Falling, Failing, and Thriving: How Camp Builds Resilient Kids

Hitting a baseball in mid-air is notoriously difficult. As multi-sport professional athlete Deion Sanders famously put it when asked about the hardest thing to do in sports, it’s “...hitting that baseball. Any sport you can fail 7 out of 10 times at and still be considered great - that’s a hard sport.”

My 8-year old, Micah, loves baseball. And while he seems to have a knack for it, he wasn’t always good at it. I distinctly remember “pitching” to him in the yard early on, which was more me trying to hit his bat with my throw than the other way around.

In those days, it was common for him to miss one, two, three, ten pitches in a row. It was also common for him to collapse in a heap of tears, frustration spilling out of every pore.

Like a lot of kids, Micah is the kind of kid who wants to be good at everything right away. And when he’s not, the disappointment hits hard. Like many other kids, his instinct is to shut down when he hits a wall.

During those hitting droughts, something would usually shift. With a few deep breaths, some quiet encouragement, and a promise that he didn’t have to get it right today - he just had to try again - he would pick the bat back up. Another swing. Another miss. But eventually: crack. The ball would sail past me.

The grin on his face in those moments said everything. He didn’t just get better at baseball. He was getting better at doing hard things. He didn’t succeed because it was easy, but because he kept going when it wasn’t.

That, in a nutshell, is resilience.

As a parent, it’s hard to watch our children struggle. And when you’re thinking about sending them to overnight camp for the first time, the “what ifs” pile up fast:
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• What if they miss home?
• What if they don’t make friends?
• What if they get hurt?
• What if they don’t like the food?
• What if they try something new and fail?

But here’s the thing: Camp is built for that kind of growth. It’s one of the rare places where kids can swing and miss in a safe, supportive space - and eventually, with a little encouragement, connect in ways that surprise even them.

Resilience Is More Than “Toughness”

When we think of resilience, it’s easy to picture grit and toughness - pushing through the pain, powering through setbacks, and turning struggle into strength. But real resilience is quieter than that. It’s not just about pushing through. It’s about bouncing back, learning, adapting, and staying open to growth.

As Dr. Deborah Gilboa puts it, resilience is the ability to adapt to change and come through it closer to the person you want to be. It’s not built by hardship alone, but by facing challenges with support. Without empathy and encouragement, hard moments don’t make us stronger. They just make us stuck.

That’s where camp comes in.

Camp is full of small, everyday challenges: trying a new activity, missing home, not getting the top bunk… These aren’t problems to fix; they’re moments to grow through. Parenting expert Dr. Becky Kennedy calls this frustration tolerance - the ability to feel uncomfortable and keep going anyway.

While we don’t shield kids from all frustration, we also don’t leave them to handle it alone. We walk with them. Counselors listen, guide, encourage, and help campers recognize, “Yeah, this is hard, and I know you can do it.” That combination of challenge and support is what helps kids stretch and grow stronger.

The result? Confidence. Perseverance. Self-trust. Kids learn they can feel big feelings, face tough things, and come out stronger.
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Camp doesn’t remove the bumps in the road. It gives kids a safe place to practice navigating them... And to discover that they’re capable of more than they knew.

Unsafe or Uncomfortable?

​There’s a big difference between safety and comfort.

Camp is safe: physically, emotionally, socially. Kids are surrounded by trained staff who are committed to their well-being. They have structure, boundaries, and support.

But camp isn’t always comfortable - and that’s the point.

Trying something new isn’t comfortable. Feeling homesick isn’t comfortable. Navigating a cabin disagreement isn’t comfortable. But these moments, with plenty of support and encouragement, are what help kids grow. Camp is actually a safe place to be uncomfortable.

Neuroscience backs this up. Kids learn best when they feel connected - when they know they’re supported, believed in, and valued. Emotional safety actually opens the brain to learning, risk-taking, and creativity. In other words, when kids feel secure, they’re far more likely to try.

That’s why the camp environment is so powerful. It gives kids the space to stretch without snapping. They’re allowed to struggle, but never alone. There’s always someone cheering them on, helping them process, and reminding them they are capable.

At Camp Lookout, we like to say we’re in the build-them-up business. We challenge campers because we believe in them. And when they rise to meet those challenges - whether it’s climbing the wall or sharing something honest in their bible study group - they begin to believe in themselves, too.

What Parents Can Do at Home

Resilience doesn’t just grow at camp - it’s happening all the time at home, too. As parents, we have the incredible opportunity to help our kids build the muscle of bouncing back, not by shielding them from struggle, but by standing with them in it.
Here are a few simple, powerful ways you can continue that work at home:

Let them fail (gently).
When your child misses the mark, resists a challenge, or melts down in frustration, resist the urge to fix it right away. Sit with them in the emotion. Validate their struggle. Then remind them: “You can do hard things. I’m here with you.”

Use “when” language.
Swap “If you forget your lines…” for “When you forget your lines, what will help you keep going?” This sets the expectation that challenges are normal and not something to be ashamed of, and prepares them to respond, not panic.

Ask reflection questions.
After a tough moment, gently prompt them to think about how they recovered. Try:
• “What helped you get back up?”
• “What would you try differently next time?”
These questions teach problem-solving and build self-awareness.

Celebrate effort over perfection.
Did they try again even after falling apart? Did they stick with something even though it was hard? That’s the win. Praise the fact that they kept going more than the outcome itself.

Share your own “fall down and get back up” stories.
Nothing is more powerful than knowing grown-ups struggle too. Tell them about a time you messed up - and what helped you through. It models humility, strength, and resilience all at once.
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By reinforcing these habits at home, you help make resilience part of your child’s identity. And when they face their next “I can’t” moment - whether it’s at camp, at school, or anywhere in between - they’ll be better equipped to take a deep breath, ask for help, and try again.

Thriving Through Falling

At Camp Lookout, we don’t expect kids to get it right the first time. We don’t avoid the hard stuff. And we don’t throw them into struggle unprepared. What we do is surround them with support. We create a safe space where kids can try, fall, and get back up - again and again. Where failing isn’t the end, but the beginning of something incredible.

So if your child is nervous to try something new (or if you’re nervous to let them) know this: we’re ready to catch them, encourage them, and cheer them on as they become someone even braver than they imagined.

Let’s raise kids who fall, get up, and grow stronger each time.