Exploring the psychological benefits of summer camp.
Updated June 24th 2021.
After the school year ends, the warm, lazy days of summer arrive with a
plethora of kid-friendly fun activities taking place in June, July and
August throughout the metropolitan, D.C. area. One of those activities is
summer camp. Many online sources do a fine job at curating the best summer
camps, offering detailed descriptions of a typical camp day. Parents who
read these descriptions know that summer camps come with concrete,
measurable benefits, including an exposure to visual and performing arts,
opportunities to work independently and in teams through science
experiments and sports and safe environments to explore nature and high
adventures.
What parents may not necessarily realize, however, are the lesser-known
benefits of summer camp as explained by psychologists who work with
children. Summer camps offer more than just the development of new skills;
they are prime building blocks for immeasurable, intangible benefits that
will set the course for positive social interactions.
Independence and Resilience
According to Dr. Eve F. Whitmore, a clinical psychologist from Western
Reserve Psychological Associates in Stow, Ohio, one beneficial aspect of
summer camp is the opportunity to learn to “be more independent, [and]
practice making decisions for oneself.”
As a provider of consultation and therapy to children and families, Dr.
Whitmore has a goal to help children decrease their problems and increase
their resilience in physical, mental and behavioral health. She firmly
believes that “even young children would benefit from a few hours at summer
camp to practice being away from home,” thereby giving children ample
opportunities to be independent (away from their families) and build up
their inner-strength (resiliency).
Diversity
Schools in our area are varied and unique. The DMV offers parents choices
in charter schools and faith-based schools. Public school systems in all
three areas offer amazing educational opportunities and areas of study, but
the level of diversity isn’t always very high. Fortunately, the summer camp
experience breaks all boundaries and attracts a diverse group of children
who come from different economic, social and cultural backgrounds – and
children with special needs are starting to be recognized as valuable
members of camps.
According to the American Camp Association, based in Martinsville, Indiana,
children benefit from attending summer camp because they learn to “make
social adjustments to new and different people.” Whitmore agrees that camps
are culturally competent by being “prepared for diversity among campers,
helping campers learn how to accept all children regardless of race, creed,
disability or sexual preference,” ultimately benefiting children.
Problem Solving
One interesting analogy to understanding how problem solving differs
between schools and summer camps is by comparing baseball pitchers to camp
counselors. Baseball pitchers throw the ball; the object is to hit the ball
and score as many bases as possible, with the end goal to get a homerun.
Schools act like baseball pitchers; the goal is to prepare students
academically and ensure satisfactory completion of schoolwork. Summer camps
perform the same pitching, but with vastly different end goals.
The counselors repetitively pitch softballs to children, giving them ample
opportunities to hit the balls at their own pace, learning to problem-solve
each time. If they don’t run to first base, it’s not a problem because more
opportunities will come. In this regard, summer camps do not exist for
children to attain mastery over skills in order to satisfy state
educational requirements. Instead, they provide a more informal environment
and strive to provide opportunities for children to practice, fail, have
fun and learn how to problem-solve along the way.
In his blog for PsychologyToday.com, Canadian-based psychologist Dr.
Michael Ungar relates the ability to problem-solve to self-efficacy, which
is defined as the belief in one’s ability to complete tasks and reach
goals. It all begins with being placed in an environment (summer camp)
where children are asked to do tasks in a community setting. “Children who
experience themselves as competent will be better problem-solvers in new
situations.”
Best-selling author and noted psychologist Dr. Michael Thompson, based in
Boston, Massachusetts, is also a staunch supporter of the summer camp
experience and dedicated an entire book singing its praises, listing many
psychological benefits for children attending summer camp. In “Homesick
& Happy – How Time Away From Parents Can Help a Child Grow,” Dr.
Thompson asserts that “When you face challenges away from your parents, you
know the victory belongs to you alone.” Those challenges provide enormous
benefits as children practice and learn problem-solving without constant
aid from their parents.
Belonging to a Community
Yet another distinct comparison between schools and summer camps is the
brief, yet exhilarating moment in a day, week or extended summer camp where
all participants belong to a community. While schools focus on individual
academics, test scores and successful completion of curricula, summer camps
excel at providing rich, fun, intriguing activities that stimulate social
scenarios.
New York-based licensed clinical social worker Morris Cohen touts the
benefits of summer camp experiences for children by noting how camps
provide many opportunities for children to develop a social intelligence.
Cohen references New Jersey-based psychologist Dr. Daniel Goleman in
explaining how social intelligence is composed of social awareness and
social facility.
“Social awareness refers to qualities including empathy and attunement to
others,” says Cohen. Social awareness touches upon elements of diversity
and the differences in the way children look, act and behave toward others.
“Social facility refers to how children use their internal social awareness
to interact with individuals and groups successfully.”
By participating in a camp environment where children come from diverse
places and backgrounds, children begin to form their own social awareness,
learn to empathize better and can contribute positively to achieve a
community feel through successful social interactions with children and
adults who are different from them.
From a psychological perspective, summer camps offer children many
opportunities and experiences to enrich their lives by learning positive
mental health behaviors that will help them deal with their own problems
better (resilience) and allow them to recognize the strengths and
weaknesses of other children who are different (empathy) in a safe,
cooperative environment. Parents who may be unsure of whether to send their
children to summer camp can be comforted in knowing that summer camps will
bring about positive changes in the character and well-being of their
children!
For more summer camp resources visit our CAMP CONNECTION page!
