Ask a Researcher: Dr. Mandi Baker talks about skills children learn at summer camps that follow them a for lifetime.
In the Ask a Researcher series, experts from across the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management will answer your questions about sports, recreation, kinesiology, community development and more.
A: Kids get a lot of benefits from going to summer camp, and this goes far beyond just being able to have your kids being physically active and being the great outdoors. Kids learn a lot about social skills and interpersonal connection, as well as building community.
What I also love to see with kids is that they start to grow independence and be able to do these skills without their parents there. There's real magic that happens where parents aren't in the environment, and kids have an opportunity to try out lots of different characteristics about their own identity. Try out some different characteristics they may never have tried before, because they don't feel pigeonholed by the normal relationships in their lives.
Friendships that develop at camps are also incredibly powerful, and they expose our children to diversity in ways that they may not otherwise get at school.
And there's a very, very special benefit of learning to have fun for its own sake, for no other reason. That ability, as they grow up and flourish as adults, will be able to sustain them with all the stressors that come with being adults, learning how to have fun, and what brings you personal joy. This is something that kids can try out at camp and will benefit them for a lifetime.
Dr. Mandi Baker's research explores everyday work experiences through a sociological lense to offer fresh insights into ethical and sustainable leadership and education. More recently, her work has delved into Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices within outdoor recreation as well as gender in family leisure studies. Mandi works extensively with summer camp providers and industry decision makers.
Baker's research explores the emotional demands, people skills required and power-relations in people-centric service work. She explores these concepts in organized outdoor experiences, youth and community development, recreation and leisure contexts and in health service provision, including clinical practices.
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