Camps & Summer Programs
This article originally appeared in the March 2020 edition of ParentingNH.
CAMP FUN + NEW SOCIAL SKILLS =
an A+ summer
Five social skills (and more) your camper can work on away from home BY EMILY GOLINSKY
A
s schools turn more attention to test preparation and meeting complex curriculum goals, teachers have limited time to work on character and social-skill development. Recess, social time and interactions that do not directly relate to curriculum standards take a back seat to reading, writing, math and STEM.
This focus on academics means that parents should emphasize different goals for summer out-ofschool time — from simply keeping kids engaged with backyard games or beach trips to creating meaningful opportunities for social development. Summer camps present the opportunity for children to be immersed in a socialskills-rich environment and actively develop their own social growth. Here are a few essential social skills your child can build at camp. FACE-TO-FACE CONNECTION
PHOTO COURTESY OF NHCDA
42 www.nhmagazine.com | FAMILY RESOURCE BOOK • 2021
AND COMMUNICATION. At camp, your child will be in a social-group setting for at least six hours daily at day camp (24/7 at overnight camp). Unplugged from technology, your child will engage in intentional conversation and interpersonal connections that can’t happen during the short bursts of non-academic time during a school day. At camp, your child will get to know new people and begin to understand more about their own needs and preferences. As they chat and play with friends, they are also practicing eye contact (no phone screen to talk across!), active listening and give-and-take conversation skills.
