Student Wellbeing
Annie McNaughton
St Raphael's School
The Benefits of School Camps for Students
This week we have participated in the first school camp since 2019 and it was a great success. Visiting the venue and seeing how engaged the students, teachers and parent volunteers were was fantastic. School camps are experiences students will remember forever so I thought I would outline the benefits of camp based on research within the education and psychology sectors.
Whether it be a local, interstate or international camp, great school camps take planning and effort but the rewards can be fulfilling for both students and teachers and can be something that students will remember long into the future.
The importance of school camps and the benefits school camps offer students are:
- Development of independence skills - school camps can often be the first time a child is away from family and home for a few nights. Parents are not around to remind them to wash, eat healthy food and to look after them. School camps are a great opportunity for children to learn independence skills like how to look after themselves and do things on their own. Most children rise to the challenge and learn to rely on themselves when they spend time away from family and their home.
- Having a strong, positive relationship with their teacher/s can assist in students learning and school camps can help these relationships and gives teachers and students an opportunity to get to know each other outside of the classroom.
- Helps develop a student's social skills - school excursions and school camps offer a great opportunity for students to develop a range of social skills. School camp activities tend to involve team work, which helps to strengthen established friendships and create new friendships by working with students they don’t regularly socalise with at school. During school camps, children have the opportunity to learn about caring, understanding and acceptance.
- Development of decision-making skills - Should I stay up late with my friends or should I go to bed as I am tired? Should I eat the third biscuit? Teachers are not able to constantly watch over students at camp so children are able to make more of their own decisions and choices.
- Increased environmental awareness - at school camps, students are exposed to real nature-based experiences. Hands-on activities in the outdoors stimulate all senses and help learning. Students become more aware of the environment, develop outdoor skills and an appreciation for nature.