It’s that time of the year that children look forward to travelling, vacations and outdoor fun to spend their summer holidays. But the rising cases of COVID-19 and new lockdown restrictions have spoiled all the fun for them.
Who would have thought that this would be a second consecutive year when parents would be searching for online summer camps for their kids? As much as you want to avoid screen time for them, children do tend to get bored quickly with books, games, toys, playing with siblings or family. They need friends and something new and exciting to stay busy. An online summer camp will engage them creatively and productively for few hours a day, and help them make new friends. Just think this way – the time they spent in online school classes can be replaced with hobby/activity workshops.
A plethora of online summer camps must be flooding your social media handles and you may be finding it difficult to choose the right one. Don’t worry. Here is all help you need.
Keep it Age-Appropriate
Make sure that the age of other kids in the online summer camp is at par with your child. For example, if a camp is for the age group 4-7 years and your kid is the only 7-year participant, s/he will find it awkward to interact with other kids younger than him or her, especially because there is no physical connection. So, check with the summer camp organizer about the age of participants.
Align with Children’s Interests
You may think that a robotics or astronomy summer camp would be the best option for your children, but they want to do something around art and craft. Ask your children what they would find fun or like to learn. At least it will ensure that they don’t quit the camp midway (after all, it is easier to bunk the classes online!) and your money doesn’t go down the drain.
Compare: Multi-Activity vs Focused Summer Camp
Some online summer camp organizers offer focused activity classes or workshop during the entire duration. For example, a dance summer camp for two months. Some camp organizers will build in a variety of activities such as storytelling, creative writing and yoga in a single camp to avoid the monotony. You can make a choice depending on your child’s age, personality and interests.
Inquire About Materials Required
If you want to enrol your child in art and craft, painting, magic and such activities, you need to prep up in advance and keep the required supplies ready. This might not be possible in case you don’t want to venture out of your home for safety reasons or online delivery will take a longer time. Most online summer camp organizers understand this concern. So, they either design their activities around things easily available at home or offer a ready-made supply kit at an additional price.
Check for Mode of Instruction
Find out with the organizer whether they will conduct the camp on Facebook Live, Zoom, WhatsApp or any other virtual meet-up app. This will help you to know whether you need to download any specific app or your kids would be comfortable using it. You should also find out if the classes will be live or in the form of audio, text or video recordings. In the case of live classes, recording should be available for the children to view later in case they have missed the class or need to revisit the concepts.
Ask About the Fee
Online summer camp organizers usually keep a low fee as they don’t have to incur much cost on physical space and other infrastructure for conducting activities. It is advisable to compare the fee across different organizers and see the value for money you will get. Also, check for online payment options. For example, they may ask for only Gpay, but you use only Paytm.
If you are looking for trusted and curated online summer camps, Kidwise has got you covered. Click here to know more.
Very helpful tips. Thank you.