Before the magic and memories of summer camp are lost in the back to school frenzy, grab hold of those new interests introduced at camp and keep them going. Your child will benefit all year – and maybe life-long.

 

by Lori Zanteson

As summer turns to autumn, kids may trade in flip-flops and swimsuits for backpacks and textbooks, but they hold tight to their treasured experience at camp. Friendship bracelets and photos are welcome reminders. Some camp experiences, though, demand more than space on a bedroom wall. Those new interests discovered during the summer deserve to be kept alive all year long.

Spark a conversation

Summer camp is all about engaging kids in new activities and experiences. More often than not, kids want to stick with a newfound interest. According to the American Camp Association’s Youth Development Outcomes study, 63 percent of parents said their child continued to participate in a new activity learned at camp when they returned home.

Lots of kids come home from camp so eager to continue their new passion for horseback riding, sculpting, or soccer that they can hardly contain their excitement. Some, however, stifle that spark.

Candy Cohn, assistant director of Maine Arts Camp in Unity, Maine, explains, “Kids can reinvent themselves at camp. They can be afraid at home, especially in the performing arts.”

Cohn encourages parents to open a dialogue with their kids and ask what activities they enjoyed at camp, with an emphasis on the enjoyment and the learning as opposed to how good they are at something.

Maine Arts Camp gets that conversation started for parents through two letters from their child’s counselor at the beginning and end of camp describing their child’s evolving interests. Cohn is happy to speak with parents and urges them to take the initiative and contact the counselors or director.

Validation is vital

Though they probably won’t let on, our kids need parental support and crave our approval. When it comes to the pursuit of their interests, it really is up to us to make it happen.

“The saddest thing is to have a kid who’s not passionate about anything. If you’re lucky enough to have a child with a passion, support it,” says Konnie Kitrell, production director of Stagedoor Manor, located in the Catskill Mountains of New York.

One of the best ways to support that passion when parenting children, says Kitrell, is to “do a little informing yourself.” Start by going online, just like the kids do, to find everything related to your child's interest. If it’s singing, watch videos on YouTube and perhaps purchase a CD for your child to show you’re okay with it. Kids don’t mind if their parents don’t get it; they may even prefer it. They just want validation.

Kids need that validation outside the home, too. Parents can help them find and surround themselves with others who are doing what they want to do. School may seem the obvious go-to for finding that class, club, or team, but also consider looking outside school.

Many kids, specifically those who love the performing arts, “hold their passions close and are conscious of the reputation that goes with it,” Kitrell explains. Her experience at Stagedoor Manor shows “most kids keep their talent and passion undercover during the school year, then at camp they come out of their shells.”

Through community-wide classes at colleges, museums, theaters, and small local programs, kids will meet peers from a lot of different schools brought together through their common interest, and they will break out of their shells.

Bonding benefits

“Camp is all about the friends,” says Candy Cohn. Friends keep camp alive for kids, and keeping in contact after camp “helps them remember how much fun the activities were,” says Cohn.

Jill Tipograph, founder of EverythingSummer.com and the author of Your Everything Summer Guide & Planner, agrees. “Activities are the by-product of going to camp. Those who have the strongest bonds at camp get the most out of it,” she says.

Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to keep connected year-round, whether by phone, email, social networking, or meeting when possible. “Sometimes,” says Tipograph, “they can take a class together and prolong the activity—a sport, theater, art—anything they can do together. That encourages them to do it more because it’s with someone they experienced it with.”

Classroom connection

School is the ideal launching pad for promoting and enhancing summer adventure and newfound interests. Beyond the “What I Did Over Summer Vacation” essay, effective teachers are eager to build upon students’ interests and passions.

Fifth grade teacher Francina Anderson of Anita Oaks School in Duarte, California, encourages her students to make connections through those experiences throughout the academic year. Students often pull from summer experiences for writing assignments and critical thinking situations.

Anderson is quick to recognize specific student interests by incorporating them into lessons. That recognition sparks class focus and dialogue that boost student confidence and pride. For Anderson, that translates into opportunity to intrinsically motivate her students by using those situations to show them, “If I can conquer something that was difficult outside, maybe I can conquer this in the classroom.”

The rewards of encouraging children’s interests are life-long and will affect the way children approach life. No matter what their interests, the experiences translate into inquisitive and positive individuals with a “can-do” attitude that will serve them well as they reach toward their highest potential.

 

Lori Zanteson is a Southern California-based writer and mother of three who specializes in health, food, and fitness for families.

© Photo by Zina Seletskaya | Dreamstime.com