One of the highlights of Roughing It is our swim program. Instead of giving our campers free swim all the time, our program is designed to actually teach children how to swim through swimming lessons. It is very common for younger children to be nervous about getting in the water, and many parents have questions about our swim programs and whether or not their children are ready. This is a challenge that our swim counselors face all the time, and they have been trained how to handle these situations. One of our camp parents talked about her own camper’s experience with swimming lessons at camp:
“My son started going to camp in kindergarten when he was five years old. I really wanted him to learn how to swim, but he was very nervous about getting in the water. We had tried swimming lessons, both group and private, in the past, but nothing had worked. When I signed him up for camp, I was concerned about his past experiences at swimming and wondered if he would get anything out of it. I talked to the camp directors and the swim staff, and they assured me that this was a common occurrence in younger campers and that the swim staff was prepared to handle this kind of situation. He got a lot of special attention, and the next four weeks were filled with baby steps toward getting him comfortable in the water. He was very nervous at first, but the swim director worked closely with him and called me every day to give updates. They encouraged him a lot during his swimming lessons, and we used rewards at home whenever he accomplished a new goal. One day, all of our hard work paid off and he just got in the pool and swam. I was completely in shock. I had not expected him to learn to swim that summer. After that, he was completely fine and had no trouble getting in the water. I really attest to him learning to swim because of the way the swim staff worked with us and the attention he was given.”
– Isa (parent of Remy)
Camp provides children with many opportunities that may not be available to them in other places. At summer camp, children are in a different environment, which can make a difference in their learning experience. They are supported by their friends and have consistent attention from their counselors and the swim staff. Many children learn to swim at camp, and this is a skill that lasts them the rest of their life.
Isa Hershoff-Looper is a Marriage & Family Therapist , MS , MFT. She has been working in the psychotherapy industry for 16 years and has been a Roughing It Camp mom for 5 summers. See her site and other blogs she has written and learn more about Isa here.
