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The thought of running physical activities for campers can be scary for camp counselors. What if someone gets hurt?\u00a0 What if the campers don\u2019t listen? What if they don\u2019t like the games?\u00a0 You can probably go on and on with what-if questions. The hard truth is that there is a learning curve the first time you do anything.\u00a0 Over time, and with practice, you get better at what you are learning. \u00a0With just a few tips you can be good at running a successful\u00a0PE program\u00a0for campers.\u00a0 As a physical education teacher of fourteen years and a former camp counselor, I have found these key elements to be helpful:<\/p>\n
1. Plan<\/strong><\/p>\n As the saying goes, \u201cFailing to plan is planning to fail.\u201d\u00a0 This goes for children of any age.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t plan your activities thoroughly, you\u2019ll find that frustration and chaos follow.\u00a0 When I started working as a camp counselor, I would sit down in the camp office to plan my activities.\u00a0 I had books on the table and had a lesson plan template out (this was before the iPad!) and I would write my objectives, activities, how I would achieve them, assessments, and more. \u00a0Taking time to do this made my experience and the experience of the campers much more fruitful.\u00a0 When planning, you will want to consider some of the following questions:<\/p>\n Consider these and all possible situations that you can envision ahead of time.\u00a0 It\u2019s okay when you\u2019re first starting to really think things through.\u00a0 Over time, you will internalize some of the planning and create systems so that things will come more naturally to you.\u00a0 Like riding a bike, you will start to automatically plan topics without thinking about them as much. \u00a0Plus, when campers are engaged due to proper planning, there is less chance that something will go wrong.<\/p>\n 2. Be Fair and Consistent<\/strong><\/p>\n Children notice injustices, even subtle ones.\u00a0 If they see an adult not being fair or consistent, they are less likely to trust them or buy into what they are trying to teach.\u00a0 In order to avoid confusion during activities, arguments amongst campers, or loss of trust, be fair and consistent all the way through.\u00a0 This means that you need to set rules and enforce them the same way every time.\u00a0 This also means that you need to treat each camper the same way in most situations.<\/p>\n It helps to examine a short example to better understand this.\u00a0 Let\u2019s say you\u2019re playing table tennis.\u00a0 You decide that one rule of the game is that the ball can bounce on the table twice before being hit back towards the other side. \u00a0If you allow one student to hit it back after three bounces and that earns them a point, you could have a mutiny on your hands.\u00a0 This is especially true if you let this happen more than once.\u00a0 To keep the activity fun and free of arguments, always be fair and consistent.<\/p>\n 3. Create Structure<\/strong><\/p>\n If you are planning and being fair and consistent, you are well on your way to creating structure.\u00a0 Children need structure.\u00a0 When structure is not present, problems occur.\u00a0 Structure means that the campers know the plan, rules, consequences, your behavioral expectations, and anything else you might expect.\u00a0 Structure also means the campers are aware of what is going to happen in most situations.\u00a0 Structure creates safety and routine.\u00a0 When children feel safe in a routine, they have a lot more fun.<\/p>\n Think of structure as a board game.\u00a0 Board games have clear rules and, in some cases, time limits.\u00a0 There are also consequences to decisions you make during the board game.\u00a0 Part of the game is just pure luck.\u00a0 But in games like Monopoly or Uno, it\u2019s very hard to cheat. This is because all players are playing by the same rules and consequences, meaning they have the same understanding of the ins and outs of the game. \u00a0Structure is simply the foundation by which the activity is governed.<\/p>\n 4. Have a Plan B<\/strong><\/p>\n Let\u2019s face it, not everything you plan will succeed.\u00a0 Sometimes the best-laid plans fail.\u00a0 Because you are still figuring out what will work with your campers, always have a plan B ready to go.\u00a0 This will allow you to be flexible, something that is incredibly important when running activities.\u00a0 Things happen that are out of your control, and some activities just do not work out the way you would like.\u00a0 Being able to tell the campers that what you planned is not working and that you are going to switch to another activity will keep things from getting out of control and also teach them a valuable lesson. \u00a0Sometimes stuff happens and you have to be able to adjust to the changes. \u00a0Summer camp is about life lessons after all!<\/p>\n 5. Be Present<\/strong><\/p>\n It is so easy to get distracted these days.\u00a0 Maybe you want to check your phone, talk to your co-counselor, or just stare off into the distance.\u00a0 One of the common mistakes counselors new to running activities make is to think that things are going great and that they can stop paying attention.\u00a0 Children are quick and smart.\u00a0 They notice when no one is paying attention, and some may take advantage of this during an activity by trying to bend a rule.\u00a0 Keep your eyes on the ball, or game in this case.\u00a0 Feel free to jump in once in a while and enjoy the game yourself.\u00a0 Be present so you do not have to present a defense later if someone gets upset or hurt. Also make sure they see you are excited about the activity, and they will be too.<\/p>\n 6. You Are in Charge<\/strong><\/p>\n If you watch sports, then you know they are not democratic.\u00a0 There are referees to enforce the rules and consequences.\u00a0 When running activities, enforcing the rules and consequences is your responsibility.\u00a0 Make that clear to the campers.\u00a0 You are in charge, and you will make the calls, including what defines cheating.\u00a0 Keep a firm tone of voice when speaking.\u00a0 Leave no doubt you are in charge.<\/p>\n A Few More Things to Consider<\/strong><\/p>\n If you plan well, stay fair and consistent, create structure, have a backup plan, and stay present, you will do just fine running activities for the first time.\u00a0 With time, it will get easier and feel more natural to you. Camp counselors can develop a nice set of activities and a sense of how to run them well. Plus, if you stay at the same camp for a while, you will get to know the campers and they will know your style, which will make things a little simpler as time goes on.<\/p>\n\n
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Find PE equipment and youth games at S&S Worldwide here ><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"literacy](\"http:\/\/ssww-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Charles-Silberman-Summer-Camp-Icebreakers-232x300.jpg\")
Charles Silberman is a physical education and health teacher with 14 years of teaching experience\u00a0has worked as a counselor and camp PE teacher for over 25 years. He has become a leader and advocate for incoming physical educators by running workshops on teaching in limited space at staff in-services and conferences, assisting with new teacher orientations, and other initiatives. He has experience writing curriculum from scratch and writing published information specific to physical education in state and nationally recognized publications and websites. Charles\u00a0has also created a niche as a physical education specialist who fuses technology and primary instructional subjects into physical education lessons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"