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The school year is over and vacations are coming closer, so you probably still don’t know what to do with your children at home. Surely you are thinking of enrolling them in a summer school to keep them active during the summer months.

The function of a summer course goes beyond entertainment. It is a compliment to enrich children’s education, strengthen their self-esteem, enhance their creativity, improve their ability to socialise and boost their independence. In addition, children have fun, learn and are cared for, instead of being at home watching television, in front of the computer or with video games and eating junk food.

The offer of camp programs is very wide:

1. Activities in contact with nature

They are intended for nature lovers and activities that have to do with that environment. A series of excursions, games and outdoor activities are carried out. Its advantage is that children discover, experiment and learn to care for the environment. Take a look at the Active English course.

2. Language camps

Some parents are interested in combining leisure time, with the reinforcement of some language, so there is the alternative of this type of camp. In these rooms, children can improve their command of a foreign language without leaving the country. It has specialised and prepared monitors for these activities. The most common are those in English.

If you are interested in getting your child to improve their language learning skills, you can always enrol them in abroad summer camps and give them a chance to study in the UK, for example, as there are many summer English language courses meant for international students.

3. Sports camps

This type of camp is ideal for active and athletic children. These places can be specialised in a single sport or perform several sports activities. There are many sports centres that organise such colonies, for example, tennis, swimming, basketball, water sports, horse riding, etc. But undoubtedly, the most common and popular among boys and girls are soccer schools.

4. Arts camps

Children who enjoy music and art also find their place to enjoy the summer. These types of camps have specialised monitors. They are focused on children and young people who already play an instrument and want to meet other musicians or also for those who want to start learning about performing arts.

There are alternatives for all tastes, ages and budgets. But the most important thing is to enjoy it and for the children to feel happy to attend a summer course.

Taking the price as a quality reference can be a bad choice: a course being extremely expensive does not ensure that it will be of high quality. Without a doubt, informing you of the number of activities and their duration will help you establish a quantitative relationship. However, considering the benefits that the child will get in the future is an added value when making the decision.

From what age is it recommended?

There are offers for all ages, but it is you who knows better than anyone if your little one is prepared to attend a summer camp or not.

There are 3-year-old children who are mature enough to attend, but it is also normal for others at the same age to suffer separation distress or feel insecure. Not all children are equal and a lot will also depend a lot on the environment and what the camp offers.

What elements should we consider when choosing the right summer camp for our children?

Choosing a summer camp for your child is not an easy task. There are many factors to keep in mind when making the decision. Among them we have:

• Selecting a place with extensive experience.
• Requesting the program of activities. This way, you can verify the formality of the course. It will also help you evaluate the quality, creativity and affinity with the child’s interests. And most importantly: Include your children in the decision! Even if you prefer them to take a certain course, if he or she doesn’t like it, it won’t work.

You must take into account if the course involves regularisation classes to reinforce knowledge in the academic field or if it only consists of recreational activities. In order not to make the summer course a torture for your children, verify that there are artistic and cultural workshops that foster their creativity, that there are activities that please them.

• Staff members must be perfectly qualified to teach the subject. To achieve effective interaction with minors, it is important for the staff to be qualified. Interacting with young children requires patience, energy and dynamism.
• Check that the facilities are adequate. Summer schools for children from 0 to 5 years should have a proper playground where different games and activities for these ages can be done. The furniture must be adequate to its size and, if they need to take a nap, the school must have elements suitable for this use (hammocks, mats, cots and so on).
• It would also be good to do a background check on the legal situation of each summer course that interests you.

Verify that the place where your child will spend time on their vacations has safety measures. Safeguarding the integrity of children is fundamental. If it is an improvised space for the season, we suggest you look for other options. Some necessary elements of security measures are:

1. A document with safety recommendations necessary to act in case of emergencies, located visibly and accessible to anyone.
2. Fire prevention and extinguishing equipment, which must be strategically located and in good condition for use.
3. If the place has beaches, lakes, rivers or pool service, lifeguards and floats must be provided in a visible place, as well as signs of depth and, where appropriate, ocean currents.
4. Security area in case of accident, duly identified.
5. General map of the camp in a visible place and where it indicates the services, accesses, security area and evacuation routes.
6. Have a general alarm system (bell, siren) depending on the size of the camp.
7. Have duly identified security personnel.
8. Communication system that allows to be in external contact.
9. Health services; hermetic and waterproof first aid kit.