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
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
instincts. encouraging kids to practice it.
LISTENING. Do you get weary of nagging and LASTING CONNECTIONS. Remember pen pals?
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
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
closely to some new-to-them camp leaders, they just an extended social network.
might bring better listening abilities back home. SELF-EXPRESSION. Parents may unwittingly hold
PLAYFULNESS. Got a perfectionist kid on your kids back from finding new forms of self-expression.
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
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-
lighten up and enjoy the day. discovery.
GRIT. This trendy term means the combination of COHABITATING. If you want your child to learn
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
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.
out of your kid but wish he would esteem himself as Occupational Skills
much as others? Camp is a place where kids can discover MENTORING. Camp counselors provide excellent
new things to like about themselves. Increased self-
reliance is often the first step towards building higher
self-esteem.
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
Social Skills experience both sides of this educational relationship.
SOCIABILITY. Do you have a shy or introverted COLLABORATION. Perhaps during the school
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
“
year, teamwork is limited to sports and cooperation is
confined to the classroom. At camp, every endeavor
from cleaning a cabin to climbing a rock face becomes
NAVIGATING A NEW ENVIRONMENT WITH
UNFAMILIAR PEOPLE HELPS KIDS LEARN TO TRUST
THEIR INTUITION AND HONOR THEIR INSTINCTS.”
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