Summer camp may provide more than day care during school vacation. Kids can experience adventure, skills and independence by 'roughing it.'

Memories of songs around the campfire, swimming in the lake, putting on skits and writing postcards home. As a parent, your summer camp experiences may be so wonderful, you want your own children to know the thrill of going to camp.

But is summer camp for every child? Should children with a stay-at-home parent go off to camp, or is summer camp just glorified day care?

No matter what their interests, there seems to be a summer camp for children of all types. From archeology and astronomy to wilderness and weight loss, there are hundreds of specialty camps for kids throughout the United States.

Adventure camps, programs for academic subjects of all kinds, religious camps, special needs camps and camps for sports, arts, and varied subjects. If a child is interested in the circus, there is a camp in Pennsylvania that will teach him the flying trapeze, clowning and unicycling. For children who are interested in photography, surfing, wrestling or robotics, there are camps for them. And there are camps for children with specific allergies and medical conditions.

Benefits of Camp for Kids

Summer camps for kids have become more than just a place to send the kids during school vacation.

“There is a camp for every child,” said Nancy LaPook Diamond, president and founder of NicheDirectories.com, publisher of KidsCamps.com, the first, largest and most comprehensive online directory of camps. “We say, ‘Everything we know, we learned at camp.’”

Millions of childen attend one of 12,000 camps in the United States every year, according to the American Camp Association.

A generation ago, a child going away to summer camp was a privilege. Now, camps have diversified and offer programs that cater to every type of child, at every independence level and with every interest.

Children unable to stay overnight can attend day camp programs, others can spend a few nights to get used to being away from home.

The benefits of camp are many, Diamond said.

• Development of social skills
• Increased confidence
• Increased independence
• Exercise and daily exposure to athletics and fitness
• The opportunity to interact with children their own age and develop friendships
• Connect with nature
• Develop a specific skill

“And,” Diamond added, “a chance for parents to have a much needed break.”

Should Stay-at-Home Parents Send Their Kids to Camp?

You may not need the summer day care, if you’re home with your children during the day, so why send a child to camp?

For all the same reasons other kids go to camp, Diamond said, in a telephone interview April 29. For families with a stay-at-home parent, a short stay at a special interest camp may be part of the perfect summer for a child.

For parents or children who are leery of being separated, there are more than 150 family camps throughout the US, where children and families can attend organized programs separately and together.

How to Have Your Own Kids’ Camp at Home

A self-made kids’ camp at home can take the place of the experience of sleep-away camp, especially if you provide lots of other kids, organized activities and an unforgettable experience.

Summer camp at home can be organized around a fun theme like Space Camp or Around the World, and can include sports, crafts, games and camping out.

Whether you send your child to an outside program or have your own at home, summer camp can be an enriching experience for a child.