Admit it.  As parents and caregivers of children, we take pride in their milestones.  Learning to crawl, talk, walk, eat on their own, etc. The skills they learn and independence they gain is a source of pride for us, and it should be.  We want to set them up for later in life by giving them access to the building blocks for success, early in life.

Camp is the perfect place for kids to practice making decisions for themselves without parents and teachers guiding every move, while still in a safe and supportive environment. At Camp, children can explore the many decisions that go into daily life and learn the different outcomes for those choices.

What types of decisions do children tend to explore the most?  Picking out their clothes in the morning tends to be what our younger campers enjoy.  Blue shorts with blue socks and a blue shirt, why not?  At Camp, it doesn’t matter exactly what decisions the campers are making – it’s that they’re making decisions.

Having the confidence to choose for themselves acts as a confidence booster that feeds into other opportunities at Camp. That feeling of having done something on their own will give them the extra push to try other things at Camp that they may have been hesitant to try earlier.  These experiences act as a ladder of sorts, bringing them to new heights in their lives.  The more confidence they gain from making their own decisions, the more they will continue to try new things, the more independent they will become in their own thinking.

Camp focuses on community living where everyone has to play a role in the daily responsibilities that allow life to happen in a way that’s enjoyable for everyone.  Campers become accustomed to the idea that their cabin group relies on them to accomplish certain responsibilities every day.  Tasks like making their bed, cleaning up after themselves, keeping their area tidy, and emptying the trash become daily rituals that form habits that will stick with them long after they’ve left Camp for the summer.

How will you see this independence at home? Your children will check in with you less about decisions they make and instead share with you the decisions they’ve made.  That might sound scary, yet it will manifest itself in ways you will appreciate it and they will be oozing with confidence.  Your children will feel more independent and they just might make their bed or clear the table without you asking!

In the spirit of camping,

Aaron Cantor
Director, Emma Kaufmann Camp