From carefree fun with friends to freedom from school year structure, it’s no wonder summer vacation is our kids’ favorite time of year! But as this blissful break approaches, parents face several common dilemmas:
- How do we make unforgettable memories for our kids while sharpening their skills?
- How do we decide whether to nurture their passion for art, STEM, or both?
- How do we choose a trusted summer enrichment program?
Sound familiar? We’re here to help simplify your summer planning.
Step 1: Step Into Your Child’s Shoes
As parents with jobs, bills, and all sorts of other responsibilities, it’s easy to feel estranged from the magic of childhood summers. So, before selecting a summer program for your child, we encourage you to step into their world. Talk with them about their hopes for the break and goals for the future. Really see their interests and passions and try to understand what they love, be it creating TikTok videos, building adventures in Roblox, playing soccer with friends, or drawing portraits of pets.
Whether your assumptions were on the money or you find yourself surprised by their answers, you’ll be better equipped to select an enrichment program that resonates, sharpens their skills, and makes their summer unforgettable.
Step 2: Understand the Benefits of Arts Camps, STEM Camps, and STEAM Camps
The number of summer camp options can seem overwhelming, but knowing your child’s personality and talking with them about their interests can help you quickly narrow things down. From there, it’s important to understand the specific strengths of each type of program so you can make a fully informed decision.
Art Camps
Art programs for children offer more than just creative activities; they're powerful tools for holistic development. Through artistic endeavors such as painting, drawing, and crafting, kids enhance their cognitive skills by stimulating imagination, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.
Art also provides a medium for emotional expression, enabling children to process and communicate their feelings in a constructive manner, fostering well-being and resilience. Collaborative art projects promote social interaction, teamwork, and empathy while refining fine motor skills through precise hand movements and coordination.
Art programming benefits children in many ways, including:
- Enhanced creativity and self-expression
- Development of fine motor skills
- Social and emotional growth
- Exposure to diverse art forms
Additionally, according to Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education:
- Students who take four years of arts and music classes score an average of over 150 points higher on the SAT than students who take only one-half year or less.
- Students with high arts participation and low socioeconomic status have a 4 percent dropout rate—five times lower than their low socioeconomic status peers.
- The arts are recognized as a core academic subject under the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and, as of 2020, all 50 states plus the District of Columbia have adopted standards for learning in the arts.
Integrating art into kids’ summer education can support their future academic success as well as their overall growth and well-being by nurturing cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development.
STEM Camps
STEM programming offers kids a dynamic environment to explore science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on learning. These experiences prepare students for academic success and equip them with the tools and mindset needed to thrive in an ever-changing technological landscape—no matter what career they go into in the future.
[GRAPHIC: Over the next decade, 80% of all jobs will require STEM skills.] (The National Science Foundation)
In addition to preparing kids for the future, learning STEM impacts them positively right now by nurturing essential 21st-century competencies like:
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Collaboration and communication
- Adaptability
- Self-motivation
STEM education also fosters curiosity and a love for learning, empowering kids to ask questions, investigate phenomena, and discover new possibilities. The right STEM instructor can connect the dots in your child’s mind, showing them, for example, how their passion for Minecraft can lead to a dream job in game development, or how their love of animals can be combined with coding to create a pet adoption app.
STEAM Camps
If your child shows an inclination for both artistic and technical pursuits, you’re in luck! Summer camps are increasingly blending art with STEM, resulting in unique learning experiences that spark kids’ creativity and instill in-demand skills. With elements of both disciplines, your child will get the best of both worlds—and gain a competitive edge by becoming so well-rounded!
Look for programs with topics like:
- Digital animation
- Video game asset or level design
- 3D design and printing
- Graphic design
- YouTube or TikTok video creation
- Photo editing
Through programs like these, your child will explore intersections between art and science, learning to approach problems from multiple perspectives and develop flexible thinking skills. They will not only develop a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of these fields but also gain valuable skills that are essential for success in the 21st century.
Step 3: Secure Your Child’s Perfect Summer
Our kids will be packing their bags for college before we know it. In the meantime, it’s within our power as parents to provide summers that delight them, expose them to new experiences, and challenge them to grow. The right summer enrichment can provide all that and more, with lessons and activities so fun they won’t even realize they’re learning.
Start designing your child’s perfect summer today with arts and STEM enrichment from Brains & Motion. Let’s go!