Life in the Cabin - Staff Training

Session #6
Life in the Cabin ~ Part I

Cabin Leading Basics

 The whole point to being here is to show God’s love to the campers!!!

 Accept them ~ put them at ease ~ pay attention to them ~ play with them ~ pray for them ~ & set a good example for them.

 They need to be special, they need to be a part of something & they need to be loved. You are here to make that happen!

The Cabin Leader’s Golden Rule:

 You are here for God & the campers; get over yourselves

~ Matt 10:39(b) ~ “...and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” ~

Setting an Example:

~ If you want to be effective, your campers should look up to you ~

 Be fun and enthusiastic; kids like exciting
 Always take the time to listen to them ~ God gave you 2 ears and 1 mouth.......
 Always put them first (and find little ways to show it to them)
 Never laugh at them ~ sarcasm hurts kids, even if they laugh at the time
 Show them that you respect them
 Show them that you respect yourself
 Show them that you respect others (don’t put others down in front of them or they will know you might be putting them down in front of others). Be ambassadors of Christ to them (2 Corinthians 5:20)

The Camper’s First Hour

 The first hour with your campers is the most important. It’s when they decide whether or not they will like camp and whether or not they will like you.

 Kids are afraid of camp; it’s out of their comfort zone
• We try to deal with the fear as quickly as possible

 Homesickness
• Often we haven’t welcomed them
• They aren’t sick for home, they are sick of camp
• We say the homesickness is the campers’ fault, when often it is our own, we should be putting the campers at ease

 Put yourself in your campers’ shoes
• Remember what it was like for you as a camper and be considerate

 Kids need to trust you and trust the environment
• Everyone has fears
• Don’t play with their fears (e.g. jumping out and saying boo, or horror stories)
• There is enough fear without us adding to it
• Don’t make fun of their fears. Instead, allow them to go to you when they are afraid (e.g. “I’ll take you to the washroom at night, just wake me up.”)
• Make them feel safe and welcome in the cabin

 Kids won’t learn until they feel safe

Give Them Boundaries & Rules

 Rules give kids boundaries and make them feel safe

 When you let them know what to expect, you take away their fear
• So give them schedules and rules for everything
• Make sure they understand the rules, and make sure you enforce them

 Always Be Consistent
• The campers will spend their first day testing you. If you aren’t consistent, they will learn that they can walk all over you, and this will set the precedent for the rest of the week
• Make sure that you follow through with all of your promises, whether it’s consequences or something good; kids like knowing where they stand with you. (If you tell them they have 3 chances, don’t give them 4 or 5!)


~ A lot of parents don’t take the time to follow through with their kids, and the kids feel neglected. They might complain, but the campers will feel loved and have a better time if you take the time to follow through with consequences or rewards ~


Camp will take kids out of their comfort zones and it is a good thing. Just be aware that it is happening and be understanding and supportive.