It’s never too early to begin thinking about Summer Schools (also known as Summer camp), but deciding which one is the best fit for your child, can be a challenge with so much choice out there. Carfax Consultants can be the guiding hand you may need in this situation advising on how to select a course and what will bring most benefit for your child.

The benefits of attending a summer school are well documented. It gives children a taste of independence and an opportunity to learn in a new environment with different teachers and coaches. It keeps children physically or mentally active and can often be a great cultural experience too, with trips and outings to places of interest. And all these experiences help bond the children together and forge new friendships!

Here are our Carfax Top Tips for choosing a Summer School:

1. Make it enjoyable.

A summer school is taking up precious holiday time so whatever you choose for your child make sure it is something they are keen to do and that they will enjoy!

2. Get your child’s ‘buy in’

Talk through the options with your child, get them to do some of the research so they can see how many fun and exciting camps there are. Are they interested in learning how to vlog or sail or would they like to explore future career opportunities by taking a course in ‘Diplomacy and Global Politics’ or “Fashion Marketing”?

3. Be clear about what you want your child to get out of the camp

Check the balance of ‘work vs play’ are there sporting activities, cultural trips or social on offer? If they are fully engaged in something, they will be more likely to have fun and gain from the experience.

4. Make sure you check out the age range

Check your child is in the sweet spot for the camp – too old and they will feel out of place and too young they could feel overwhelmed. Double check to see if there are any other criteria to attend a course, some of the camp have limited places and may require a letter of motivation to demonstrate the child’s enthusiasm for attending the course.

5. Think about location

Camps are offered all over the world and for some families the summer offers an opportunity to escape the heat of Dubai and explore somewhere further afield whether that is learning about K Pop in South Korea or a sustainable camp on the Cornish coast. However, there are plenty of great camps here in the UAE for a wide age range of children.

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