Is Art Camp Good for Kids? The Answer is Yes! And Here is Why

by Gabriella Györfi, owner of Creative You Art Studio in Thalwil

All children with or without obvious artistic talent can have fun, unleash their creativity and thrive.

Holiday art camps involve drawing, painting, sculpting, glass fusing, ceramic painting, print-making, textile design, cooking, or working with clay or wood. However, through these activities during a weekly camp can offer much more such as deeply immersing into a new or already familiar activity.

Artistic activity has overall benefits such as building:

Creativity
Concentration
Self-expression
Comprehension
Multi-sensory skills and
Patience

In an art camp children have the space and time to let their imagination free, while feeling safe to

Develop fresh ideas
Take risks
Dream
Learn something new
Come outside their comfort zone and even
Form new friendships

The more children engage in creative activities, their ability to focus across other fields of life, increases too. More specifically during an art camp that lasts a week children have the time and space to:

Build fine motor skills and cognitive development by holding different tools. The development of these skills helps children with tasks that require controlled movements like writing or buttoning a jacket.
Grow their critical thinking skills, especially as they visualise the end result of an art piece they want to create, and create a plan to follow-through.
Discover new passions by experimenting with new activities in a safe environment.
Interpret information and assess, by analyzing art.
Learn how to express their criticism, make choices and listen to others.
Open up to a new vocabulary as they learn new art terminology
Develop visual-spatial skills.
Be who they are, without academic or parental goals and expectations.
Build friendships with like-minded children with common interests.

At art camp there isn’t a sense of success or failure, only the chance learn by experimenting with new mediums.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST ART CAMP FOR A CHILD

There are a various things to consider when choosing the right art camp for your children. The most fundamental ones are:

Age

While there is no tried-and-true way to decide which art camp will be best for your child, it might be best to start off researching camps that are the most age-appropriate.

Location

From full-day camps to half-day drop-ins, logistics is an important factor especially when there is no available bus service and delivery and pick up is the responsibility of parents. For camps that are farther from home it is helpful to synchronize your children with camps booked by friends that live nearby so that you can share the pick-ups with other parents.

Theme

The kind of creative activity your child wants to learn more about. Talk to your child about the available art camp options in their area of interest. Discuss what these camps offer and see which ones your child seems most interested in.

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About the Author

Gabriella Györfi is a mother and owner of Creative You a ceramic art, glass fusing and pottery studio in Thalwil, Canton Zurich. Gabriella and her team have experience in guiding children in their artistic journey, while organising weekend workshops throughout the year and camps for kids during school holidays. At Creative You children find a safe space that gives them the chance to explore their creativity and enjoy learning about the innumerable facets of art. They are encouraged to be expressive and experimental.

The beautiful thing about the art camps is that the children bond together during the day, and when the camp is finished they can take their art pieces home with them! Sign-ups for winter camps are taking place and the program is available here.