Children these days tend to have an unhealthy lifestyle. Apart from having a sedentary lifestyle, with the onslaught of more laid back activities like watching TV and spending countless hours on video games and social media, nutrition has also taken a nosedive with their general preference for junk food. Dr Mohammed Salman, shares some advice on the benefits of summer camps to child’s health.
The summer holidays hopefully become an opportunity for a reset: a time to explore more physically challenging activities that promote health and fitness. This is also a great time to combine intense physical activity with activities that feed the mind and allow for them to detox from the stresses of getting good grades throughout the school year: perhaps an art summer course that teaches kids how to paint!
Summer camps are beneficial for children for a lot of unique reasons, one of which is that it offers the modern-day child a safe place to be a child.
Dr Mohammed Salman
I believe that there are two important questions that need to be addressed in order for us to develop effective summer programs for our children: How healthy are our children? And what are the biggest issues that threaten their well-being?
Recent studies show that infectious diseases are no longer the major threat to the health of our children as immunization programs are now prevalent in most developing countries. The biggest threat, therefore, mainly addresses issues that relate to social and environmental concerns that impact child development and well-being.
The community should be encouraged to take responsibility by providing effective summer programs that promote child well-being.
One of the most challenging aspects of childhood for today’s parents is keeping children active and healthy. The summer holidays can be seemingly endless when you have young children and teenagers to entertain, so it is no surprise that summer camps have become a popular choice for many families. It’s harder than ever before for children to stay active and outdoors, and this generation of children now spend less time outdoors than any other previous generation. Taking this into consideration parents should choose summer camps that promote physical fitness, a healthier lifestyle and social & cultural well-being. The best part is that children want to go camping because it is fun, and the positive outcomes just happen along the way. Active children are also better able to concentrate and do better in school and have fewer behavioural problems.
Summer camps are beneficial for children for a lot of unique reasons, one of which is that it offers the modern-day child a safe place to be a child. Unaffected, undistracted and allowed to be outdoors and living a free-spirited active lifestyle will benefit them as they start to grow and develop in their teenage years and into adulthood. Being healthy and happy are important aspects of childhood development and exercise is a great way to promote this.
