If you want a healthy and happy kid but are finding yourself neck-deep in social obligations, look no further than day camps! While parks may be close by in your neighborhood, they don’t often have the around-the-clock supervision or vigorous challenges your kids require to stay fit and safe. Day camps are well-known for their combination of fun activities and a healthy environment, encouraging children through a variety of sports to practice their constructive learning skills, make friends and stay active all at the same time. If you’re looking to keep your kids away from the television and help them enjoy the great outdoors, keep reading to learn more about kids camps and kids nutrition.

Day camps have increased exponentially in the United States, growing by almost 90% in the past twenty years and showing no signs of slowing down. Considering some of the biggest concerns about the United States revolve around health, it’s small wonder summer camps are becoming a bigger priority for the average American parent. Only one in three children are known to be physically active every day and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends at least 60 minutes of daily exercise for children to maintain a healthy immune system. They also have the benefit of teaching your kid how to swim, which can reduce the risk of drowning by as much as 88% on average in children ages one to four.

While kids love their sweets, their diet needs more than just empty calories. Sugars and solid fats contribute an average of 40% of total daily calories for children ranging from 2 to 18 years old and the most common offenders are soda, dairy desserts and pizza. Kids camps (or beach camps, depending on what environment your child likes best!) have muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activities, such as jump rope and gymnastics. With over 11 million children and adults attending camps each year in the U.S., the time has never been better to be apart of a fun and healthy movement.