Day Camp Helps To Increase The Activity Level In Your Child

With so many advances in technology today, it is becoming more and more uncommon for children to get out into nature and enjoy a different kind of play. While technology is great, and tablets and phones have some pretty fun and even educational games on them, getting out and enjoying nature offers a type of play that is fundamental to every child. Being in nature has an infinite number of benefits for children, and a great way to get your child to experience nature firsthand is to enroll them into a day camp for kids!  There are all kinds of day camps and summer programs for kids and you are sure to find one that your little one will enjoy and benefit from. Find out how the right camp is vital for your child. 

Sense of Independence

Day camps for kids often provide a safe environment where the children who attend can learn skills to make them more independent and build their self-confidence.  Day camps allow your child to be independent by attending without parental supervision and fostering a sense of self-worth.  They will learn new skills and interests that will help build their confidence and sense of independence. That is something that a video game will never be able to teach your child.

Social Skills

Another reason summer programs are vital for kids is because they improve social skills. Day camps for kids can introduce children to other peers their age whom they might not otherwise have the chance to come into contact with. This opens up opportunities for your child to learn more about others who are different than them, and encourage social skills.  Day camps also focus on group activities and games that challenge the children to work together to accomplish tasks. Working as a team encourages children to work together towards a common goal, teaching them how to successfully work with others in a variety of different situations, which is a skill they will always use. Summer programs and day camps for kids also create lasting friendships that can often continue outside of camp.  Children find friends in unlikely places and also make friends with others who share their common interests. Sitting inside and playing on tablets and watching television does not foster social interaction, which makes camp an obvious winner in that regard. 

Physical skills

Another benefit that day camps have over technology is that they increase the physical skills in children.  Attending a camp will almost always include numerous opportunities for your child to explore their physical ability.  From yoga, softball, basketball, swimming, martial arts, rock climbing, soccer, dodgeball and other activities. Even if your child does not participate in a sport, they can build physical skills by playing games outside and exploring nature. Challenging themselves physically helps build character in children and allows them to challenge themselves in ways they might not otherwise be able to. Summer programs for kids have the children being active for most of the day, which is also a benefit to their physical health.  

If you’re looking for a great day camp or summer program for your child in the Toronto area, contact Zodiac Kids (Change to Zodiac Day Camp) to find the best program for your child.

10 Ways To Promote Water Safety And Prevent Your Child From Drowning

Enrolling your child into a swimming program for kids is an exciting time. It means that through the swimming program or class, your child will be learning the basic skills to successfully swim and reduce their risk of drowning. It means that as a parent, you can feel more comfortable when your child is swimming in the pool, as they will know how to swim. However, while swimming programs are vital to preparing children for the pool or water, parents still need to be cautious of the risk of drowning and aware of proper water safety. Here are ten ways to promote water safety and prevent your child from drowning.  Read carefully and implemented these ten tips the next time you take your child swimming.

Supervision

While your child might have learned how to swim, it is still important to always supervise your children when they are in the water. It is best to keep your eyes on your child (Needs to be “You must keep your eyes on your children at all times”) at all times to insure your children are safe. While they might know how to swim, you will want to be aware if something were to occur, so that you could help out if needed. You should always be close enough to be able to jump in and reach out to help your child if needed.
If you do not know how to swim, be sure to only allow your children to swim where there is a lifeguard or another adult present who knows how to swim. If there is a lifeguard present, but sure they are certified before allowing your children to swim. It is also a good idea for parents to take swimming lessons themselves. This will help to ensure you and your child are both comfortable in the water. You can find a variety of these types of classes to help adults learn to swim as well.

Stay alert of weather conditions

If swimming at a pool, be aware if there is lightning (fixed spelling) or storms approaching, as it is unsafe to be in the water during a storm. The same goes for when you are swimming at the beach, as well as some additional weather conditions to be concerned about.  Strong winds can create rougher waters, and strong rip currents. Rip currents are difficult to swim in and very strong, and could easily pull a child away from your sight. Teach your child to swim parallel to the shore if they are caught in a rip current. You should also become knowledgeable about the water symbols and flags and their meanings, to keep you informed as to whether or not the water is safe to swim in. The lifeguard stand should have a colored flag indicating different conditions such as dangerous marine life, strong current, etc. in order to keep you informed.

Life jackets

If you are planning to take your children out on a boating excursion, make sure that everyone has an appropriately sized and fitting life jacket. You can find recommended life jacket sizing through the United Sates Coast Guard website.
Pool Barriers
If you have a pool at your home and smaller children, be sure to place a proper barrier around the pool, such as a fence or gate. This will prevent your child from entering the pool area without your knowledge and prevent an accident.

Learn CPR

Knowing how to perform CPR better prepares you for being able to help in the event of an accident.  There are Red Cross certified classes offered all over the country.
Review safety and rules
In any situation, whether it be at the pool, the beach, on a boat, there are safety precautions and rules that enable your child to be safe and have fun.  Review these guidelines each time you take your child swimming, so that they have it fresh on their minds.
Teach your children about 911
Always tell your children that calling 911 in an emergency is important, so that they know how to react in the event of an emergency. Reminding them of what to do before each time they go swimming is equally important.

Learn how to swim

Remember, swimming lessons are not limited to children. Many adults do not know how to swim, and as stated earlier, it is important to know how to swim when supervising your children in the water. Maybe you can take classes with your child and you two can learn to swim together.

Stay out of rough water

If you’re visiting the beach and the waters seem to be rough, stay away. Even if it is the last day of your vacation you want to be safe.

Always be alert

No matter what is going on, be alert to the surroundings. Make sure that you have your eyes on your children at all times in the water. Drownings do not always appear as they do in the movies so it’s very important to keep that watchful eye.

What Is Slowing My Child’s Progress In Learning How to Swim?

Swimming programs for kids are a great way to introduce your child to the sport of swimming or to teach them safety in the water. With a proper swimming program, your child will learn how to stay safe in the water and they will learn different swimming techniques to reduce their risk of drowning and allow them to have more fun.  Not to mention there is an added benefit that as a parent, you can now feel less worried when your child is swimming, once they learn to swim successfully. However, swimming programs can be difficult for children as well, and you might feel as though their progress is on a decline. Perhaps they started off building skills very quickly and their skills were very strong, but now you feel as though their progress has tapered off.  There are several reasons why this could occur. It is important to identify the reason your child’s progress is slowing in order to correct the problem and help them continue on to swimming success!

Interest Level
How interested is your child in the swimming lessons? Maybe he/she started out with a strong interest in learning to swim but are now not quite as interested. While pushing for them to continue the swimming lessons as a sport might not be a good idea, you should continue them in the class if they are still lacking the basic skills to stay safe in the water.  For this reason, it is important for your child to find some type of motivation and interest in order to continue the lessons. This can be accomplished by talking with the teacher about different class options they offer, so that you can find a class that might include games or toys in order to keep your child’s interest. Or perhaps the current teacher can incorporate something your child would be interested in into their lessons.

Class Size
We all know that class size can make a significant difference in how much a child is learning in an educational classroom, but class size can also impact swimming programs for kids as well.  For example, if your child is taking a class in which there are more than 5-8 children in the class, chances are the instructor is not able to dedicate as much one on one time that your child needs in order to learn as quickly as you would like for them to.  The typical swimming class should have 2-3 children per instructor, in order for all children to be kept active and learning throughout the entire class.  Consider looking into a smaller class size for your child if you notice his/her progress slowing.

Practice
We’ve all heard the saying “practice makes perfect.” If you’ve seen a decline in your child’s progress in learning how to swim, perhaps he/she isn’t practicing those skills enough at home.  As with any new skill, simply attending a class once a week is not going to do the trick. Your child will need to practice their swimming techniques on a regular basis. A way to combat this is to attend the lessons or speak with the instructor about what the lesson entailed, and then practice with your child at home. The more they practice, the better they will become and their progress should start to increase.

It is good to remember that even though your child may be quite athletic in other areas, that does not always translate over into swimming or in the pool. It is perfectly normal for children to slow down in phases of their learning. Everyone develops at their own pace and they need time to build up their endurance.

Try out one of the swimming programs with Zodiac Kids (Change to Zodiac Swim School) to help your child continue on pace and track with their swimming skills!

Tips For Teaching Your Child To Swim

If you are considering enrolling your child in a summer camp or a day camp for kids that teaches swimming lessons, or a summer camp or day camp that offers private swimming lessons, you should consider their age prior to enrolling them.  There is a great amount of research available out there that recognizes that children should be at least four years of age before attending a private swimming lesson, as typical children under the age of four years old are not yet developmentally able to learn and master the skill of swimming.  If your child falls into the age category of under four years of age, you might want to go with the option of a summer camp that helps them to swim and be safe in the pool, and then tackle some tips for teaching your child to swim. Zodiac offers classes starting at three months of age with parents and then classes for three years old and up without the parents in the water.  You can also work with your toddler on water safety, swimming readiness, and other fun games and skills in preparation for them to learn to swim.

Keep Lessons Short

Children have relatively short attention spans so shorter lessons, around 30-minutes at a time, are more beneficial to their learning the skill of swimming. This is especially true for those children aged 3-5 years. 

Incorporate Games and Toys

All children love games, right?!  Incorporating games and activities into your pool time or lessons can also help maintain your child’s attention.  A great way to do this is to use bright and colorful toys and flotation devices that catch your child’s eye and keep him/her interested.  

Utilize Appropriate Safety Equipment

The type of safety equipment you will need to use will depend on the age of your child.  research the Coast Guard’s guidelines on what size and type of life jacket your child needs based on his or her age and size.  Other safety equipment, such as PFD’s, can be purchased to help them feel safe in the water. You can also find teaching platforms that allow smaller children to stand in the water. 

Help Your Child to Feel Safe

Another tip for teaching your child to swim is to help them to feel safe around the pool and the water.  For the typical child, water is a scary thing at first, until they are used to it and become accustomed to it.  Some ways to help your child feel safe in the water are to hold them in your arms, remind them that you will always be there with them, stay close to them, and remind them that you yourself know how to swim and you are here to help.  Building trust in the water is key to the success your child will feel in the water. 

If you are looking for a great day camp for kids or summer camp in which swimming is incorporated into the curriculum and activities, Zodiac Kids (Change to Zodiac Day Camp) provides a variety of camps that are able to meet those needs.  Contact them today to speak to someone about what type of day camp or activity would be best for your child. Make sure to promote positive messages whenever dealing with the water and your children. If you ask them if they are scared or nervous, this can make them feel as if they should be. Always encourage them and reassure them as they are learning new skills.

Why Every Child Should Go To Summer Camp

For anyone who has ever been to summer camp as a child, it is easy to understand why every child should experience summer camp. If you attended summer camp, chances are you can certainly understand the benefits of a good summer program for kids. There are so many wonderful things that children can experience at a day camp and each and every child will come away with countless positive experiences that they will remember for a lifetime. For those individuals who have never experienced summer camp firsthand, they might not realize the benefits or how the positive experiences from a summer program for kids can impact a child for good. Below are some of the reasons why every child should go to summer camp, although there are many, many more!

Confidence

Day camps can provide opportunities for your child to build their self-confidence.  Summer programs for kids offer activities and programs for children that are pressure free and are geared towards fun. While many activities at camp also foster academic, team building, and competition aspects, there are no grades or expectations involved as there would be at school. This can allow your child to participate in these activities with confidence and can allow them to have fun. Camp programs, sports, and activities help your child to succeed in a variety of ways, thus increasing their confidence level tremendously!  

Independence

Summer camp can also help your child to gain independence.  Because children are at camp without parents present, they are able to go through their day without their parents making the decisions for them. Camps require children to complete daily chores, make their own decisions about what activities to participate in, and other independent living skills. These are skills that will help your child in all aspects of life.  

Friendship

Another reason all children should attend summer camp is that they will make new friendships and gain social skills. Summer programs for kids encourage children to interact with other children in a variety of activities, which helps build social skills and introduces them to new ways to make friends. Children at day camps often have to work together to complete chores and tasks, group together for activities, and learn how to resolve conflict in a respectful manner. With the variety of activities offered at day camps, children will make friends who share common interests and those friendships will be valued for a lifetime!

As you can see, there are many benefits and reasons why every child should attend summer camp, and Zodiac Day Camp offers many day camps and summer programs for kids that encourage all of the benefits in this article, and many more!  If you are searching for a summer program for your child, look no further than Zodiac Day Camp to help you find the best program for your child. Your child is sure to come back from their summer camp experience with new friends and skill that they will continue to benefit from for years to come. Sign your child up for a summer camp today!

Where We Find Inspiration For Camp Activities

One of the highlights of summer programs for kids are the activities. Children love attending day camp or summer programs and being able to participate in crafts, sports and other activities. But how do camps create new and exciting activities to enjoy each and every year? Camp counselors and organizers need to find fresh and interesting ideas to keep kids interested in taking part in activities each and every year, but how is this accomplished? It’s all about finding your inspiration. Learn how to become inspired to create unique activities for summer campers below. 

Pinterest

Pinterest has become the go-to site for camp counselors to come up with new ideas for camp activities. There are hundreds if not thousands of interesting ideas that are posted at Pinterest that can be used or even tweaked to meet your activity needs. Use the search feature to find specific activity categories of ideas with keywords such as summer camp, outdoor kid’s activities and more. The options are truly endless. Use a variety of search terms, thinking outside the box, to try and find great new activities for summer programs for kids.

Stick with Tradition

It is important for a summer camp or program to stick to tradition. While having new activities on the schedule is always fun, you want to be sure to stick with the old favorites as well. If the children look forward to swimming and archery each year, be sure to keep these activities on the roster. Returning campers will expect to be able to enjoy such activities and will be disappointed if they are not made available. 

Counselor Consult

Another great way to find inspiration is to play off of other counselors. Get together with other counselors or summer program organizers to throw out ideas. Take notes of each idea mentioned. You may be able to combine ideas or think of other alternatives based on the suggestions made. Sometimes talking out activity ideas with others can be the perfect inspiration for coming up with new and exciting activity ideas for campers to enjoy. 

Combine Activities

Give life to old favorites by combining activities. For example, kids like to play kickball and baseball. Why not combine the two? Use a kickball to play baseball, giving children a bigger target to hit and a unique way in which to play the two sports. This is just one example. Consider how you can combine games or activities into a new way of enjoying time together. Use spray paint to create giant colored circles in an area of the camp on the grass to create a life size Twister game board.  Use materials commonly found in the kitchen to experiment with science, taking your work outside so it is okay to be messy. The options are endless as you can combine and tweak activities to make camp enjoyable for the kiddos.

To learn more about various activities often found at day camps for kids, contact Zodiac Day Camp. They offer several options for day camp including a long list of specialized activities. 

Family Camp Is A Great Way to Introduce Your Child To Camp

Summer camp is an essential way that children can stay active during the summer months. Day camps for kids allow children to play and have fun with others kids their age. While it is common for young children to be away from home during the daytime hours for camp or even on overnighters, many children are not so comfortable leaving mom and dad. For parents, this can be frustrating as they want children to be able to experience the fun and excitement of camp. A quality solution is to consider family camp. Go together to show just how fun camp can be to then provide a day camp solution for your child. 

What is Family Camp?

Family camp is a variant of summer camp where children go to camp with the entire family. Brothers and sisters, moms and dads, all go together and enjoy the experience. Campers can enjoy a host of activities and dining together during the day camp. By attending the summer camp together, children can get to know what camp life is like. Parents can show children just how fun camp can be so that when day camps for kids are available, the children will be willing to go. Every family camp is different, with specific options for activities offered. Campers may take part in outdoor sports such as archery or volleyball as well as do crafts or entertainment activities together. The goal is to allow families to spend quality time together in a camp like setting.

Getting Comfortable

As your child experiences family camp, they can get to know what summer camp is really like. For most children, it takes simply experiencing something to feel comfortable. Talk to your child about how they would need to listen to counselors and discuss all the fun activities they could do. Specific camps can be enjoyed such as swimming or strictly the arts, giving your child the opportunity to enjoy the activities they love with others their own age. Talk to your child about how they can make new friends and possibly attend camp with others they already know. This can also help your child to feel more comfortable. 

Discuss Day Camp Options

Once you have attended family camp, you can bring up the idea of day camps for kids. Show your child examples of the types of summer camp options available so they can decide what camp will be the most fun for them. After experiencing summer camp, your child will know what it is like and feel more comfortable being away from home. If you allow your child to be part of the decision making process in regards to going to camp, they will be able to become excited about going on a camping adventure. 

To learn more about summer camp and the options available for children of varying ages, contact Zodiac Day Camp. With years of experience in hosting day camps, Zodiac Kids can provide quality camp options for your children.