They are more specialised and goal oriented, helping children adapt to any changing environments with ease. 

The realisation that has spawned this change is that children too are victims of stress, high parental expectations and competition. These camps instill confidence, develop communication skills among children, especially the older ones and for once make them feel that peer company is not always about pressure and competition.

Arvinda Anantharaman of Hippocampus Learning Centre in Koramangala feels summer camps create a new, interesting and valuable experience, almost equipping children to deal with the real world — be it in leadership skills, communication, empowerment, surviving in the jungle, sensitising them to wildlife and nature.

Geetha Ramanujam of Kathalaya says camps give room for physical play, camaraderie and sharing. It helps a child come out of his or her shell and establish new bonds. 

Kathalaya will soon start training adults, teachers and parents and professionals in an intensive 12-day course in storytelling so they can go back to their own groups of children and share it with them. And for children, it will be Japanese stories this year and the workshops will be theme-based.

Child counsellor Chaya Nair says: "Summer camps are changing because one realises that one needs to make children global citizens who are capable of working in multicultural society. Self-confidence and soft skills are a must. Gone are the days when academic brilliance alone mattered."

Every summer Chaya's workshops and sessions focus on holistic development of children. "My camps focus on neurolinguistic techniques. There are activities like group discussions and panel discussions. Children are taught study skills, brain gym exercises and certain aspects of nutrition," says Chaya.

Parents too have become choosy when sending their children for summers camps. They hand-pick camps that will help their young ones in their career. “I go for a camp that specialises in brain teasers. This would help me crack my entrance tests without much difficulty,” says Anshul Mehta, who has just completed class 12.

Camps mould children into wholesome beings and help banish the fears and phobias that come with development and progress.