If you are a teacher, organizer, or a head of the student’s union organizing an after-school camp for the first time, don’t worry! Because this article has your back.
The idea of organizing after-school camp shows is to introduce children to nature and make them mentally and physically stronger.
When students are far away from their families, they tend to learn new stuff, and new life avenues open up for them.
Therefore, as an organizer, you must ensure that they get to experience things that they have never been a part of. On that note, let us look at four things that you can do to make camping a learning and fun experience for students:
1. Put their learnings to practice through a theme.
To keep things organized, you must have a theme in mind around which the entire show can pivot.
You can task them with bringing an ingredient and making a meal or dressing the best they can in household clothing.
You can also put their creativity to the test by asking them to decorate the campsite with all the artwork they have learned.
The idea is to keep every child in sync with the theme and have a competitive spirit.
2. Improve their communication skills
In this challenging world, you have to be a great communicator. If children learn about the importance and art of good communication, they can benefit from it throughout their lives.
You can task them with activities that require communication. For example, you can segregate into different teams and conduct a group discussion where everybody must speak to counter the counterpart’s narrative.
You can also ask to task them with generating their ideas about what can be done to make camping fun.
Such activities aim to make students interact with each other and become solution-oriented.
3. Engage them in team-building activities
Apart from competing against each other in teams, they must also learn to collaborate in groups and build a team.
There are many school team-building activities that students can do. You can also collaborate with team building professionals to help you find some safe team building activities for children.
Generally, team building professionals charge a nominal fee for their suggestions, but once you realize its positive impact on the lives of young minds, you won’t mind paying them.
4. See if everybody is comfortable.
Last but not the least, you must ensure that every student has a good time. Not everyone likes to communicate or work in a team. Therefore, as an organizer, you must create a fruitful environment for all those children who do not wish to participate in your activities.
You can work on choosing after-school programs according to their tastes and likes. For example, a child may love shaping puzzles and triangles but hate building a raft with teamwork.
As humans, we all have different likes and preferences. So, before you plan the list of your activities, ensure that they can cover all tastes.
Final Thoughts
Since COVID-19 made children stay indoors for almost two years, after-school camps are a great opportunity for them to go out and enjoy themselves.
Organizers must constitute enjoyable activities. At the same time, they should improve the children’s physical shape and mental balance.
For example, activities like group discussions can help improve a student’s communication skills and ability to work in a team, whereas building a raft or rope pulling will help improve their physical capability.
So, integrate these four tips into your camp plan and create a perfect list of activities covering all those aspects that can help children grow.