How Camp Supports a Play-Based Childhood
When you think about your childhood, what are some of your favorite memories? Playing with friends? Spending time outdoors? Camping? There’s a good chance that some of your best memories also had an element of risk or adventure to them.
We know that outdoor play is important for a healthy life, especially as children. It may not be as obvious, but risk and adventure are also important parts of a healthy childhood. Appropriate risk is necessary for growth and for a fulfilling life.
However, recent trends have begun to prioritize over-protection, mistaking it for the same thing as safety. Combining this with an increase in technology from a young age, and play-based childhood is at risk.
At this year’s CODACON, the Camp Owners and Directors Association Conference, Johnathan Haidt was the keynote speaker. Haidt is a social psychologist and author, with a new book coming out this week (March 26th) about mental health in young people, and the decline of play-based childhood. His book is called, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.
Haidt says that the issues our youth are facing are caused largely by our replacement of play-based childhood with phone-based childhood. The availability of appropriate risk and adventure offered to youth has declined and children spend more time indoors and on screens. Haidt’s research finds that children are dealing with things like attention fragmentation, sleep deprivation, social deprivation, and behavioral addiction to dopamine hits, all because of the prevalence of smartphones in their lives.
You may be reading this and nodding along in agreement while thinking, “this sounds nice, but just taking away my child’s phone won’t solve the problem.” We know that just removing or limiting technology won’t resolve all the issues. As Haidt says, we have to actively contribute to returning play-based childhood. But how?
One way is through camp!
What makes the summer camp experience ideal? Not only is it a technology free environment, but boys are surrounded by nature, adventure is encouraged, appropriate risk is allowed, and play happens every day.
Camp supports a play-based childhood by allowing freedom of choice, and provides an environment for boys to socialize and have fun in an unstructured setting. Boys are free to be creative, imaginative, and enjoy face to face communication - without the overstimulation of phone notifications, flashing screens, or pinging ads that bombard us in daily life.
Haidt calls phones “experience blockers,” and there’s a reason why we’ve kept camp technology free. It would be hard to be the only kid at school without a phone, trying to cut down on screen time but feeling like you’re missing out on peer connection. At camp though, everyone’s on a level playing field. Not only are we all having fun outdoors together, but everyone has agreed to leave their screens behind. This is true for campers as well as for staff members, who often find that camp is like a “reset button” after a hectic school year. Online networks can offer a fun escape, but they’re no replacement for the feeling of true connection that boys can get in a real-world community like camp.
In addition to technology-free play, there are daily opportunities for adventure and appropriate risk at camp, both through trips off-property and in activities. Boys are able to challenge themselves, expand their comfort zones, and gain independence away from parents.
They’re able to take appropriate risks like running a big rapid in a canoe, riding a horse for the first time, playing guitar in front of a crowd, or navigating hiking trails with a map. Not only do experiences like this improve the overall health of boys, but it helps parents be less anxious too as they let go and realize what their children are capable of!
We’re looking forward to another summer spent restoring opportunities for a fulfilling and healthy childhood - one that’s free of phones but full of play!
References
EIE23: Jonathan Haidt, Smartphones vs. Smart Kids
Jerebine, A., Fitton-Davies, K., Lander, N. et al. “Children are precious cargo; we don’t let them take any risks!”: Hearing from adults on safety and risk in children’s active play in schools: a systematic review. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 19, 111 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01344-7
Muppalla SK, Vuppalapati S, Reddy Pulliahgaru A, Sreenivasulu H. Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management. Cureus. 2023 Jun 18;15(6):e40608. doi: 10.7759/cureus.40608. PMID: 37476119; PMCID: PMC10353947.
Tekyi-Arhin, Oliver. (2023). THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY-BASED LEARNING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION BY OLIVER TEKYI-ARHIN. 10.13140/RG.2.2.35564.64643.