New voices: If you love your kids, let ’em go (to camp).
It’s where Jackson first shot a bow and arrow. It’s where Greyson learned to make s’mores. It’s where Sophie gave a friendship bracelet she made to what would become a lifelong friend. Where is it? Summer camp.
Parents may have reservations about sending their children away for a week, but research shows and experts agree that overnight summer camps come with incredible benefits. Behind all the kayaks, games and camp songs lie countless opportunities for kids to try new things, to be themselves and to sharpen their soft skills. Summer camp offers invaluable experiences children don’t get anywhere else.
Consider the benefits of living without parents in a cabin full of children the same age. Not only do campers learn to build community and work in groups, but they also get to interact with people who are different than they and the other kids at their schools. They learn to let others in, and they learn to take responsibility. They may not get along with every person in their cabin, but if not, counselors help them problem solve and push through.
Outside the cabin they experience more things they don’t see at home or school. Counselors encourage campers to use creativity in everything from games to leatherworking and cheer them on along the way. Campers try new activities they may not originally succeed at, but summer camp teaches that failure is OK — it’s often celebrated — and that continuing to try is the only way to improve.
Even meals provide campers with opportunities. At most resident camps, cabins take turns setting the table, and campers get to decide what food they try and don’t try.
In addition, resident camps create cultures that encourage all their participants to open up, to drop their guards and to truly be themselves. Counselors often look silly singing songs, dancing and performing skits, but behind all that, they’re showing kids it’s okay to let loose, and they’re becoming positive role models campers can look up to.
With all that goes on at camp, from the activities to the counselors, campers discover interests, talents and values they may not have known about before. Away from technology, campers focus on what’s in front of them, and they learn it’s okay to unplug for a while.
These things may sound simple, but they all work together to create a more confident, more resilient and more independent child. Parents typically notice a rise in selfesteem, and children appreciate their parents for giving them a week of fun.
So take the risk: Send your child away to summer camp, and watch them come back more confident, more resilient and ready for more.