Summer camp.
Is it the right fit for my child’s personality?
Are they old enough to handle the time away from home?
Will they fit in or fill out of place?
Whether it’s a faith-based camp, sports camp, wilderness camp, etc, these are all common questions parents often consider when wondering if they should send their child/children to summer camp.
Of course, with anything, you want to do your research and find an environment that fits your child best but there are some great advantages of sending your child to a summer camp.
First off, it can promote and encourage independence.
Letting a child experience time away from their parent can help strengthen their trust within themselves. It gives them the opportunity to discover interests and recognize their strengths and weaknesses.
They can become more confident in themselves and their abilities to handle responsibility, overcome challenges, conquer fears or weaknesses while standing on their own.
Another great aspect of a summer camp is that it teaches teamwork.
No matter the root of the camp, it will give them the opportunity to engage in activities that require teamwork. Learning how to work as a team is a quality that they will carry with them throughout their lives. It helps them develop communication skills, emotional awareness, and leadership skills.
As it’s said, “Teamwork makes the dream work” but it is a learned skill.
When it comes to a faith-based summer camp there are several advantages!
Not only does it give them the opportunity to grow deeper in their faith and understanding of the Word but it also helps kids OWN their faith. It’s less about the material and more about the actions behind it.
They get the intentional time of having alone time with God and learning the importance behind that. They are given the opportunity to make, maybe for the first time, the connection between the words and the relationship.
Also, they are put in the environment to make great relationships and actually get to experience what it’s like to walk in faith with others.
A summer camp experience lasts for a small period of time but the results can be carried on for years to come and it can be a time for a child to really become their own person.
When a child is mentored by an experienced camp counselor and has the opportunity to walk through the experience with different kids from different backgrounds and experiences, amazing things can happen.
Looking for a community or someone to grab coffee with who is in a similar life season? We’d love to connect with you and get to know you better! Below you will find a few people that can’t wait to meet you, shoot us an email so we can make a plan!
Tyler OJ Campus
Teresa Ator: teresaa@gcc.org
Bethanie Tayler: bethaniet@gcc.org
Tyler UB Campus
Max Heller: maxh@gcc.org
Chrisleigh Heller: chrisleighh@gcc.org
Lindale Campus
Molly Pontius: mollyp@gcc.org
Debra Kirby: debra@gcc.org
