Enrolling your child at Camp Live Oak’s surf camp for kids in Ft Lauderdale offers countless benefits, such as spending more time in nature and gaining confidence. Not only is surf camp full of benefits, but also, surfing is so much fun. Learning how to surf in a camp environment offers a safe and highly supervised learning experience our campers thoroughly enjoy year after year.
7 Benefits Surf Camp for Kids
1. Surf camp gets kids interacting with nature
Kids don’t spend nearly enough time outdoors these days. Some estimates say modern kids spend less than half the same time outdoors as their parents. Surf camp gets kids off computers and out in nature having a great time.
Nature loves to throw curve balls, like big waves, small waves, or an unexpected thunder storm. These types of things prep kids for life, showing them that even though things don’t always go as planned there’s a way to work through it and make the best of any situation. No one can catch and ride every wave, but the thrill of the chase is that much sweeter when you must work hard for it.
2. Surfing teaches campers how to work well with others
Surfing etiquette is crucial to prevent everyone from crashing into one another as they try and catch the same wave. Surfing etiquette shows kids the benefits of working together even when trying to accomplish individual goals.
3. Surfing camp has been shown to improve cognitive, physical and psychological health.
According to childhood development experts, limited outdoor exposure could potentially impair a child’s physical, social or mental health and development. Watching TV or even playing video games does not require the same social skills or physical skills that outdoor activities require.
Surfing camp ensures your kid gets outdoor stimulation to help balance out all the time spent indoors at school, doing homework on the computer, or watching America’s Got Talent. Being out in nature is calming and can even help resolve behavioral issues.
As for physical health, surfing is a great cardiovascular workout that’ll help keep your child in good shape. Lack of physical exercise leads to obesity, high blood pressure and other common health problems in the US. Plus, kids who exercise are more likely to continue living an active lifestyle as adults. So, not only is surfing camp good for your child today, but it sets a good example for them to follow throughout life as well.
4. Surfing builds confidence
Confidence is key to accomplishing things and having a high self-worth. Kids build confidence through learning new things and conquering fears. Surfing is hard at first, but eventually campers start accomplishing things in the water that seemed impossible at first. This builds so much confidence, showing kids they can do anything they put their minds to.
Surfing gives kids something to share with their peers, write about in school essays, and add to their list of skills, further building their self-worth and overall confidence.
5. Surf camp introduces kids to diversity
There is some diversity in school but camp offers even more exposure to diversity as kids from many different surrounding school systems attend one camp. Camp exposes kids to different ages, genders, lifestyles, personalities and ethnicities. They learn to work with authority, aka camp counselors and surf instructors. These positive experiences help kids grow, develop and learn how the world works.
Plus, interacting with different types of people is great for a child’s social skills.
6. Builds better listening skills
Surfing involves a good deal of learning, from learning how to stand up on the board to eventually learning how to catch a wave. Following instructions is a big part of the experience, which is great for kids who need as much practice as possible when it comes to listening and following directions. Of course, once kids build confidence in the water, they can exercise more creativity to crush bigger waves. But just like everything in life, this level of freedom must be earned.
7. Helps kids tap into untapped talents
You never know, your child could be the next best surfer in the world. The only way to find out is to enroll your child in surf camp and see how they like it. Even if it’s not their thing, they’ll still enjoy all of the benefits outlined above.
Sign your child up for Ft. Lauderdale Surf Camp at Camp Live Oak! https://www.campliveoakfl.com/surfing/