Camps make kids put away the makeup, stash the iPads, get a little sweaty and even a little frustrated while having fun and making new friends, are the kinds of camps that offer children the best of what they need. Looking at those experiences from the vantage point of my research on resilience, I know that camps help our children develop great coping strategies when they provide seven things all children need:
1) New relationships, not just with peers, but with trusted adults other than their parents. Just think about how useful a skill like that is: being able to negotiate on your own with an adult for what you need.
2) A powerful identity that makes the child feel confident in front of others. Your child may not be the the fastest swimmer, or the next teen idol when he sings, but chances are that a good camp counselor is going to help your child find something to be proud of that he can do well.
3) More confidence. Camps help children feel in control of their lives, and those experiences of self-efficacy. Children who experience themselves as competent will be better problem-solvers in new situations.
4) Respect for themselves and others. Camps make sure that all children are treated fairly. The wonderful thing about camps is that every child starts without the baggage they carry from school. They may be a geek or the child with dyslexia. At camp they will both find opportunities to just be kids who are valued for who they are. No camps tolerate bullying (and if they do, you should withdraw your child immediately).
5) Physical Fitness. At camp kids get what they need to develop physically. Ideally, fresh air, exercise, a balance between routine and unstructured time, and all the good food their bodies need. A good camp is also about helping children find healthy lifestyles.
6) Purpose. Perhaps best of all, camps offer kids a chance to feel like they belong. All those goofy chants and team songs, the sense of common purpose and attachment to the identity that camps promote go a long way to offering children a sense of being rooted.
7) And finally, camps can offer children a better sense of their culture. It might be, or a special camp program that reflects the values of the community that sponsors the camp, or maybe it's just a chance for children to understand themselves a bit more as they learn about others. Camps give kids both cultural roots and the chance to understand others who have cultures very different than their own.
That's an impressive list of factors that good camp experiences provide our children.. Add to that experience the chance for a child's parents to reinforce at home what the child nurtures at camp, and maybe, just maybe, we'll find in our communities and schools amazing kids who show the resilience to make good decisions throughout their lives.
For more information about the United Martial Arts Centers Summer Camp Program please call 845-987-1853 or visit www.umacenters.com
United Martial Arts Centers was voted 1st Place BEST MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOL in the Hudson Valley 2013 Times Herald Readers Choice Award and has been running summer camps and after school programs for the past 15 years.
For more information please click this link
United Martial Arts Centers Lounge
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