Summer Camp

February 17, 2021

CentriKid Invites You on the Road Back to Camp

Camp is a great time to connect relationally with kids in your ministry in a distraction-free environment. There are no cell phones, no video games, no homework assignments, no sports team practices. CentriKid is an overnight camp for 2nd–6th graders to experience the time of their lives and learn more about the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Camps are staffed by college and seminary students who are eager to lead Bible Study, Recreation, Activity Tracks, and Worship sessions. Kids are grouped together by grade for Bible Study, by their choices for Track Times, and you all meet as a church group at the end of each day.

The environment of camp is a safe place to do new things.. This could be a new activity they are learning at track time or spiritual milestones or spiritual questions a child is wrestling with. CentriKid is where it is safe to be a kid!

What does “safe to be a kid” really mean?

A child’s spiritual life can be greatly impacted by their home environment, church involvement, and unique experiences like camp. CentriKid is committed to providing a place for kids to get away—even for a little while—to hear loud and clear that God loves them and has a plan for their lives. Safety in our programming, within relationships, and on campus are top priorities. We believe powerful things can happen when campers feel safe to be a kid!

At CentriKid, we promise to be:

Biblical

We firmly believe that God’s Word transforms hearts. Our primary focus is ensuring that kids walk away from their time at camp with greater comprehension of who God is and what that means for their lives. Every year, every element of camp is centered around a central biblical theme throughout each day for the purpose of age-appropriate comprehension.

Relational

Trusting relationships are the foundation for vulnerability and growth. This is true for kids of all ages. Camp gives your leaders and kids a place to interact and bond for more than just an hour or two—meals, free time, and worship are all opportunities for spiritual conversations! Kids leave with lifelong friendships with believers their age. Every part of the CentriKid schedule is designed with a focus on relationship building.

Phenomenally Fun

Kids learn best through play. CentriKid provides an age-appropriate place for kids to be themselves, have fun, and encounter the love of Jesus. There are lots of fun summer options for kids, but CentriKid ensures that God’s Word is the focus of every part of our camp, including the fun stuff.

The 2021 Theme is “The Discovery”

This summer at CentriKid Camps, campers will discover what it means to be imitators of Christ. Jesus is the ultimate example that we should follow as Christians, and we will be taking a look at scripture (1 John 2:6) that helps us know Jesus and walk as Jesus walked.

What about COVID-19 safety?

The CentriKid team continues to monitor COVID-19 and has created a plan to help keep campers healthy and safe. Download the “2021 CentriKid COVID-19 Guide” and catch all our updates, at centrikid.com/covid-19-updates.

Find out more about CentriKid and see all the camp dates for this summer at www.centrikid.com/by-location Contact us with any questions as your group gears up for the road back to camp this summer!

Jeremy is a husband and father. At work, Jeremy leads the CentriKid Camps team at Lifeway, and at home he loves to grill burgers, read, and coach his daughter’s basketball team.

CentriKid, Kids Camp, Parenting, StudentLife for Kids

January 13, 2020

Help Your Kids Navigate Summer Camp Like a Pro

By Jeremy Echols

There are so many benefits for a child who attends overnight camp. They will enjoy new activities led by the camp staff, visit a fun new place, and break up the routine of normal life. The adventures at summer camp bring life-long memories and help children gain confidence and independence. We want kids to hit the ground running so they can thrive in the camp experience, so here are three skills that parents can build now to help their kids navigate summer camp like a pro.

Train kids to start-up their day. Kids at summer camp need to make good use of their time and know how to get going with their day. Mom doesn’t have to put the daily clothes in a plastic bag. Maybe she could guide the selections while packing for camp, but elementary kids can start their day at camp with picking out clothes, brushing teeth, and getting shoes on. They might need a wake-up call from the adults at camp, but practice during the school year with a start-up routine so kids can pick out clothes and get dressed for the day at camp.

Equip kids to eat responsibly at camp. The food at camp is almost always a punchline, but food issues are no laughing matter. For first time campers, going through the line and making selections at a self-service dining hall can be a challenge. For campers with special dietary allergies, they need to be self-aware about safe foods or problematic ones. For all campers, the temptation to eat a whole box of cheese snacks at bedtime will be real … but that’s never a good idea! Before camp, your kids need to practice making choices for fixing their plate and cleaning up their table area, too.

Give kids practice with handling money. Most parents send their kids to camp with some spending money, but for some kids it is the first time they have ever handle money that is theirs to make decisions about. Prepare kids for the restaurant stop on the way to camp, the camp store, and considering the missions offering. I’ve seen kids hand a fast food worker their $20 bill for lunch and walk off, and I’ve also heard about kids who spend all their money on the offering and camp store and have nothing left to buy lunch on the way home.

Parents can role-play scenarios related to each of these at home to set them up for success at summer camp and for normal life. When kids come to camp taking care of these things, the church leaders and camp staff can focus their time and energy on making the amazing camp adventures into life-long memories!

For more on getting kids ready for summer camp, check out these tips for helping kids who are hesitant to stay away from home, and tips for preparing parents to send kids to camp.

CentriKid

August 16, 2019

Celebrate CentriKid 2019 Ministry Results!

By Lydia McMillan

We are grateful for another summer to share the gospel of Jesus at CentriKid Camps. Through incredible times of Worship, small group Bible Study, hands-on track times, recreation with a purpose, and more, we saw thousands of lives changed by God through our theme, “All Access.”

We are excited to officially announce our 2019 CentriKid Camps Ministry Results!

Lydia McMillan works on the CentriKid Camps team. She manages social media, produces videos, works with actors, and leads production elements. She is married to Joshua and they have three kiddos who keep them very busy.

CentriKid Invites You on the Road Back to Camp

Help Your Kids Navigate Summer Camp Like a Pro

Celebrate CentriKid 2019 Ministry Results!

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