5 Most Important Things Learned at Summer Camp

As the summer is just starting, there is no better place for your teen to go than a traditional overnight summer camp.

1. Making the Most of Every Situation

As a kid, my father always told me, “if you can’t get out of it, get into it.” Chances are, when attending a summer camp, you wont always be able to participate in the activity you want to. One thing camp has taught me is to try new things. If given the activity you specifically didn’t want, you might as well try it out and see how you like it. Try to make some new friends and have a good time with it.

2. Getting Along With Others

At most traditional summer camps, you will be staying in a cabin along with about seven other campers and a few counselors. You may be in the same cabin with these kids for up to four weeks. Making new friends and meeting new people is a necessity. The last thing you want is to make an enemy that lives in the same cabin as you.

3. Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

Camp spirit is a major part of most summer camps. Lots of cheering and shouting camp chants or songs can sure make a kid feel awkward if he’s new to camp. Summer camp allows teens to step out of their comfort zone and join along with these chants and release their inner child in a judge-free environment.

The abundance of new faces at camp can also make a kid feel awkward. It’s hard meeting so many new people at once. However, making so many new friends does allow teens to step a little out of their comfort zone.

Lots of teens aren’t used to the many different activities offered at most summer camps. The climbing tower, for example, is foreign to so many kids. Most kids have a fear of height, but the climbing tower allows them to safely overcome their fear. The sense of accomplishment gained after reaching the top to the tower for the first time is amazing. Overcoming a fear of heights is a great way to safely step out of your comfort zone and try something new.

4. Responsibilities

Summer camp gives teens a whole new set of responsibilities. Each morning, most camps require campers to do “cabin clean up”. Each camper is expected to make his bed along with doing one thing to clean the cabin, e.g., sweeping the floor, taking out the trash, etc. Camp also teaches kids to clean up after themselves after meals. Campers are expected to clear their plates and clean the table after each and every meal.

5. Independence

Camp allows teens to become more independent from their parents. It allows them to live away from home for a few weeks. During these weeks, teens have no parents around to tell them to brush their teeth or when to take a shower. Personal hygiene is a major part of camp because parents aren’t around. Although counselors are still around to tell campers to have good hygiene at camp, within a few days, the campers develop their sense of independence and no longer need the counselor’s directions because they are able to do it themselves.