FINDING PURPOSE Unexpected benefits of summer camp

One of a parent’s biggest joys and responsibilities is supporting the natural interests of their children and encouraging growth. Summer is the perfect time to develop new skills, and now is the time to plan for summer camps, which offer a variety of engaging activities. Observe your child’s strengths and interests to help identify her values, then help choose camps that stretch her and watch her reap rewards beyond expectations.

How to Help Kids Identify their Values

• Pay attention: Look for times when your child finds her “flow” and loses herself in a particularly enjoyable activity.

• Speak up: When you identify your child’s strengths or interests, compliment her focus and ask questions to learn what she loves most about the activities.

• Enlist a mentor: Kids don’t always

respond best to parents. Ask a family friend who shares your child’s interests to talk with her and encourage her abilities.

• Utilize resources: “Librarians are unsung community resources and an amazing entryway into the creative world,” says Alonso Nunez, Executive Director and lead instructor at Little Fish Comic Book Studio. He suggests not only asking librarians to help find books that enhance children’s interests, but also inquiring about workshops or events that can develop skills.

• Allow tweens and teens to take the lead when deciding on meaningful camps. In her book, Fourteen Talks Before Age Fourteen, author Michelle Icard makes the case that parents of tweens can be most effective by acting as “assistant managers,” supporting children in the decisionmaking process by listening carefully and providing feedback, rather than making decisions for them.

Choose Camps that Stretch Kids

Growth happens when people step beyond their comfort zones. Science proves this is especially true for ages 10 and up, when the brain is malleable and neurons and synapses proliferate. Laurence Steinberg, author of Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence, notes, “The increase in novelty seeking is a way of making sure that individuals venture out into the world at a time when the brain is primed to learn from new experiences.” So, what can parents do?

• Encourage kids to attend camps that offer new activities to help them grow in unexpected ways.

• Enlist a friend with shared interest to help ease jitters.

“My participation in Girl Scouts horse camps, San Diego Zoo camps and Living Coast Discovery Center ‘keeper camp’ increased my eagerness to learn more,” says Sydney, a senior at Patrick Henry High School.

Camp can create a dynamic to build upon. When John of Del Cerro attended Mesa Rim’s climbing camp with a friend, he found a new love. “I quickly grew to enjoy the sport and instantly wanted to invest in it.” After camp, he joined a local climbing team. “My coaches taught me great values that I will use for my whole life, no matter the sport,” says John. “They taught me that hard work and effort pay off, and that you can have fun while working hard.”

Little campers gain social skills. Avery, now age 14, is an avid actor with San Diego Junior Theatre. She took her first Junior Theatre camp at age 5 and reflects that it gave her the opportunity to take risks. By participating in the fun, she overcame her initial shyness and came out of her shell.

According to Nunez, one unexpected skill that Little Fish Comic camps help develop is letting go of perfectionism and being comfortable making mistakes. “At Little Fish, we experiment with ideas to find our own stories,” he says. “The eraser is a necessary part of that process.”

Kris Mooney, Director of Education at Fleet Science Center, agrees. The Fleet’s learning camps help kids let go of apprehension and self-doubt. According to Mooney, many kids

(and adults) think science isn’t their strong suit and feel alienated because they perceive science as difficult or challenging. “We help science feel more comfortable with hands-on activities that are exciting, engaging and memorable,” says Mooney. “Most experiences don’t feel like learning activities. Kids gain confidence in themselves [at camp] by learning new skills, developing interest in science, making friends and having lots of fun!”

Preparation for the Future

A well-chosen camp that sparks love for an activity creates confidence, helps kids adopt a growth mindset and can even lead to potential career choice.

“Living Coast Discovery Center introduced me to a world that is difficult to get extensive experience in—animal care,” says Sydney, who plans to major in zoology in college. “Between preparing food and cleaning raptor habitats, their camp provided opportunities to expand my interests and learn about a professional facility’s care for animals like my pets at home—reptiles and amphibians. The camp also connected me with people experienced in the field who could contribute to my career. I am still in contact with a few of them today.”

“Theater gave me this sense of self and personality,” says Avery. “I found my voice and am able to stand up for my views. I learned the value of the arts and even convinced my elementary school to do a musical.”

No matter your child’s interests, summer camps offer positive, fun experiences that foster growth and connect them to meaningful experiences.

Cherie Gough is an award-winning writer and mom to two talented, kind adolescents.

April 2022 • SanDiegofamily.com • 19