On the surface, summer camp is a fun and exciting experience for kids to make new friends and try new things. However, other valuable camp lessons can encompass deeper topics and experiences such as mindfulness and self-care.
At Camp Cody, many of our amazing camp activities do an excellent job of promoting mindfulness and self-care. Here are just a few:
Yoga
Yoga and mindfulness truly go hand in hand. That’s because yoga aims to achieve a higher level of connection between the mind and body, which is something that every camper can benefit from.
This camp activity teaches kids to take a breath and quiet their minds to cultivate a deeper connection and understanding of the world around them and themselves. Camp can often be a fast-paced environment, and this dedicated quiet time promotes self-care when campers need a moment to relax their mind and body.
Reading
While kids read a lot during the school year, it’s often purely for academics and never for pleasure. At Camp Cody, kids have the opportunity to devour books that they have an interest in and share them with other campers (book club-style).
Reading is a great activity to promote mindfulness and is very similar to meditation. When a camper is absorbed in a good book, they are learning to tune out other distractions and do something they truly enjoy.
Creative & Performing Arts
From beadwork and music to sewing and dance, nearly every creative and performing arts activity at Camp Cody has an element of mindfulness or self-care engrained in it. For instance, crafts like beadwork or needlepoint require campers to concentrate on the task at hand and create something they are proud of. Upbeat activities like dancing and music help campers discover new passions and styles that resonate with them on a deeper level than simply fun.
Kayaking
Simply being near the water has immediate benefits. In fact, it’s been proven that being around water (whether it be the ocean, lake, or pond) can make people happier. Perhaps it’s the scenery or the fresh air, but sports and camp activities centered around the water can promote mindfulness and self-care among kids.
Kayaking, as well as other calm activities like paddling boarding, can be especially effective because they require campers to be very aware of their surroundings.
Gardening
Finally, we can’t overlook how the simple act of gardening can do wonders for our campers’ mental health. Interacting with nature has been proven to increase self-esteem and mood all while reducing feelings of anger.
Being surrounded by nature at Camp Cody is already a positive experience, but when campers take the next step to interact with it through gardening it can benefit them even more. Tending to a garden also promotes self-care because it shows how important it is to take care of other living things through basic necessities such as food, water, sunlight, and love.
Interested in learning more about the activities at Camp Cody? See our full list of outdoor and other activities today.