When building your membership base, you want to take advantage of every tool at your disposal. Among the broad range of club features available, one popular program that’s often overlooked is hosting kids camps.
Kids camps aren’t just popular with parents, they’re part of the solution in tackling the increase in obesity and sedentary behavior in children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 18.5% of U.S. children and adolescents between the ages of 5-19 were obese, affecting 13.7 million kids and teenagers. It should be part of the broad mission of the industry to help increase opportunities for children to exercise.
Of course, not every health club is an appropriate setting for children. Many fitness facilities have a strict no-children policy, but if you have a brand that’s family-focused and is open to children’s programs, you’ll find that kids clubs can be rewarding in many ways.
Kids camps are also consistent with the strategies outlined in IHRSA’s new publication, 230 Million by 2030. Despite recent events, the long-term growth of the health club market will depend on the industry embracing inclusivity and community. Kids camps do both.
According to 230 Million by 2030, these are examples of programs clubs have used to increase children’s exercise:
- School partnership program
- Nutrition and physical activity education program
- Movement education program and sports-based program
- Hosting a free play space for kids and teens
- Recreation and socialization programs with a curriculum designed to foster learning from play.
Kids camps increase opportunities for collaboration with like-minded organizations. This helps you draw from a larger pool of recruits to turn your club into a thriving community center.