West Newsmagazine 3-6-24

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March 6, 2024
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
I SUMMER CAMPS I 27
More than childcare, camp is fertile ground for confidence-building
By KATE UPTERGROVE
In a few short months, school
will be out for summer. If yours is
a household in which both parents
work, you are likely already planning
for summer camp, or several camps,
to keep the kids learning and happy
from mid-June through mid-August.
But for households in which only
one parent works or in which at least
one parent works from home, camp
may seem unnecessary. Here’s why
that thinking is flawed: Camp is more
than childcare.
Thinking of camp as merely a babysitting
alternative misses an incredibly beneficial
set of social experiences, especially for children
in the five-year span between the ages
of 5 and 10.
Camp offers the opportunity for kids to
assert their independence not only from parents
but also from educators and classmates.
The latter is especially important in situations
where classmates are not necessarily
your child’s friends.
Kids who feel like outsiders at school can
discover that camp offers the opportunity
to bond with kids who have similar interests,
have fun and find success bolstered by
(Adobe Stock photo)
their peers. Therein lies one of the biggest
benefits of summer camps, the chance for
your children to explore interests that are as
unique as they are.
For many kids, summer means time
spent outside splashing in pools, running on
fields, hiking, biking and exploring nature.
Those are great pursuits, but they’re not for
everyone. Some kids prefer to be inside
learning to build robots, conducting science
experiments, or mastering coding and video
games. Other kids want to be inside on
stage, singing, dancing and bringing plays
to life. Good news! There are camps for that.
If your child has never been to camp, take
time to talk first about what exactly interests
your child most, and then, about what
your child fears most.
Many kids take to camp like ducks to
water. New friends? “No problem.” New
adults? “I’m OK with that.” New skills?
“Put me in coach, I’m ready to learn.” But
then there are kids who have a harder
time with change. Those who don’t make
friends as easily, who become intimidated
by authority figures and who are unsure of
their abilities.
The truth is those kids may need
summer camp more than most.
Let’s assume the position of clinical
psychologist Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., who
for nearly two decades has maintained that
“children do well if they can.” Greene’s
work centers around the idea that children
who struggle socially lack key skills, including
flexibility, adaptability, frustration tolerance
and problem-solving.
School challenges kids to become proficient
in a wide variety of topics, so it’s only
natural that some degree of frustration will
follow, and where there is low frustration
tolerance there is usually a child who is anything
but flexible. One who doesn’t want to
adapt or solve their own problems.
Do any of these sound familiar? “I don’t
like math.” “Why do I have to go to gym
class?” “I don’t want to be in the school
play.” “Why can’t every class be art class?”
“Why can’t every class be gym class?”
If they do, take heart. Camp allows kids
to choose their area of concentration and
grow more proficient in it while picking
up additional, beneficial experiences at the
same time.
According to Harvard University research,
children are more motivated when they have
some degree of self-determination, and can
elect to pursue tasks that are personally
meaningful. Gaining skills in something
they love can deepen their self-confidence
and, in turn, make them more likely to seek
out new friends and new opportunities. With
help from parents, that confidence can carry
over into the next school year.
Camp friends, especially from local day
camps, can continue to be friends throughout
the school year, though it might require
a bit more planning on the part of parents.
Maybe those friends become the basis of a
club or an introduction to a new sports team,
or performance group. Each time children
expand their social circle – camp, club, team
– they learn to communicate with more and
varied people. And with each successful
interaction, their self-confidence can grow.
Ages 5-12
May 28 - Aug. 9
9am - 3pm
Lunch & Snack included
Before/After Care
available.
• Tennis
• Swimming
Activities:
• Tae Kwon Do
• Soccer
• Basketball
• Volleyball
• Zumba
• Arts & Crafts
Buy 3 or more
weeks, get
1 week FREE! *
*One FREE week per child.
Offer expires
4/30/24
Register online: ChesterfieldAthleticClub.com/kids-camp
16625 Swingley Ridge Road
Chesterfield, MO 63017
ChesterfieldAthleticClub.com