Though it's still chilly in Columbus, summer will be here before you know it. For parents with kids - that means one thing.... IT'S CAMP SEASON.
We partner with The Columbus Foundation to run Community Youth Camp for 6 to 12-year-olds in central Ohio. Kids play up to four sports a day for four days, learning new skills and building confidence. Registration for Youth Camp is open now right here. For 2023, we offer two sessions, both at KIPP Columbus - June 20-23 and June 26-29.
Summer is the best time for kids to play outside and make new friends. It's also the perfect time to try new sports. Here are five reasons why your kids should go to a camp this summer.
5. Higher Test Scores
Playing sports can make you smarter? Believe it or not, active kids have up to 40% higher test scores. That's according to the Aspen Institute, which has done lots of research on the benefits of youth sports. A sports camp, especially one that allows your child to try more than one sport, gives them the opportunity to learn a sport in a fun and inclusive environment. At camp, the focus is on learning and improving, not winning and losing.
4. Learn Teamwork and Problem-Solving Skills
We're all on one team or another. Sometimes it's a work project, sometimes it's a family or a community or volunteer group. If you break it down, a team is just a group of people working together to achieve a common goal. The most obvious teams are sports teams! Playing sports together gives children a chance to learn their role, how that interacts with other roles and what they need to do to succeed.
Additionally, we'll all face problems at some point. Sport camps are great places to learn how to solve them. "We want to score a touchdown, but the other team wants to stop us. How can we get past them into the end zone?"
3. Higher Self-Esteem
Back with another one from the Aspen Institute. Countless studies show the link between playing sports and higher self-esteem in young children. A sports camp gives kids a chance to learn, try, fail, tweak, try again and succeed. The lessons picked up at play will build confidence and self-esteem that extend beyond the field and into the classroom and other parts of life.
2. Lifelong Participation
Adults who play sports are just grown-up versions of kids who play sports! According to an NPR study, 73% of adults who play sports played when they were kids. If you enjoyed playing sports as a kid, it's the best thing you can do for your child to introduce them to sports at a camp this summer. Maybe they'll gravitate towards one or more sport and you can explore a full season this school year.
1. It's Fun
And the number one reason kids play sports - fun! Sports camps teach the fundamentals in a fun way. They get to run, jump and make new friends. We can't think of a better thing to do this summer.
We hope you make it to a field, court, pool, rink, track or somewhere else you can play this summer. Maybe we'll see you at Community Youth Camp!
ABOUT THE GREATER COLUMBUS SPORTS COMMISSION
The Greater Columbus Sports Commission’s mission is to rally Columbus to compete and win sporting events, providing a singular athlete and fan experience and positively impacting image, economy and lifestyle. Since 2002, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission has brought 550 new sporting events to Columbus, generating an estimated $625 million in direct visitor spending.
