A Good Way to Keep Your Campers in Line

[Dave]

If your campers are constantly misbehaving, here's a good way to get them to behave better. On the first day of camp, have the kids make the rules! Have each of them make up one rule. (Be sure to tell them they have to be rules that a counselor would make up, not a stupid rule. :P ) Then tell them that they have to make sure no one breaks their rule. And if someone does break their rule, to tell a counselor. The kids love to make sure everyone's following their rule, so odds are pretty good they'll tell you if someone's breaking their rule.

[simdude]

Thats a good tip. I'll have to suggest this to the other counselors in my bunk.

[~Imp]

No matter how much I tell them to make up serious ones first, the first rule they always come up with is that there are no rules, so you have to tell them that because that is in itself a rule, there's no way they can follow it!

I always get them to add in silly rules with the serious ones, like (for the older ones) every day they have to try to form a human pyramid or something, just to make it more fun, and then I get them all to sign it like a contract.

[Dave]

That's a good point. I didn't think about them saying there are no rules. I guess you could always tell them before they start that they can't say that.

[speedx5xracer]

We use that technique at my camp but that doesnt always keep them in line. Remember kids are still gonna act like kids and not follow some rules. When necessary we use positive and negative reinforcement to enforce the rules. It works the best with overnight camps since you have a bigger part of their daily lives.

[ocean]

thats how we basically do it at our camp we make up some rules and campers make up some rules

[CAMPFRIEND]

I think making up the rules on the first day is goo. It make the campers feel like they are a part of the progress!! As a counselor you might want to make sure that you are stern on the first day. You can lighten up as camp moves on and as you get to know the kids better!
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[CPCourtney]

No matter how much I tell them to make up serious ones first, the first rule they always come up with is that there are no rules, so you have to tell them that because that is in itself a rule, there's no way they can follow it!

I always get them to add in silly rules with the serious ones, like (for the older ones) every day they have to try to form a human pyramid or something, just to make it more fun, and then I get them all to sign it like a contract.


The same thing happened with my girls they first time I tried to let them make up the rules. Eventually I had to let them know the rules I wanted to implement & then together as a bunk we decided what was fair & unfair. It worked out nicely.

[ocean]

The girls pretty much listen to the rules once you set them down, including some of the rules that they wanted