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children practicing archery
Stories

Why Is Archery Good for Kids?

Briarwood Day Camp

Staff

One of the great things about “traditional” summer camps is they give kids the chance to try a wide variety of things.  From swimming to basketball to ceramics to rock climbing to soccer to archery, kids get a chance to see what moves and excites them. 

People sometimes ask us, “Archery . . . really???  Why does our kid want or need to do that?  We don’t hunt, our kid is too young for the Hunger Games and I don’t see the point.”  It’s a fair question, so allow us to explain. 

Archery Encourages Discipline and Focus 

At Briarwood, our campers can begin trying archery when they are entering the 2nd grade. We find that, physically and emotionally, second graders are ready and able to begin trying to develop the discipline and focus necessary to shoot an arrow.  Archery is not a manic, rush-around-like-a-crazy-person activity.  Archery teaches kids to slow down, take a deep breath and focus.  Our campers quickly see the benefit of calming down, paying attention to their muscle movements and centering themselves. These traits pay dividends well beyond the arrows that hit the target.  

Archery Is Stress Relieving and Relaxing 

Archery, like other “zen” activities, forces you to calm down and relax to be successful.  Kids learn to take a deep breath, focus on the necessary technique and tune out distractions.  Once they learn to do this, archery becomes a place where kids “exhale,” loosen up and enjoy themselves. 

Archery Boosts Confidence 

Learning archery shows kids that practice breeds success which, in turn, breeds confidence. The fact that archery is an individual sport lets our campers see their actions can control their outcomes in an easily recognizable and positive way. An additional positive we have observed is that, often, kids who are not superior team sport athletes apply themselves and find great success at archery.  Archery becomes their “thing” and that makes them proud.  Archery is one of the many activities that reinforce that everyone has a place where they can excel at Briarwood Day Camp.  

Interested in learning more about archery, our certified instructor or anything else about Briarwood Day Camp?  Call us at (215) 598-7143 or email us at office@briarwooddaycamp.com.