The Social and Emotional Health Benefits of Summer Sports Camps

The most obvious benefits for kids who participate in a summer camp program are the physical ones. Instruction, drills, and the games themselves provide a wide range of positive health benefits for growing children, from building muscles and strengthening bones to improving endurance and helping maintain a healthy weight. Playing sports also builds physical literacy, and studies have shown that the longer children play sports, the more likely they will be healthy and active as adults.

But it’s easy to overlook the other types of benefits that a summer soccer program provides. From playing in their first competitive game to enjoying the camaraderie of teammates, children who participate in sports camps also develop essential life skills and learn how to build social relationships. Let’s take a closer look at the social, psychological, and long-lasting benefits of team sports and sports summer camps.

Sports & activities teach social and life skills

Playing a team sport like soccer helps children develop the social skills that they’ll need throughout their lives. It builds teamwork and coping skills, and it teaches personal responsibility and respect for others. By providing a common goal that requires the contribution of many players, soccer encourages kids to be less selfish, to cooperate, and to listen to their peers (which also strengthens their listening and cognitive skills).

Personal discipline and following rules are essential aspects of sports. Sports like soccer or basketball help kids learn how to take directions from coaches, referees, and their peers and recognize the value of rules and that there are penalties for breaking them. It also helps kids develop willpower and resiliency, which helps build problem-solving and strategic-thinking skills. They learn the importance of patience and that improving skills can change outcomes, such as turning weaknesses and losses into strengths and wins. These skills will help them successfully face and overcome a wide range of academic, interpersonal, and other challenges — now and in the future.

Sports boost mental health

Playing sports regularly helps strengthen and maintain the emotional well-being of children. It’s no secret that physical activity has a positive impact on how you feel. In adults and children, it stimulates the release of dopamine, serotonin, and other brain chemicals that play an important role in regulating mood.

Participating in a sport —along with the emotional support of teammates, coaches, and parents — helps kids feel better about their abilities and themselves. It increases self-esteem, and research has shown that kids who play sports have fewer emotional and behavioral problems and are less likely to take drugs or have a negative body image.  

By providing a sense of belonging and inspiring enthusiasm, a team sport helps build a child’s sense of identity, raises their confidence, and improves mood. An important developmental stage for children is learning to cope with life’s ups and downs. Coping skills include understanding how to win and lose gracefully. Losing in sports lets a child figure out how to deal with unpleasant experiences, as well as how to make plans and take steps to bounce back from disappointment. They learn to control their emotions as they gain empathy and compassion for others. All of these attributes will help them become thoughtful and considerate adults.

How sports camps can help

Whether children already play sports regularly or are curious about getting started in a sport, summer camps are a great way to build on the positives that the sport provides. Participating in a summer camp program will help children improve their skills and develop teamwork skills, which will boost their confidence and emotional development.

A sports camp will also expose children to peers from diverse backgrounds. They can make new friends outside their school, neighborhood, and social circles. As an added bonus, gaining short-term independence from parents — in a safe, nurturing, adult-supervised setting — provides a great opportunity for personal growth.

Addressing the challenges of maintaining both physical and mental well-being is especially important as children emerged from the period of isolation and inactivity brought about by COVID-19 shutdowns and the transition to remote learning and social distancing. A sports camp is a great resource that supports a child’s body and mind, providing long-lasting physical, social, and psychological benefits.

For more information about our Active Education sports camp program and setting one up with your school contact us.

For more reference information, American Camp Association - Camp Study CLICK HERE