Summer camp is a great way to get kids (and teens) out of the house and off screens. It nurtures their curiosity and independence, helps them build social relationships in a safe environment and can even help them discover a new passion that they can take with them into high school and beyond.

While there is plenty of free play at camp, there are also structured activities that encourage teamwork. Whether it’s playing capture the flag or working together on an art project, teamwork skills are key for children to develop as they get older. This is especially important for children with ADHD, as it gives them a chance to learn how to interact with other people in a non-threatening setting.

Many of these summer camps are held on college campuses. These schools want to reach out to their local communities and attract future students by offering summer programs that are centered around their academic disciplines. They often offer a wide range of options, such as music lessons, coding, game design, 3D printing and robot building. YMCA summer camps are held throughout the city and cater to all ages.

Some of these summer programs are run by professional teachers or musicians. They give kids the chance to improve their skills in a specific area and create a performance at the end of the week. Music lessons can focus on anything from violin, guitar and vocals to jazz, classical music and musical theater.

This program, designed for 5-7 year olds, allows kids to experiment with the power of real tools and technology in a controlled setting. They can take apart printers, blenders and other devices to learn how they work, then build and create their own inventions using the knowledge gained from disassembling and rebuilding.

At this program, kids can become their own rock stars. They form bands of six or fewer with fellow campers and then learn, rehearse and perform. There are sessions devoted to different genres of music, including rock, pop and a session focused on empowering girls and gender-expansive youth.

At this cooking camp, kids and teens hone their kitchen skills with expert instruction. Younger kids (4-8 years) cook with hands-on food activities, like kneading pizza dough and folding dumplings. Older kids (9-13 years) can learn advanced knife skills and cook with more complex recipes. Kids also have the option to add a private lesson before camp for an additional fee.

If you’re hosting a child event, you need to think about safety. This means making sure that there are no dangerous objects within reach and ensuring that enough adults accompany children during activities. You should also take out public liability insurance for your event. You should also be aware that child events can lead to a high level of stress for some children. Recognizing that this can be a normal reaction to trauma can help you to understand why the child is feeling this way and how you can support them.

Depending on the age of the child, you may want to consider limiting your event to a specific age range or asking for this information when they register. This can make it easier to plan the types of games and activities that are best suited for the child’s age group. For example, songs, puppet shows and fancy dress work well for 1-4 year olds, while 5 to 8 year olds prefer themed events such as magic shows or dancing. Children aged 9 and above can take part in more organised activities such as a treasure hunt or arts and crafts.

When organising a child event, it’s important to communicate with parents effectively. This includes explaining how the event will be run, whether it’s necessary for them to stay with their children during the event or if it’s child-only, the timetable, what they need to bring, etc. You can do this through email, social media or by visiting them at home. It’s also worth introducing yourself to the parents and giving them a brief overview of the facilitators who will be running the event so they feel more at ease leaving their children in your care.

After the event, it’s important to follow up with the parents to ensure that they are happy with the experience and that their children enjoyed it. This can be done via email, social media or by calling them at home. It’s also a good idea to send them some visual reminders of the event such as photos or videos. It’s a great opportunity to build the relationship and encourage them to come to future events.

To set up a child event rule, use the EM_Event_Rule_vod field in the EM_Event_Rule_vod_setup table to specify which record type should be used when creating new child events. Alternatively, you can use the country override field to choose which specific countries the rule applies to. You must grant administrators FLS edit permission and end users FLS read permission to the EM_Event_Rule_vod object for this to work. You can then place this object on the page layout of the child event.