Adventure camps can be one of the best places for building resilience in children. Through a range of independent experiences and exhilarating activities, adventure camps are not only extremely fun for kids, but they help them grow in character in so many ways. One of those ways is resilience, and it’s something that our R.E.A.C.H. Framework focuses on. So, let’s see why adventure camps are so great at building resilience in children.
Improve social resilience
We’ve all been knocked down by a failed friendship before, right? Well, adventure camps help kids get past the fear of overcoming social difficulties and begin making new friends. It shows them that one bad experience doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying again, and that any friendship hiccups can be easily worked through and resolved. Social resilience is amazing in that it teaches children how to build long-lasting friendships.
Independence and control
Adventure camps give children the independence and control they need to begin building resilience. At home, there might not always be much to be resilient about, but through greater independence that’s given at camp, kids can learn how to do more things for themselves and deal with challenges on their own. The good thing is that these challenges at camp aren’t anything major. They’re simply everyday things that they may be used to parents doing for them.
Something about things at home are often ‘comfortable’ but at camp you have to step out of your comfort zone. You’ll sleep in a different bed from the one you do at home, you’ll eat food that your mum or dad didn’t prepare and you won’t be surrounded by all of your ‘stuff’.
Create a strong-identity
Situations like camp give children the opportunity to create a strong identity and really understand themselves. Not everybody is amazing at every challenge, every game, or every activity, but it’s about understanding that it’s not all about being perfect at everything. Instead, at camp, children can find their strengths and recognise that this is what makes them different from everybody else.
New challenges
Around every corner is a new challenge in life, and that’s exactly what adventure camps help children prepare for. Whether it’s greater independence as we mentioned before, or overcoming challenges in activities, camps introduce new challenges to children in many ways. Adventure activities pose both physical and mental challenges; when using their last bit of energy to beat the Challenge Course, or gaining the confidence to beat the Abseiling tower.
These kinds of new experiences can really help with building resilience in children, and that’s why at PGL we have lots of resilience activities for kids!
Resilience activities for kids
At PGL, we have a wide variety of resilience activities for kids. The overall PGL experience is geared towards building resilience in children, amongst many other characteristics, and our action-packed activities only support that further! Here are some activities that are great for building resilience in children:
- Abseiling
- Archery
- Bush Craft
- Centipede
- Challenge Course
- Climbing
- Initiative Exercises
- Mud Run
See our activities page for a full list and description of our epic activities.
Build resilience with PGL!
Now you know why adventure camps are fantastic for building resilience in children, why not check out our holiday camps for kids?
For teachers, you can book your learners onto one of our school camps which include primary school camps and secondary school camps, located at Campaspe Downs (VIC), Camp Rumbug (VIC) and Kindilan (QLD). You can also check out our newest programs (as part of our R.E.A.C.H Framework:DISCOVER! and UNITE!), designed to focus on a selection of education outcomes.
Your group are at the heart of what we do at PGL. We put safety first with 100% instructor-led activity sessions, which also allows you to bond with your students rather than running the sessions yourself, as you usually would in the classroom. Your PGL groupies are also always available for any questions you or your students may have, just ask!
Why not contact us today and we’ll be on hand to help arrange a fantastic adventure camp for your children or students!
