Parent Magazine St. Johns April 2020 | Page 15

Intellectual Skills DECISION-MAKING. Does your child waffle when making decisions, take polls of other people’s opinions or go along with the crowd too easily? Then camp is the perfect practice-ground to determine what he wants and needs on a regular basis. Choosing is a crucial ability for creating satisfaction in life. ACCOUNTABILITY. Do you wonder if you do too much for your child? Whether she has to pack her own backpack for an overnight hiking trip or show up wearing activity-appropriate shoes, being prepared for what’s coming next in life is important. When it comes to accountability, daily practice is always on tap at camp. TIME MANAGEMENT. If your child is often running late, camp is a great place to learn timeliness. Your child will swiftly master punctuality when engaged in activities she enjoys. And this proactive habit can carry over into everyday life during the rest of the year. TOLERANCE. Kids sometimes live in homogeneous rather than diverse environments. If all the other kids are the same race, class and social status where you live, how will your child learn to be open-minded? Camp is a great place to immerse kids in diversity so tolerance can take root. ASSERTIVENESS. When kids lives are scheduled from morning to night, year-round, they miss out on opportunities to speak up for what they think, need and desire. Camp offers kids opportunities to practice healthy communication all day long because no one is smoothing the path before them. Emotional Skills SELF-CARE. Kids can’t learn to take care of their needs unless they learn to pay attention to them. Going to camp puts kids’ self-care muscles to the test. Navigating a new environment with unfamiliar people helps kids learn to trust their intuition and honor their instincts. LISTENING. Do you get weary of nagging and feeling your child just doesn’t listen anymore? Kids can certainly develop listening fatigue with parents and other everyday authority figures. But after tuning in closely to some new-to-them camp leaders, they just might bring better listening abilities back home. PLAYFULNESS. Got a perfectionist kid on your hands? Sometimes within the rush and rigors of daily life, families forget how to relax and enjoy life to the fullest. Camp is a great place to remember how to lighten up and enjoy the day. GRIT. This trendy term means the combination of courage and resolve. If your child does not bounce back quickly from disappointments, camp is a great place to learn tenacity, conflict resolution and problem solving. SELF-APPRECIATION. Do you appreciate the heck out of your kid but wish he would esteem himself as much as others? Camp is a place where kids can discover new things to like about themselves. Increased self- reliance is often the first step towards building higher self-esteem. Social Skills SOCIABILITY. Do you have a shy or introverted child? If she lacks peers who are enthusiastic about her passions, an interest-based camp can help her meet more like-minded people. Socially awkward kids feel more accepted and appreciated every time they make a new friend. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. If you have siblings who bicker quite a bit, they may benefit from getting along more easily with kids who are not kin. Camp counselors have a way of expecting thoughtfulness and encouraging kids to practice it. LASTING CONNECTIONS. Remember pen pals? At camps, kids can make new friends and find ways to keep in touch until they meet again. This is a great way for kids to maintain long-distance friendships and build an extended social network. SELF-EXPRESSION. Parents may unwittingly hold kids back from finding new forms of self-expression. At camp, kids find fresh audiences for the countless ways to share who they are and what they think and feel. Increased self-expression leads to unfolding self- discovery. COHABITATING. If you want your child to learn new things, put him in a tent with roommates and watch the lessons unfold. Sharing space and resources with others is a crash course in self-awareness and peacekeeping. Occupational Skills MENTORING. Camp counselors provide excellent examples of what a constructive mentor-mentee relationship is like. Go ahead and encourage kids to become counselors in the future if they wish to experience both sides of this educational relationship. S T. J O H N S parent M A G A Z I N E | 11