Google “statistics of kids and screen time” and you will discover mind-blowing results.
- 1 out of 5 kids do not play outside.. at all.. on a typical day
- 3 out of 4 parents say their kids refuse to play games without some type of technology
- 4 out of 5 tweens are on social media by the age of 12
- The average age for a child to receive their first smartphone is 10.3, and the age is dropping.
But what if for one week this summer screens were completely out of sight? A screen free summer camp experience sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?
Go Unplugged and Reconnect!
Summer days stretch long when we are attempting to keep our kids entertained. It’s so hard not to use the iPad as a crutch, but let’s face it… we’ve all been there. Summer Camps to the rescue!
Its important to find a camp experience where the focus is on meaningful play led by a devoted mentor. Now in their 14th year of SPLASH! Summer Camps, Charlotte Academy of Music offers screen-free camps led by enthusiastic teaching professionals. CAM owner, Regina Ziliani, writes “Given the amount of time our children have spent in front of screens for school over the past 10 months, coupled with the amount they use during free time, it’s more important than ever to have camps where kids can imagine, create something with their hands, and be mentored in person by an engaging teacher. Today so much of our communication happens through a screen and this can impede our capacity to understand and empathize with each other. In person camp experiences give kids a chance to build real relationships, with a teacher and with new friends! In our music and art summer camps kids enjoy using their talents and discovering new interests as they create alongside their peers.”
We’ve all experienced an unparalleled array of challenges and uncertainty for close to a year now. Teachers continue to amaze us daily with their determination and ingenuity. We tip our hats to these dedicated professionals. But we must not lose sight of the fact that our students have also faced unprecedented changes. We need to seek out opportunities for our kids to develop their confidence, but most importantly, give them a chance to just be kids. So how can we distract kids from their screens while providing them a fantastic place to learn and be happy? Two words: Summer Camp.
Visit our SPLASH! Summer Camp website for all the details!
