Lasting Memories: Social and Emotional Effects of Summer Camps

Camps are the source of laughter, excitement, and learning during the summertime. They provide children with wonderful opportunities and a way to spend time away from devices. I worked at a local camp in New Jersey as a camp counselor during the Summer of 2024 and used this time to observe the impact of camp on the participants and the counselors. Every day I evaluated topics and categories of how a summer camp should be run and experienced, as proposed by current research. I learned that over the course of 6 weeks, the children grow and experience as well as the counselors. Overall, every child should experience a summer camp because the psychological and emotional impact will be positive and the memories made will change their lives forever.

Introduction

A summer camp. A fun, new, and exciting way for children to learn and grow during the summertime. The very first summer camp was in 1861, an all-boys summer camp in New Jersey (Otto). Over time, summer camps have evolved to change and fit the needs of different children, parents, and locations. There are many different types of camps now; sleepaway camps, sports camps, art camps, day camps, and etc. They have adapted to each new generation of children and ways of parenting.

A good camp should provide fun, entertainment, and learning opportunities for the children to enjoy. Research articles break down three main takeaways a child should have after their camp is over: fun, lifelong skills, and memories (Shafer). Camps show children how to interact with others respectfully. Children who attend summer camps can come from different backgrounds, and being exposed to these backgrounds helps a child tremendously. Attending a summer camp helps children with making new friends with their fellow campers. They learn about different people and the cultures they are a part of (Stoltzfus and Crews). These friendships can become lifelong bonds. The social skills they learned can impact their life at home and future aspects.

Research also states that the best summer camps are device-free. Parents are sending their children to camp to avoid playing on their devices 24 hours a day, so having a “no-device” policy is crucial. This limit encourages kids to have deeper connections with the world around them (Shafer). It also creates a more focused environment, meaning that kids will concentrate on the activities they participate in without a major distraction. As a result, this policy will help kids create more face-to-face connections and be fully involved in camp life.

The key to a laughter-filled camp is the people who run it, the counselors. Without counselors, these camps would not be able to function (Stoltzfus and Crews). They are also the ones who are guiding the children, almost acting as their older siblings. They also gain role models that they can look up to. Counselors teach children skills, both physical and cognitive, through experiences. These counselors have the biggest responsibility, but they build strong bonds with the children and have fun. A camper will never forget a counselor and a counselor will never forget the child.

This paper will explore a local summer camp, run and organized by a township and local schools against the parameters of what research suggests a good camp should be.

Methods

The Bernards Township Recreation Program summer camp takes place at the elementary schools in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. I worked at the Mount Prospect site and was a counselor for a group of children, aged 6-8. There were about 30 children and three other counselors working with me in this particular group. The children arrived every morning from 8:15-8:30 am and left between 1:15-1:30 pm, Monday through Friday for six weeks.

To collect the data, I started by writing down activities the group did every day. Then throughout the day I evaluated these categories (counselors, children, camp overall) and ranked them on a scale of 1 through 10. A rank of one being the category was a weak score, and a rank of 10 was strong. These categories are based on what a good camp should have, what campers should get out of the camp, and how counselors should act during camp hours. I also wrote weekly summaries for the end of the week of how things progressed and what the patterns were. I calculated the weekly average for each metric on a spreadsheet. I graphed each category and analyzed how these averages changed by week. I looked for trends in the data, such as an increase in bickering, less patience from the counselors, or the opposites, for example, the group getting along better. I also looked at which categories were the highest or lowest, and which did not change over time.

Evaluation chart

Qualities	Conflict	Fun	New people	Respect
Top things to get	Responsibility	Excitement	New friends	Problem solving
Counselors	Patience	Responsibility	Care	Positivity	Encouragement	Being helpful

This chart shows the categories I evaluated during the week. The words in red indicate the title of each group, representing the top three things the research points out as critical for summer camp success. The words in black are the subcategories that make each group succeed. Throughout the week I would rank these categories from 1-10 and collect an average at the end of the week.

Results

Weekly summaries chart

	Summary of your weekly observations: success of the camp: Games; Arts and crafts; Opportunity to be friends with other kids and counselors; No devices
Week 1	The games were very successful. Everyone always wanted to participate and enjoy themselves. The arts and crafts were not that great because they were “boring” as the campers said and took very minimal time and effort compared to the time given for the portion of the day. The children made great advances in making friends with other children and the counselors.
Week 2	The games became even better and even all of the counselors participated. The crafts became better because they took more time, but they still bored the kids. The children became more comfortable with the other age groups and around the counselors. The counselor-camper bond has gotten much stronger in just two weeks.
Week 3	Staff member got fired – how it effects the group two kids This week we had a lot of fun combining with the group of two children. It was extremely hot outside so we had to be with another group during indoor time. We played a lot of dodgeball but ended up having to put a pause because someone was injured. The arts and crafts this week really entertained the kids and they were occupied the entire time. On Friday it was the “Olympics” so the campers went to the high school for some Olympics game.
Week 4	Combining groups in games can increase conflict a little. Matchmaking for two campers. Bonds between campers and counselors are getting stronger. There were no crafts, just coloring so the children were very bored. There was minimal outside time because of how hot it was.
Week 5	The campers started to fight a little more over silly things like games to play. There were fewer injuries and kids seemed bored with the arts and crafts. It rained one day so instead of outside time they watched a movie. They did not like the performer who came and they thought he was meant for younger children,
Week 6	The last week of camp was very fun. The patience of the counselors started to slip a little bit but overall they were still very caring. The kids enjoyed the camp a lot however, they started to get angered more and cry more. The best day was the water fun day on Friday.

This chart was where I would take notes about the week. What went well, what did not, why the numbers were high or low, and a little look into what a week at camp looked like. I would use this information to help determine the rating for each category. I would also use this to help the kids have more fun for the following week, learning certain activities did not work well for our group.

This chart shows the averages of each category per week. Every category moved up and down each week, however most of them stayed around the same number range. The different colored and patterned lines represent a different category I evaluated during my time at camp. There was a big jump with new friends/people after week three. This is because the campers became comfortable with everyone and there were no new people entering the campsite. There was another big jump in conflict during week four. In week four, my group combined with group two because of the terrible heat wave. They were new to each other and there was also a big age gap. My campers were ages 8-10 and group two’s were ages 5-6. They argued for a few days on what combined games we could play, or what toys they had to share. Towards the end of the camp, they figured out how to peacefully play among each other and ended up enjoying their combined group time together.

Discussion

Throughout my research process, I observed that the children all gained some skills that they will carry on in the future. Whether that was responsibility, respect, or problem-solving, the average increased from the beginning to the end. This program succeeded at allowing counselors to gain life skills as well. Patience, responsibility, and care are crucial when surrounded by different people. I also discovered that mixing groups during gym or outside was not always the best idea. The children would start silly fights over small issues or the older campers thought they could boss the younger ones around. However, over some time, they learned to work together and play happily with one another. The children at the camp this year loved the counselors in their groups. They formed special bonds neither side would forget. The counselors were great at participating in the activities while also watching over their campers.

Some areas of the camp could be improved. For instance, the arts and crafts section of the day tended to be the slowest and least exciting for the campers. They would do the craft and be done within five minutes, with an hour left. I would suggest making this section of the day shorter or filling this part of the day with library time. Library time would be the best option, especially considering there is a library in the school. With this time, the children, and even the counselors would be able to wind down and relax. It also adds a learning aspect to the camp and children can discover new books, authors, and stories. Reading expands a child’s imagination and comprehension skills which would be a wonderful benefit. I believe the children would be more excited to read when there is not a teacher choosing a book for them, as well as seeing their fellow counselors also enjoying a book. If they see a counselor, someone they admire and look up to, reading, they will want to read more and be excited for this time of the day. It gives a small educational aspect to the camp that the parents would appreciate.

Another area of improvement was the performers, who were outside entertainment hired to present something exciting for the campers. The DJ was the only performer all age groups enjoyed. The older children thought the rest of the performers were immature. I noticed that the performers were geared toward the younger groups. To improve this area of the camp, I suggest that we go on field trips to create a different environment for the campers, which also would be fun for them no matter their ages.

Even though I would change a few details about this camp, it was fun, exciting, and provided a summer that the children would not forget. The children grew over the course of six weeks by learning responsibility, making new friends, and forming lasting bonds with their counselors.

Works Cited

Otto, Jeanne. “Timeline of ACA and Summer Camp.” American Camp Association, https://www.acacamps.org/about/history/timeline. Accessed 22 September 2024.

Shafer, Leah. “Lessons from Camp | Harvard Graduate School of Education.” Harvard Graduate School of Education, 1 July 2016, https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/usable-knowledge/16/07/lessons-camp. Accessed 24 August 2024.

Stoltzfus, Jessica, and McKenna Crews. “Understanding Camper Behavior to Ensure a Successful Summer.” American Camp Association, 22 April 2024, https://www.acacamps.org/blog/understanding-camper-behavior-ensure-successful-summ er. Accessed 24 August 2024.

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