Trends in Childhood and Why Kids Need Summer Camp
- Molly Ward
- Jan 31, 2025
- 2 min read
Many of you have read or heard about the book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. This book has become a must read for parents, educators, and others who work with young people. Among other things, it shares extensive research about the impact growing up with devices as a primary social connection has on our children. It notes that making real, authentic connections, and learning the social and emotional skills that develop from these, is something this generation needs more than ever.
As The Anxious Generation author Jon Haidt notes, camp is “the most effective way I know of to reverse the phone-based childhood and restore a playful, real-world childhood, at least for a few weeks each summer.”
Steve Baskin’s article Why Kids Need Summer Camp points out the many benefits of an overnight camp experience. Baskin writes, “Allow me to make a bold statement: Camps may be the perfect experience to address the exact problems of phone-based childhoods and over-protection. Camps are low-tech, but high-impact. They embody the virtues of a play-based childhood. They foster growth and confidence. And they feature four unusual structural advantages compared to home, schools, or other non-camp environments.”
These structural features Baskin refers to are:
1. Tech Free: Children go weeks at a time without seeing a single electronic screen
2. Novelty: Camp activities are novel, creative, and fun
3. Mentorship: Camp counselors are uniquely positioned as role models.
4. Deep Communities: Camps create connected, deep communities
We certainly know this is true at Fleur de Lis. These features are an integral part of the experience our campers enjoy every day! We see first-hand the connections they build when their interactions, with peers and adults, are face to face, personal, relaxed, and fun.
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