Why is Archery Good for Kids?

Archery is a classic camp pastime. As the years continue to pass and camp programs adapt their activity offerings to appeal to a wide audience of kids, archery has endured. Perhaps it’s because archery is a sport not often encountered by kids in their typical day to day when compared with football, baseball, or even tennis. 

Due to this, let’s explore the benefits archery imparts on those who practice it and why it’s such a great sport for kids to dip their feet into while at camp with us. 

Encourages Discipline and Focus

Unfortunately, archery isn’t as simple as picking up a bow and arrow, pointing at a target, releasing the arrow at the target, and hitting your mark. It takes dedicated practice to refine your technique. When you break down the process of shooting an arrow with precision, kids can focus on perfecting their form each step of the way. So, they can take their time and properly learn how to nock an arrow, draw their bow, aim with precision, and shoot at targets. 

Since the process can be broken down by steps, kids will learn how to focus on the task at hand. The great thing about learning better focus is that it can be applied to all manners of life, not just archery. Slowing down and paying attention to the task at hand is an invaluable skill that can be utilized and built upon for the rest of their lives. 

Stress Relieving and Relaxing

In our modern world of smart devices, it’s no longer a strange sight to see a toddler wandering around with a cell phone or tablet. These days, device usage is commonplace at a young age and only continues to progress as kids get older. This overuse can come hand in hand with feelings of stress or anxiety. Luckily, archery addresses both of these. 

For starters, archery has a knack for getting you in the zone. As you stand at a distance from the target with a bow in hand, all your focus is on breathing correctly and making sure you hit the target. When honing in on a target with steady breathing, all other worries and stresses tend to fade into the background. Getting kids into the swing of archery encourages them to put devices and electronics aside to head outdoors and engage in some target practice. 

Boosts Confidence

This is two-fold, both on a personal and social level. For personal reasons, it’s a confidence booster as their skills continue to develop and they get better at hitting their mark. With anything that requires time and effort, it’s really exciting to watch your skills grow and look back to gauge all the progress you’ve made along the way. 

While at camp, and even outside of camp, archery can expose kids to others who actively partake in it. For some kids, archery is a fun hobby they partake in only at camp. For others, it’s scooped up as a hobby but sparks into a genuine interest. Camp allows for greater exposure to others who enjoy handling a bow and arrow in the great outdoors. 

Try Your Hand at Archery at Tamarack Day Camp

While we offer numerous activities to keep kids cheery and active, archery is a great sport for slowing things down and tuning in to the task at hand. What might initially appear to be a simple activity soon reveals itself to require more diligence and refinement than expected, but in the best way possible. Try your hand at archery during your time with us at Tamarack Day Camp!