HYDERABAD: As the summer sun shines down on Hyderabad, the city comes alive with a plethora of summer camps aimed at engaging, educating, and entertaining children of all ages. From creative arts and crafts to reciting shlokas, these camps offer the ideal balance of fun and learning, ensuring that children have a memorable and enriching break from their normal school schedule. These summer camps provide an organised atmosphere for children to learn new skills, meet friends, and pursue their interests. Whether it’s learning a new sport, exploring the world of robotics, or unleashing their inner artist, there’s a camp in the city to suit every child’s enthusiasm and interest.
Summer camps were not included in the Indian school system until a decade or so ago. Summer vacations consisted primarily of finishing homework and visiting grandparents’ homes. However, parents have come to recognise the value of summer camp programmes for children. These programmes not only help youngsters develop amazing social skills and make new friends, but they also teach them new talents.
Across Hyderabad, there are various summer camps offering different types of activities like theatre, traditional art and craft, photography, robotics, etc. One such summer camp—The Theatre & Acting Summer Camp in Sainikpuri offers kids a creative outlet to express themselves. Through this summer camp, the children engage in various activities like role-playing, improvisation, and script reading – all aimed at honing their acting skills and boosting their confidence on stage. Mentor Jay Jha says, “Acting helps children develop important skills like communication, empathy, and teamwork. It also encourages them to think creatively and build self-confidence, which are valuable traits they can carry with them throughout their lives.”
Meanwhile, at Shilparamam, kids got to learn and try their hands at folk art forms along with spoken Sanskrit and shlokas. The children were taught by the original artisans of Shilparamam during the 15 days. Madhubani painting, Lippan Art, Tribal painting, Mandala painting, pottery along with recitation of Bhagavat Geetha Shlokas were taught to kids who enrolled in the summer camp. G Kishan Rao, IAS, Special Officer at Shilparamam talked about the response to the art summer camp, “Madhubani painting, Lippan art are quite rare art forms. Kids have shown great interest in these art forms along with the others. Usually, Madhubani painting is mentioned in the history textbooks but not many people know about it. Through this summer camp, kids learnt and enjoyed various art forms.” He revealed that sometimes the parents themselves joined and took part in the activities.
Vijayasri Cheruvu, the founder of Hobby Hub Summer Camp, describes summer camps as a stepping stone for the kids’ future. She says, “In just one summer, kids learn about different activities and get to choose their future path or career. Through summer camps they get to learn about not just the activities but also the possible opportunities in the same. Hence, they can decide to learn it full-time and develop the skill.”
Over the years, summer camps have been proven to be more than simply a way to pass the time. They are important developmental experiences that enrich children’s life, encourage growth, and assist them in discovering and pursuing their hobbies. And as more summer camps open in Hyderabad, children are exposed to the different opportunities that await them.
