Healthy Habits You Learn At An Overnight Summer Camp

October 7, 2016

Overnight Summer Camp is full of fun, sun, and games, but camp can also help children to pick up some important healthy habits. While most kids at camp are more focused on taking on new adventures and meeting new friends, healthy habits are developed naturally during a stay most California summer camps. While at camp, children are given endless opportunities to make decisions and push their own limits, which can ultimately lead to the development of healthy habits. Here are four of the many healthy practices that kids might learn from their time spent at camp.

Making smart food choices

Camp often presents itself as the first time a child gets to experience true food freedom. While counselors and camp staff might suggest healthy meal choices, when the options are endless, kids will often test the limits. Although loading up a plate with pizza and french fries might yield some short-term tummy trouble, kids ultimately learn from their unhealthy food choices and figure out how to find balance in their diet. In time, allowing children some freedom in what they eat, as is often the case at camp, can help children to develop healthy eating habits that will keep them choosing healthful options and feeling great in the future.

Staying active

Kids today spend more time in front of a screen than any generation of children in the past, and thus our kids spend less time being active and outdoors. At this Overnight Summer Camp, where the distraction of computers, televisions, and phones are removed, kids can truly discover the fun there is to be had beyond the screen. With the fast pace of a day at camp, kids are swept up into activities that they might have previously shown no interest in. All summer long, even the most resistant campers gain interest in sports, art, dance, music, and so much more. Although these interests might or might not have been born at camp, the experience of a summer free of screen time forces kids to think outside the box when trying to stay occupied. Camp kids enjoy more than just a summer of engaging activity- camp often inspires children to continue exploring their interests and to stay moving all year long.

Getting rest when needed

Children, especially when in exciting environments, do not have the ability to regulate their energy the way an adult usually can. Camp, with its abundance of high-energy activities, is a recipe for exhaustion among children, teens, and even camp staff. Rest time is embedded into nearly every Overnight Summer Camp day to prevent campers from completely tuckering themselves out, but kids are still ultimately responsible for ensuring that they get the rest they need. After a few long days of fun in the sun upon arriving at camp, nearly every camper realizes the importance of getting rest- both during the day and at night. Campers learn the happy balance between pushing themselves to the limit and taking it easy, which allows kids to better regulate what their body needs in terms of rest both at camp and at home. By the time campers get back home at the end of the summer, they might have a whole new appreciation for sleep and bedtime!

Keeping up with hygiene

While the thought of camp probably renders up images of filthy children frolicking through mud, in reality campers tend to learn a thing or two about hygiene during their stay at camp.  After a full day of swimming, playing, and sweating it out, even the most slovenly campers find pleasure in getting to hit the showers and freshen up. Overnight Summer Camp activities often encourage kids to get in touch with their messiest selves, but camp also encourages kids to take responsibility for their own cleanliness at the end of the day. And while brushing teeth might be a nightly battle at home, at camp, keeping their smile clean is an enjoyable and social part of each day. Good hygiene is all about establishing positive routines, and camp is just the place for kids to take ownership of their daily practices and to begin taking better care of themselves.

While your child might not return from camp loving kale and flossing twice a day, camp can help your child to discover ways to keep themselves feeling at the top of their game. At camp, children are constantly challenged to find healthy balances in their eating, play, and rest time, and these experiences can help a child to maintain a healthy lifestyle outside of camp. A summer at camp is a great step in helping your child become the happiest and healthiest they can be all year long. Learn more today!