Parents Is rec camp worth it?

[InMyGymMomEra]

My daughter is a 5yo rec gymnast whose goal is to join pre-team/team. I’m looking at summer day camps since I work full time. Her home gym has a rec camp that has some gymnastics (2 hours per day, and some is open gym) but appears to be mostly free play with other activities like crafts, swim, etc. This would be great from a childcare perspective and I’m sure she’d have lots of fun, but would it help her move toward her goals? Or would she be better off just going to a regular (non-gymnastics) day camp and sticking with her regular rec classes over the summer? Lastly, there is a gym about an hour away that offers a few weeks of clinic type camp (9am-3pm, mostly gymnastics instruction and conditioning). Would that be even better, if I can work out the commute?

 

[NYGymfamily]

I would say the first option. A full day at a gym an hour away would be a lot for any 5 year old, even if they are on team already. A little extra gymnastics in a low stress environment should be fun without tiring her out too much.

 

[Janneke]

My daughter always enjoys her gym's holiday camp. It is mostly free play with some organised activities in between. She sometimes convinces a coach to do some 'real' gymnastics with her, but for the most part she spends her time running around and building forts with all the blocks and mats. She is having a blast and making friends. I would personally never count on any camp advancing her gymnastics skills, that's for normal training sessions. It might help your child get noticed by team coaches (assuming they are involved). My daughter went went straight from a holiday camp to team because someone noticed her on her first day.

 

[HurricaneLR]

I would go with the camp at the home gym. Those are fun, especially for a 5 year old. She gets the fun camp games, plus a good amount of gymnastics thrown in. She may not gain a bunch of new skills, but she will get to know more coaches in the gym, and they will get to know her. She will also make friends, some of whom may eventually end up on team with her. Also, like Janneke, my daughter was able to get some of the team coaches to teach her some real gymnastics skills while she was there. I would not even consider the clinic. Usually they don't allow kids who haven't already competed a year on team, and even then it's intense.

 

[InMyGymMomEra]

Thank you all for these helpful replies! I’ll plan to sign her up for the rec camp at her home gym!