Benefits of Activity Camps
In today’s technology-driven world, it has become increasingly important to provide children with opportunities to be outside and engage in physical activity, and to socialise with other children their own age whilst doing so.
Enter Activ Camps, a dynamic and vibrant activity camp specifically designed to cater to the needs of children and young people aged 4 to 14. Through a wide range of active and engaging activities, Activ Camps not only offers a fun-filled summer holiday camp experience but also imparts numerous benefits that positively impact the physical, social, and emotional well-being of the children that join us.
Promoting Physical Fitness and Health
At Activ Camps our holiday camps really are non-stop… non-stop fun! Your child will participate in seven activities a day, which focus on physical activity and play.
This regular exercise will have numerous health benefits, such as improved cardiovascular health, enhanced coordination and motor skills, increased muscular strength, and better overall physical fitness. It will help children prepare for the more competitive team sports played in schools, and also develop healthy exercise habits that can extend far beyond the summer months.
It also means that they will return home happy and tired, ready for a good night’s sleep!
Improved Social Skills, Communication and Teamwork
The array of activities enjoyed at our summer camps will challenge children to work in groups, small and larger, to problem-solve and achieve a common goal. Participation in these activities facilitates the development of essential social skills and promotes teamwork.
Through the cooperative games and team challenges played, children are given the opportunity to practise and learn the importance of communication, collaboration and compromise. Working together towards common goals not only builds confidence and self-esteem but also cultivates empathy, respect, and an appreciation for diversity. These social skills are vital for children to thrive in their personal lives, academic settings, and future professional endeavours.
It will also provide your child with the opportunity to make new friends, outside of their normal circles.
Boosting Self-Confidence and Resilience
Activ Camps provide a supportive and nurturing environment where children can explore their abilities and push their boundaries. By trying new activities and facing new challenges, children develop a sense of accomplishment, leading to increased self-confidence and self-belief. Overcoming obstacles and persevering through difficult situations also builds resilience, teaching children to bounce back from setbacks and develop a positive mindset.
This might not always be easy and that’s why Activ Camps always employs amazing, fun-loving and fully trained staff to provide support and encouragement.
The invaluable life skills gained at holiday camps like Activ Camps empower children to approach future challenges with optimism and determination.
Types of holiday camp activities at Activ Camps
We offer a wide range of activities designed to provide a fun and engaging experience for participants and build on a range of fundamental skills. These are categorised by the fundamental skills that they build upon, and to ensure variety in our timetables every day. Let’s take a closer look at each one:
Giant Inflatables:
No day at Activ Camps is complete without a go on a giant inflatable!
Activ Camps has an epic selection of giant inflatable slides and assault courses, as well as a ‘Total Wipeout’ style of Last Person Standing. These inflatables are unparalleled and a unique selling point of Activ Camps, especially as they rotate from camp to camp every couple of days meaning the anticipation and excitement levels are always off the charts!
So your children can get ready to bounce, slide, roll and have the time of their lives at Activ Camps! These inflatables include slides as high as 22ft, assault courses as long as 33 ft and slip ‘n’ slides piled high with bubbles.
Of course, health and safety is a top priority in these sessions with robust safety briefings and wind speed checks every session being examples of just a few steps that we take to keep this activity safe.
Invasion Games:
These fast-paced games include the likes of Capture the Flag and 40-40 Homie, where children can work in teams or as individuals to invade areas guarded by ‘catchers’ in an attempt to retrieve some treasure or reach the safety of a ‘base’.
These are amazing activities for stretching those legs and accelerating to full speed, whilst dodging and stepping those acting as catchers. Teams are given time to strategize, deciding how to work best to their individual and team strengths in order to outsmart the opposing team and achieve victory.
Invasion Games are great for developing the skills, strength and stamina needed for more mainstream team sports, such as rugby, football and hockey.
Crazy Games:
Embrace the wild and wacky in this series of ‘Crazy Games’, focusing on non-stop fun and being a little bit silly.
Activities include Uber-Olympics, where the equipment seems to have quadrupled in size, Parachute Games played with a giant and multicoloured parachute, and Run the Gauntlet where children have to dodge and duck their way through the gauntlet of balls before doing their most spectacular dive on to the giant mat. There’s also ‘Freak Out’ played with innumerable bouncing coloured balls that need to be captured before the opposing teams can.
And, in the summer, Water Fight Mania! Played with wet sponges, we start with adaptations of ‘Grandma’s Footsteps’ and ‘Stuck in the Mud’ allowing children to slowly get wetter and more silly before an all-out water fight. This is always a favourite and the staff always seem to come out of this soaked and smiling too.
These often hilarious and always unconventional challenges are fantastic fun for all.
Sporting Skills:
Sporting Skills sessions are Activ Camps’ very own adapted versions of the more traditional sports focussed on in schools. They are played in a more fun, inclusive and creative way, allowing for the development of the core skills needed to succeed in the more mainstream and competitive sports.
Adaptations include Diamond Cricket, where we double the number of batters, and award points for great fielding and encouragement. There’s Handball played to develop the pass and move strategy and skills needed for the highest level of netball and, also, Football Challenge played in the form of imaginative games such as ‘Shark Attack’
This approach protects your child from the pressure of feeling like they have to be an elite athlete, frees them from their pre-existing perception of how good they are at any given sport and, ultimately, allows them to feel confident and happy at our holiday camps.
Team Challenges:
Team Challenges require and lead to, developing fantastic teamwork, communication and leadership skills, as teams strategise their way to achieving a common goal.
These activities are designed to require the involvement of every player on the team before they can win or before they can score. Be that a pass before the team is allowed to shoot or, in Benchball, having to have the whole team up on the bench before the team can win!
These challenges foster camaraderie and trust, with the children required to work as one – a very special and valuable life skill to develop.
Rest & Relaxation:
At such a non-stop fun, activity-focused holiday camp, it is important to take a moment to take a break and to recharge. However, we facilitate this in a structured and engaging way.
Activities such as Trust and Initiative, as well as Gutterball, allow teams to solve challenges by focusing on communication skills and teamwork. Whilst Yoga and Tai Chi, allow the children to slow down physically and mentally, two equally important skills.
These activities offer a chance to rejuvenate and find inner calm amidst the lively atmosphere.
Adventure Activities:
Life is one big adventure and childhood should be filled full of adventurous activities to prepare for it!
All of Activ Camps’ holiday camps in London create a sense of adventure, especially with our daily Giant Inflatables and Invasion Games. On top of these, we have a range of Adventure Activities. This includes Archery Tag, (think Paintballing played with marshmallow-topped arrows), played for the oldest children and Mini Archery, which uses sucky-top arrows, for the youngest children at our holiday camp.
We also have Pedal Karts so children can experience the need for speed and, at Emanuel School, Rock Climbing! This epic activity is delivered by specialist instructors, with the highest levels of safety ensured, and allows children to literally reach new heights!
Due to the nature of these activities and the need for specialist equipment and instructors, these activities are not run daily and should be considered a big bonus, rather than a staple activity.
Swimming:
Activ Camps love to be able to provide swimming as often as possible, recognising that there’s nothing better than splashing around and playing marco-polo during the school holidays!
We ensure the highest standards of safety with qualified Lifeguards on poolside, Activity Instructors in the water and robust Swim Ability Tests carried out. All children four and five years old will have to wear lifejackets.
Holiday camps in London that can provide swimming, or Pool Fun as we like to call it, are few and far between. We currently provide this at four of our venues: Burntwood School, Emanuel School, St Paul’s School and Wimbledon College.
Summer 2023
Due to significant renovations at some venues, Pool Fun will only be available at Burntwood School, which also provides an After Camp Swim Club, and St Paul’s School. For full information on the availability of swimming, please select your desired venue page here.