Sending Kids to Camp - A Great Way to Keep Kids Away from Video Games

Kids love to play games outside!

It is August, summer time in Canada! It's also VBS time for me and many kids in Toronto and the GTA! I have been running summer camp as a volunteer community service for children in my community some twenty five years ago.

Teen Leaders performing and having fun at VBS camp

This year I ran a youth leadership camp in early August for  a dozen youths in Waterloo.

We did safety training, prepared songs, read bible stories,  prepared crafts, games and sports activity.

Presenting bible stories in a play

 In order to utilize the strengths of the youth, we did a strengths and weakness analysis, and assigned each one tasks and responsibilities accordingly.

In order to provide the youths opportunities for leadership, I assigned two seniors leaders, Michelle and Joe to be assistant directors for the VBS.

Some counsellors are adored by the campers!

I am very proud to know that three teen leaders who volunteered at the camp for the last few years have gained enough work experience and developed confidence  that enabled them to gain full time summer paid jobs at various camps in Ontario.

Our VBS camp provides opportunities for youth to become leaders!

They told me it was because of the experience they had gained from volunteering at the camp that helped them to get their very first summer paid job.

Fum social time for teens volunteering at the camp

Many parents have asked me how to get their  kids away from their computers,  ipads and video games!

 The best way is to send them to camp, either an overnight camp, sports camp or a day game will be fine.! However,  not everyone could afford their child to overnight camps which could be pricey for some.

Constructing a sturdy structure using marshmallows at our camp

A day camp in the city such as the ones run by the local churches, YMCA, Parks and Recreation. or school board would be a good choice.

Fun with marshmallows!

Since I am running a VBS camp in Waterloo, I have decided to make this camp electronic/ computer games / wifi free and help the children and teens to rediscover the joy of doing other things and playing board games.

With the help of my team of volunteers we set up five tables around the room and placed various material on them to create five Activity Centres which included:

Story sharing time

1. Reading  Centre

 I got a collection of books from home and from some second hand stores such as Value Village and Salvation Army's Thrift Stores and got these books at very cheap princes.

 We sorted these books, put them into different categories, labelled them and set up a Reading Centre at  a convenient location of the room.

Kids loved the Monkey Madness Game at our VBS camp

2.  Junior Game Centre - For kids aged 4 - 10, we put the following games on a low table:

-  two Memory Match Games
-  a couple of Giant Floor Puzzles including an Alphabet Floor Puzzle
- a Pop Up Game
- a game called Monkey Madness
- a guessing game called Guess Who?
- a quick connection game called Rapid 4




3. Senior Game Centre - For kids aged 8 and up, we placed the following games on a regular height long table:

- Connect 4
- Junior Scrabble
- Canada & US Geo Puzzle
- Block Tower
- Chess Game

Drawing time!

4. A Drawing / Writing Centre - To encourage campers' creativity and their desire to draw and write, we placed a table right in the centre of the room with  the required drawing and writing supply at their finger tips - writing paper, lined and graph paper as well as boxes well labelled with pencils, pens, pencil crayons, markers of various sizes.




5. A Stationery Supply & Basic Craft  Centre - with the essential stationery and basic crafts supply easily accessible and within the reach of every child regardless age.

Leave the electronic games behind; rediscover the fun of board games!

This set up in intended to encourage children to use the art and games supply in the activity room.

On the first couple days the VBS , there were two campers who kept taking out their cell phone and asking us for the wifi password.

We got the puzzle done!

We calmly told them that our facility was a wifi and video game free environment and that camp participants were encouraged to engaged in other games and social plays with others.

Puzzles and board games encourage kids to collaborate together

It took the campers a few days to get used to the idea before stop asking.

We were  firm but kind in our replies. It warmed my heart today as I quietly observed that both the junior and senior groups of our campers pulled out the puzzles, word games and collaborated together to solve their puzzles and had fun at the same time!

Teens playing games and looking after the little ones

                                             From our camp's experience, we found that the effective ways of keeping kids away from computer and video games were:

1. Sending our young people to a good quality summer camp; for older teens, encourage them to volunteer at camp

2.Getting kids to engage in outdoor activities as much as possible

3.Setting up a mixed of activities for kids to do at home

If parents wish to prevent their youngsters  from the computer and video game addiction,  be sure to put your children/ young people with others of the same age. People including kids are social beings. Given the supplies they need for activities, children will play and entertain one another. When kids are having fun doing other activities, they would not need their computer/ video games.

Sending you child/ young person to an electronic device free camp will be a good  first step to take if you are trying to help with the young person's addiction to video games.

R.T.
Director - TECA
Toronto Education &
Communications Associates
Conducting VBS Camp
Waterloo, Ontario
August, 2014