4 Ways A Child Can Build Trust Through Camp

Building trust can be quite the challenge for a young child. As they become more acquainted with environments outside of the home, like school or camp, your child will experience situations in which their trust will be tested.

Sending your child to camp will expose them to leaders in your community who aren’t necessarily parents or teachers. Through the guidance of camp counselors and making new friends along the way, there are a number of ways your child can build trust through camp.

Achieving independence.

In sending your child off to day camp, your youngster will be tasked with making decisions on their own without the guidance of their parents. The camp environment helps children develop independence and learn to make critical decisions on their own merit, alongside other fellow campers.

Without the support system that a parent provides, children will have to rely on their instincts to make decisions. Whether it’s choosing activities they want to partake in or trying new experiences, your child gets more opportunities to explore their identity. Through this, your child can achieve independence, gain confidence, and build trust in themselves and their actions.

Team-based activities.

Partaking in team-based activities with fellow campers is a great way to build trust amongst your young child! Not only will your child reap the social benefits, but they’ll also get to learn fundamental trust techniques when working alongside other campers.

Be it through games or other fun activities, the divvying up of tasks puts your child in a position to trust others in doing their part to ensure victory and success. So the next time your child plays a game of tug-of-war, they’re actually building trust knowing their partners are helping pull the rope!

Learning from camp counselors.

Another great source of building trust comes from working with camp counselors. As children often look to older people for guidance, parents and teachers prove to be valuable resources. However, at camp, our counselors are trained to be empathetic and understanding toward your young child.

Camp counselors, who usually were once campers themselves, help bridge the gap between children and older adults. With their shared experiences, camp counselors offer phenomenal insight and compassion for your child to look up to. Plus, our camp counselors love to get in on the fun, too — so kids can look to them for trust when it comes to playing games and partaking in lively activities!

Trusting themselves as individuals.

At the end of their camp stay, your child will have gone through numerous experiences in building trust with others around them. What they may not realize, however, is that they were also building trust in themselves and their abilities.

In playing games, collaborating with fellow campers and counselors, and trying new experiences, your child will have learned to entrust themselves with their own decision-making — and will also have learned about what activities they enjoy and what they don’t enjoy. The removal of parental figures and teachers, all of whom children often look to for guidance, allows for greater autonomy in your child to explore their limitations of trust within the controlled camp environment. 

Here at Oasis, children are encouraged to participate in all the fun games and activities that we provide. And while working with other campers and counselors can help your child build trust, it also helps build friendships that last a lifetime! To learn more, please visit our website and contact us today!