastics, martial arts, cheerleading etc.; all of which are commonly offered in affordable rates.
2. Farm Camp helps kids learn more about the significance of sustainable and local food. Allowing your kids to be involved in this kind of camp will certainly motivate them to discover the farm more.
Activities that can participate here include planting, harvesting, carpentry, cooking, taking care of domesticated or farm animals and many more. Kids may also experience how exciting and fun it is to live in a farm. Usually, siblings enrolled here are given discounts.
3. As parents, you exactly know what your kid’s interests are and where he/she is good at. If your child is into writing, a creative writing summer camp is advisable. This type of workshop commonly lasts for three weeks wherein kids are supervised by professional writers and are trained to enhance their writing skills in terms of poetry, playwriting, fiction, and nonfiction.
Kids are also given the chance to have their masterpiece to be published by the end of the writing workshop.
4. Reading Workshops. Fortunately, there are some local libraries, universities, and museums that offer summer reading workshops. At times, they not only focus on reading but they also teach kids about drama, history and they can also take pleasure in some of their activity tours. It is interesting to note, that most of the summer reading clubs offer considerable discounts to those interested.
5. Beyond doubt, most kids love to draw. A drawing summer camp is recommendable so that your kids may explore their imagination and be able to draw various things that they see around them. This workshop enables kids to enhance their skills using oil crayons, charcoal, chalk pastel and graphite.
Kids who are exceptionally gifted often times can come up with a masterpiece using only a common thread.
6. Dancing workshops may also work well especially when your kid loves to dance. By allowing your child to be engaged in this physical activity, he/she will develop his/her dancing skills more, learn discipline, be more flexible and be trained on how to move gracefully and how significant it is to take care of one’s physical health.\
7. Parents may enroll their kids in a sculpture summer camp. Since we are now in a modern-day living, technology-based sculptures such as 3D sculptures can now be done. Kids will have the opportunity to learn and explore more about special awareness by means of considering design, form, and proportion.
Indeed, kids will learn about stone carving as well as the use of oil-based clay that is essentially known as the subtractive method. Meanwhile, kids will explore the so-called additive method in which they can clearly understand the significance of utilizing wire forms and paper-mache.
8. If you wish your kids to experience nature, music farm chores, woodwork, yoga, baking, cooking, theater or music, art or yoga, handwork etc.; A nature summer camp is such an ideal choice. This summer camp usually lasts until three weeks and is recommendable for kids’ age four to nine.
Alternative, why can’t you and your kids (probably with another family) go on a hiking, camping trail? Pick a location nearby and spend a few days in the wilderness.
9. If you are really on a tight budget, you can create your own mini summer camp at home right at your own backyard, garden or any spacious place around the house. It would be best if you will create and organize it with your kid/s; this way, you can spend more quality time with them and you can teach them some tips and tricks and many other useful techniques which are applicable to life.
Moreover, you won’t have to worry about your kids’ safety for you can check on them anytime. This is absolutely fun without having to spend any single penny. Educate your kids about first aid, what to do during emergencies and many other valuable lessons about weather disturbances and other unfortunate incidents.
10. To help make your child learn how important it is to reach out to those who are in need, you may consider allowing him/her to be involved in Local Volunteer Programs. Kids will truly enjoy volunteering in a local charitable institution, visiting orphanage, homes for the aged and many more. By doing so, kids will learn to be more responsible, helpful and understand the real situation of those in need.
At present, it is definitely a tough task to earn money. For this reason, most parents work harder and try so hard to save for their kid’s future.
Parents want their kids to have the best and most unforgettable summer camp experience; however, it is also a very challenging task to look for some workshops and activities that are not that costly, can ensure great learning experience and can help make kids more responsible, more disciplined and be able to enhance their skills and talents.
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It is very vital for parents to remember that every single time must be well spent. However, kids should not be forced to be involved in some activities they aren’t interested in. It is deemed substantial to reiterate to them how essential it is to spend their time in a more worthwhile manner and at the same time never miss their chance to have fun and enjoy their vacation.
It is advisable to allow your kids to participate in some workshops or activities that give them the most joy, where they can be themselves and be good at.
Most importantly, kids excel more when parents are very supportive. Acknowledge their hard work and efforts. Let them feel how much you love them and always listen to their side of the story to better understand each other.
If you’re a parent what is your plan for this year’s summer camp? Do let other readers know.
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I’m a teacher and towards the end of the year, YMCA offers summer camp at local schools for a low price. It’s a great extension of what they offer throughout the school year, but it’s based more on outdoor activities and field trips. I think all kids need some planned summer activities so they don’t fry their brains playing video games all day. 😉
I’m not yet a parent, but I like the idea of alternatives. I like the idea of creating a summer camp at home. One of the families in my neighborhood growing up had kids the same age and we basically had our own make-shift summer camp playing in the woods, sports, and so on.
I have fond memories of summer nature camps! Just choose one where the focus really is nature, instead of social jockeying among the children.
Great ideas! Once our kid is a bit older, we’ll do many of these things.
Having your own mini camp sounds really good. It would be a ton of fun to go on a multi family camping trip.
Not a parent yet, but some of my favorite ways to spend the summer as a child were making crafts, cooking, biking, and swimming. It was sort of like camp. Camp “mom”.
I was looking for a summer camp, but everything is quite expensive. But we will see. I’ll do some more search. Besides that we already have plans for this summer. First, we will go to Disneyland for a week (next week, hurray) and at the end of summer we will go camping to Yellowstone for about 10 days, so we will see how things will go. It will be nice, however, to get rid of our munchkins for a few days…
Every year I go to church camp, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The weird thing is, my church camp is only $180, but some sports camps are upwards of $300! It all depends on how much you are willing to spend on your child.
This is a great list, but I’d really recommend sports camps. Not only will it give your children an alternative to video games but it will also help them develop physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s just a tad bit more expensive than the rest in the list though.
These are great alternatives for a summer camp. We should try some of these with his cousins.