Watching Scouts run around in complete joy is a feeling that would make every parent proud. Scout living can be just as enjoyable for children as it is for parents. And having your son or daughter in a summer camp has ample benefits from learning survival skills to acquiring more independence.
Whether you were a Scout back in the day or not, the benefits of scouting should not be surprising. A week at summer camp can provide Scouts with a creative, educational, and very active outdoor living experience. Getting your children involved in scouting can contribute significantly to their mental, spiritual, physical, and social growth.
Want to learn about other benefits of being a camping scout? Here are our top nine.
1. Builds Confidence Through Physical Activity
Camp scouting as ample opportunities for children to work on earning badges and other rankings. Giving Scouts the initiative to grow and become better could improve their self-esteem and self-value. Scout living includes setting very clear routes for the Scouts to follow and achieve over time.
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are often encouraged to connect with their peers through games and other physical activities. These activities also encourage self-improvement. Examples include aiming to hit the bullseye during an archery match or improving their breaststroke during a swim test.
A camping Scout will form relationships with other Scouts and gradually earn their trust, test their skills, and promote healthy competition.
2. Provides A Break From Technology
The number of technology children is subjected to through school and their social life continues to increase. It’s important for children, as well as adults, to have healthy breaks from cell phones, television, and the Internet. Doing so can help you rediscover your creative abilities and become more engaging with real people, activities, adventures, and emotions.
3. Allows Freedom
Scout living means having the freedom to be a kid! That includes getting dirty, messy and otherwise playful with nature. Some Boy Scout benefits include getting out of their comfort zones and becoming more adventurous at camp. This happens through fun activities like hiking through muddy swamps, handling bugs and snakes, or just learning how to be more active and free.
4. Inspires Fearlessness
Bravery will always be a Scout’s honour. Another the benefit of scouting is the encouragement children receive to be courageous and try new things. This kind of support makes for a great environment for Scouts to discover more of their interests.
Scout living encourages conquering fears through activities like:
- Climbing a 30-foot spar-pole to conquer a fear of heights
- Performing a skit at a campfire to conquer stage fright
- Sleeping away from home to conquer homesickness
All of these adventures can help children gain more resilience and navigate through life with boldness.
5. Develops Life-Long Career Skills
With the right instructors, programs, facilities, and equipment, children can benefit from exploring their hobbies through scout living. Other benefits of scouting include building new skills through new adventures. Scouts can choose from an array of merit badge classes and parents can better learn about Cub Scout patch placement.
Some of the most beneficial camps offer programs in more than a few subject areas. Look for camps offering activities like arts, aquatics, ecology, history, safety, trade skills, and more. With scouting, there’s always something for everyone to enjoy!
6. Creates Room For More Independence
Scouting is one of the best experiences for children to learn how to start making bigger and better decisions for themselves. They earn the opportunity to decide what they want and need without parental guidance or teachers telling them exactly what to do. This level of freedom can truly benefit Scouts and guide them in new and exciting directions.
7. Helps With Building Better Friendships
During scout living, children are treated like camp citizens and are free to develop relationships as they see fit. A week of summer camp is ample opportunity for Scouts to live together and learn how to respect each other. After living in a tent with another person, Scouts learn about responsibilities, how to resolve disagreements, and the significance of sincere communication.
These friendships could last a lifetime for your children. It could also free them from social expectations or pressure from school. The fun from scout living also brings everyone together through songs, games and quality time. All of which is significant to a child’s personal growth and development.
8. Enhances Their Spiritual Growth
Being a Girl Scout or a Boy Scout comes with the responsibility to truly reflect on life. Many of us have strong personal values and scout life can help shape character. Scouts are involved in making decisions that impact others on a regular basis and are encouraged to be conscientious about those decisions.
Whether or not they contemplate their relationship with religion, their personal values, or other spiritual activities, they are free to explore these feelings. Scout living helps with developing children’s duty to their beliefs and their core values.
9. Welcomes More F-U-N
Scout living can be one of the most fun experiences in a child’s life. They’ll experience many different activities like singing silly songs or staying up late to look at the stars.
This is definitely a refreshing break from working hard at school. Rather than being in academic classes all day, Scouts earn a variety of experiences to make their summer their best summer.
Help Your Child Be A Camping Scout This Summer
A week or two at a summer camp for Scouts can provide your child with one of the best summer vacations. Scout life will definitely leave your children with some cool stories to share in the Fall with their peers, teachers, and other family members. Find your local Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts today and help your child become a camping Scout today!
