Community Corner
Keep That Summer Camp 'Momentum' Going into the School Year
This summer, your child not only learned how to swim underwater, but got over her crippling stage fright as well. Here's how to keep that inertia going, even as September starts.
For many kids, camp was the perfect setting to pick up a new sport, perfect a tough dance move or finally conquer that fear of the diving board.
Children are learning physical and creative skills at camp, as well as developing sets of personal skills, according to Ken Schainman, the director of Mohawk Day Camp in White Plains, which has been in operation for 81 years. These can be general skills such as meeting new friends and “developing a can-do attitude” to those specific to an individual camp, he says.
But just because September is here doesn’t mean the lessons kids learned and interests they developed have to take a backseat. Here are some ways parents can capitalize on the camp experience to make that transition back to school a smoother one.
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Hone in on camp interests
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“At camp, fun is our tool. We create a very inclusive environment—one that’s filled with energy and excitement,” says Schainman. “And that…promotes kids to try new things that they might not in other settings.”
Did your 9-year-old discover a passion for cooking? Did your son develop a green thumb? Schainman recommends finding what sparked a child’s interest and fostering those experiences.
“My older son found fencing,” says Amy, an Ardsley resident whose three children attended Mohawk and other camps. Now her 15-year-old son plays on the school team.
And Marla, a Rye resident whose 3-year-old just wrapped up her first season at Mohawk, found her daughter was more interested in physical activities than she previously thought. “She will be in a dance class, a soccer class—all things that she did and enjoyed at camp,” she says.
The approach is one that worked on Schainman, whose parents have been directors at Mohawk for 40 years. “My counselor at camp taught me magic,” he says. “My parents encouraged this during the year, which prompted me to start a business when I was 10 doing magic shows at birthday parties.” The result: the money from the childhood venture paid for his fourth year of college.
Draw on positive experiences
The transition from summer to school can sometimes be unnerving for children. “Lots of kids get caught up in ‘I got the worst teacher’ or ‘I got stuck in the worst class,’—that’s their anxiety talking. Try to focus on the positives,” says Dianne Newman, Ph.D., who along with Grace Kalfus, Ph.D., runs the Harrison-based Child Behavior Therapy Associates, LLP.
One way to focus on the positive: draw on similar experiences or similar skill sets they acquired at camp.
“If it’s a social challenge, [parents] can reference, ‘Remember how nervous you felt not knowing if you would make friends at camp and how well you did at that?’” says Schainman.
Newman echoes that sentiment. “Try to encourage them by saying, ‘Wow I’m really proud of how you went off to this new camp and [made] new friends. I know you can do that in school, too.”
Another tip: Maintain positive routines. Marla says that during swim time at camp, her daughter learned to put her clothes in a specific place, a skill that transferred to putting her clothes in the hamper at home. Now, Marla says, they continue their camp rituals, whether it’s laying out an outfit the night before or putting shoes away.
Take tough times into account, too
“For many, camp can be quite stressful,” says Newman. While some kids may have relished learning a new sport, for others it may have taken more time to adjust.
“For kids who had anxiety, the most important thing is to accept and validate the child’s feeling,” she says. If a child comes to you and says she had a difficult time, as a parent, say you understand,” Newman advises. “Validate and accept their feelings so they don’t feel bad about how they feel.”
And once school starts, take those experiences into account. “Let’s say your child did struggle a little at camp making friends, you have to understand they may have a little trouble in school reconnecting,” says Newman. She advises parents to recognize those realities, that way if the child comes home and says no one talked to her that day, they’ll have more of an understanding of where that’s coming from.
Newman also suggests parents work with children to brainstorm ways to improve the situation. Then, “praise specific behaviors,” she says, such as telling your daughter you’re proud of her for talking to a new classmate.
Focus on the effort
“A child or an adult who is highly achievement-oriented will often stop working when they hit obstacles instead of trying to work through those obstacles to improve,” says Schainman. “The moment our self concept as ‘I’m good at this’ is challenged, children and adults often disengage.”
To combat this at the camp, Schainman says counselors and staff use specific language to praise how hard a camper is trying as opposed to how well he or she is doing. Counselors are also encouraged to try things they themselves are not necessarily good at or comfortable with—whether it’s singing or shooting a basketball.
“It’s a chance for kids to see adults really living what they hear quite often—that it really is OK,” says Schainman “That people are accepted and can have fun doing things regardless of whether they’re successful or not.”