What are the mental benefits for a child attending a summer camp this year?

Every year millions of children look forward to going off to summer camp. Whether they are going to one of the thousands of day camps over the country, or overnighting away from home at a resident facility, it is usually a time of involvement, learning and sharing. The benefits of summer camp are many. We may not even be aware of their value beyond helping to fill children’s time with fun activities. Summer camps, however helps to build their physical, emotional, educational, social and creative abilities.  The benefits to mental or emotional development are huge and can hardly be measured.
 
Help Overcoming Emotional Challenges

• Building Resilience – Not everyone has the resolve to ride out a problem. Some people easily give up because they do not have resilience, that psychological strength to persevere and succeed despite problems faced. Camp helps to build this capacity in kids as they are encouraged by their peers to stick things out. Children will also do everything it takes for their team to win. Team competition fosters resilience in the face of failure or in winning. Resilience also strengthens among first time campers who have to learn to steer themselves among cliques of other children, and parents are not around to lean on.
• Handling Emotions – Children have to ride the emotional roller coaster of meeting people, making new friends, working with a diversity of persons and having to part at the end. Camp goodbyes are heartbreaking. However, experiences like these will happen many times in their lives and once they handle camp, they’ll be able to deal with such situations more effectively.

 
Help Developing Social Intelligence

• Become Adept at Socializing – One of the benefits of summer camp is learning social skills. Your child may meet hundreds of other kids at camp, some from different cultures or environments. They will have to make friends, work in teams, and sleep in dorm settings. All these experiences will allow them to become more aware of those around them. They’ll develop socializing skills as they open and share themselves in order to work with others. Kids become more aware of themselves and how to interact with others for the best outcomes. Respect, sharing, and caring for others are new attitudes they will develop.

 
Help Developing Self-Confidence.

• Building self-esteem - Not all children are upbeat, optimistic and positive. Some have very poor concepts of themselves, and for different reasons.  One of the benefits of summer camp is the development of self-esteem. Children get the opportunity to be themselves and to face challenges on their own. Watch their confidence soar as they overcome and succeed.
• Improvement of Presentation – When kids discover that they have worth, and that they can do things as well as others, they are no longer afraid to display talent. They become more interested and involved. In fact, you will find that they are now able to positively influence others. You may even discover leadership qualities in them.

 
Help Learning Independence

• They take care of themselves – As parents we worry how our children are going to cope on their own at camp. We are used to managing our kids’ nutrition, personal hygiene and safety. In camp communities children learn to manage themselves. They ensure they stick to the schedules that camp has for dining and bath times. How? They listen to their counselors and to their peers. They also learn to abide by camp rules.
• They become responsible – Camp activities are organized around getting children to be responsible also. Campers learn to take care of themselves, their personal belongings and camp equipment. They learn that when they are finished with tools and equipment they should return them to their correct storage.  They learn to make their beds and keep their area tidy.
• They make their own Decision – Being out of the reach of parents, children learn to make their own decisions. They will find they can stand on their own and start to become independent in their thoughts and actions.

 
As you look around for wholesome activities for your child, consider the many mental benefits of summer programs in Albany.