You’ve just dropped your kids off at camp and are now waiting out the week anxiously—well, maybe just with partial anxiety as you also enjoy some well-deserved peace. Saturday rolls around and you head back up to camp, travelling down the camp roads and rushing with anticipation to your kid’s cabin. You finally see your little one, wrap them up into a bear hug and load everything into the car. You drive off, turn around towards the back seat and inquire:

“How was camp?”

Expecting the flood gates to open, you’re instead met with the brief, non-descript response, “it was good,” followed by… crickets.

Even though the impact of summer camp is still fresh in your child’s mind, it is often difficult to draw that out of them.

I’ve put together a list of reflection questions that can help you journey with your child as they come out of such a full week. Pull one or two questions from this out list over the next few weeks to help encourage some sharing on the drive home, over a meal or while looking back at pictures.

1. What was one highlight about camp for you? An experience, someone they met, etc.
2. What was the story in theme?
3. What activities/games did you get to do and what was your favourite?
4. What was the weirdest or wackiest thing you did?
5. What were the bible studies about?
6. What’s something new you learned about God?
7. What ideas do you have for how we could learn from this as a family?
8. What did you learn about yourself?
9. What were the names of the people in your cabin? Who else did you get to know?
10. What were the names of your leaders and what were the things that you appreciated most about them?

 

For younger kids, try using ‘Rose, Buds and Thorns.’ This is a discussion game that cabin leaders sometimes use at the end of the night to encourage reflection and sharing.

Rose: What was your favourite part of camp?

Thorns: What was something that was not what you expected?

Buds: What are you most excited about for summer?

Remember to choose the timing carefully. I know that, with my son, right before bed and at the dinner table are the prime times for great conversation. Also listen well. Let them take the conversation while you affirm and ask questions.

The camp can have such a significant impact on the life of a young person and these kinds of conversations can the impact take root at home.

 

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Nathan Thompson

Nathan lives in Hamilton, is married and has three little campers of his own. He is a lover of all things summer camp and has been involved in Christian camping for 15 years. He currently works as the Marketing & Communications Manager for InterVarsity.