5 Ways Camp Helps Your Child Prepare for Adulthood

Not many of us can claim they were sent to summer camp; as expats, perhaps your child lived in a country where camps weren't a popular thing. But for those of us who did go to summer camp in our childhood years, they proved to be surprisingly very useful.

Camps teach us fundamental principles that most will rely on as an adult. We learn how to work with others, accept help and guidance, develop useful decision-making-skills and build meaningful relationships. All of which are very useful life skills that nurture independence and confidence, and ultimately provide a foundation for the rest of our lives. 

So how can your child benefit from camps, whether it's a winter, spring or summer camp?

• The importance of afterschool activities
• How to: set up an afterschool program
• Find out more about work experience in Dubai

1. At camp, children learn teamwork

In a nutshell: children learn to work together for the benefit of something bigger than themselves, their team! They learn to turn the attention away from themselves and to others around them, and how they should invest time and effort for other people in their lives. This investment then of course results in benefits for their relationships. Ultimately then, they learn that the entire team benefits from strengthened individual relationships. Contributing to the success of a group is empowering to each individual. 

2. Camp teaches resilience

Children learn to fall, and then get right back up again. This manifests in physical activities at camp; for example, the popular ropes course that can often be found in all camps across the world. Kids must learn resilience to get through the course otherwise they will ultimately fall. But they will get back up over and over. Their confidence builds as they progress throughout the physical activity, and in turn they accomplish a task that seemed almost impossible. And as we all know, accomplishment is always empowering!

3. Children learn decision making at camp

Camp experiences grow confidence and develop good decision-making skills, especially when the going gets tough. Plus, your child will learn who to accept guidance from in a world that's unfortunately filled with pretty bad advice from popular culture and among their friends.

• Check out the ULTIMATE guide to summer camps in Dubai
• Looking for a spring or easter camp for your kid?
• Brace the colder weather with a winter camp in Dubai

4. Camp allows a child to learn new things

As a parent, you will know that children who only accept situations in which they are comfortable will result in limiting themselves in confidence, courage and flexibility. Therefore, the actual presentation of an unpleasant and unfamiliar situation at camp gives a child the chance to grow in ways they never would in their comfort zone. This is of course, beneficial in the long run; your child as a young adult will be pushed into positions to grow in life, and will learn to push themselves to grow as they begin to understand what it takes to be a productive, independent adult. 

5. Helps your child to grow up

While culture today allows children to seek what's enjoyable for them and avoid what's unpleasant, camp nudges your child to move out of their comfort zone completely. Conveniences of the modern day and its technology of course makes life easier in so many ways, but there are experiences missing in the lives of young people nowadays that provide useful growth, strengthening and building of values, building confidence and development for times of adversity. These are all experiences that can truly only come from engaged activities and environments, like what camps have to offer.