Praise is one of the best techniques when working with kids!

It builds confidence, helps them to know what we like, and can reinforce the behaviors we want to see more. 

The key is “catching” the good stuff, so we can praise and acknowledge it. How do you do it?

1. Start noticing what they’re doing and saying it out loud.

• “I love that you’re putting your puzzle away.”
• “It was great to see you sharing your toys with your cousin.”
• “Thanks for waiting patiently while I was talking with the neighbor.”

2. Be as specific as possible.

• “Good job” is less meaningful than “I noticed you put your dinner dishes in the dishwasher. Thanks for doing that.”

3. Share praise regularly.

• It takes about five positive comments to balance out one negative one, so make sure you’re sharing plenty of positive comments and observations.

It’s not a magic wand, but you might be surprised about how powerful praise is when you take the time to give your children some positive attention.

Need more ideas on building up your child’s happiness and mental health? Check out OnOurSleeves.org!

Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® is March 21st!

Every year, millions of people write/tell a young person in their life why they matter and what makes them amazing. Camp Fire founded this holiday in 1997 to encourage and inspire young people nationwide. Learn more at campfire.org/kidday.

Your words are powerful. Encourage a young person. Make an impact.

The post The Power of Praise appeared first on Camp Fire.

Child development experts emphasize the importance of setting realistic expectations for the holidays, sticking to a normal schedule as much as possible, getting time outside and practicing gratitude together. Simplifying gift-giving, practicing social skills before get-togethers, giving teens space to be moody are also solid strategies.  

What else can you help the young people in your life this winter? Use the same guidelines our staff and volunteers do to build strong relationships at Camp Fire! Follow the Search Institute’s framework for positive developmental relationships to bring some consistency and affirmation to the season. 

These tips are relevant whether you are trying to encourage kids and teens you are raising, related to, and/or in your wider chosen family. We’ve taken the Search Institute’s framework and given it a holiday twist below to create 20 ideas for supporting young people through the holidays. Let’s go! 

Express Care

1. Be dependable: The holidays are no time to play the flakey funcle card. Follow through on your commitments. If you say you’re going to be there, be there!
2. Listen: Join the kids’ table (metaphorically or literally) and have a real conversation. You might be surprised by what you learn!
3. Believe in me: If you’re giving gifts for the holidays, consider one that feeds a young person’s sparks — the skills, commitments or qualities that are lighting them up right now. If you don’t know what they are into, ask!
4. Be warm: Don’t forget to individually greet kids at your next holiday get-together. Make sure they know they are welcome and that you’re happy to see them, not just their accompanying adults. 
5. Encourage: Specific compliments go a long way. Look for opportunities to call out a young person’s unique point of view, persistence, or character as you’re going about your holidays.

Challenge Growth

6. Expect my best: Experts agree that the holidays are a good time to let the small stuff go. But when it comes to the big things — your community’s shared values, for example — keep standards high for yourself and young people. 
7. Stretch: Helping a young person take their next spark step can be as simple as working on a robotics project after a holiday dinner, gifting a book one reading level up, or teaching them a new phrase in a language they are learning. 
8. Hold me accountable: If you lose your seasonal cool, model how to deliver a timely, sincere apology and any necessary restitutions. Expect the same (in developmentally appropriate ways) from any young people you’re responsible for. 
9. Reflect on failures: If a holiday event or activity doesn’t go as planned, debriefing calmly (and with humor, if possible!) can help young people learn failure is part of growing, not something to be scared or ashamed of. 

Provide Support 

10. Navigate: Stressful holidays situations looming? Help young people brainstorm solutions and strategies to manage. 
11. Empower: Get time with your favorite young person to ask what their goals are for the new year — and if there’s anything you can do to give them an assist.  
12. Advocate: If any holiday gatherings have become potentially harmful for the young people in your life (if family members aren’t affirming of an LGBTQIA2s+ teen, for example), take action. If you’re the primary caregiver, you can set protective boundaries for your family, including not attending potentially harmful events. If you are an extended family member or friend, ask the young person how they’d like to be supported and make a plan for how you’ll intervene. (This Parents article has some great resources!)
13. Set boundaries: If it’s within your control, set limits on the seasonal schedule. Help young people prioritize their favorite activities instead of getting overwhelmed. And keep sleep at the top of the to-do list! 

Share Power

14. Respect me: If you’re getting resistance to a particular holiday tradition or gathering, stop and ask why. Even if you ultimately ask for their participation, try to clearly understand their concerns first and come to a fair solution. 
15. Include me: Include kids and teens as you’re building your holiday schedule. What gatherings, activities or traditions mean the most to them? What are their priorities for the season? Give them a say in the decisions that affect them. 
16. Collaborate: Can you create a new holiday tradition with the young people in your life? What fun, new December adventure can you come up with together?  
17. Let me lead: Consider asking the kids and teens in your family if they’d like to lead a holiday activity traditionally headed up by an adult. What would change if the kids took over?

Expand Possibilities

18. Inspire: Do you know a young person who shares some of your sparks? Can you schedule some inspiration time (a work tag-along or a hobby session) with them this holiday break? 
19. Broaden horizons: Stuck in a holiday rut? Take the young people in your life on a mini-adventure. It could be as simple as visiting a new park or trying a new kind of food — the point is novelty! 
20. Connect: Do you know a child or teen who hasn’t tried Camp Fire yet? Find an affiliate or program near you. There’s no better gift than helping a young person connect to nature, others and themselves!

The post Supporting young people through the holidays: 20 ways to help this season appeared first on Camp Fire.

So, we want to take a quick break from our usual present-focus to talk about how Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) sets kids up for success in their future workplaces.

If you’ve got a friend who’s skeptical about the importance of teaching SEL, here’s your argument: They’re going to have those social-emotional talents to get (and keep) a job!

In a recent survey of 4,000 professionals, LinkedIn discovered that companies’ top training priority was teaching their employees “soft skills”—those human traits that can’t be replicated by computers, data sets or automation. Fifty-seven percent of the leaders they talked to said those talents were more important than job-specific “hard” skills.

What skills are particularly in demand? LinkedIn says leadership, communication, collaboration and time management. All skills that social-emotional learning programs (like Camp Fire!) build toward.

LinkedIn isn’t the only one noticing how important SEL skills sets are becoming to employers. The World Economic Forum’s 2016 Future of Jobs report says it plainly:

“Overall, social skills—such as persuasion, emotional intelligence and teaching others—will be in higher demand across industries than narrow technical skills, such as programming or equipment operation and control.”

The WEF predicts 36 percent of future jobs will demand complex problem-solving skills and lists nine additional social-emotional skills that will be key in future work situations: cognitive flexibility, negotiation skills, service orientation, judgment and decision making, emotional intelligence, coordinating with others, people management, creativity and critical thinking.

Camp Fire’s Thrive{ology} framework teaches four foundational SEL practices that lead to all of these in-demand abilities. Identifying sparks, practicing a growth mindset, goal management and thriving are a social-emotional launching pad for developing all kinds of valuable know-how…now and in the future!

Want to support kids’ current and future Social-Emotional Learning? We’d love your help! Get involved, friends!

The post Your Child’s Work Future & the Urgency of Social-Emotional Learning appeared first on Camp Fire.

On a gut-level, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) makes total sense. We know young people need whole-life tools to thrive. But what does the research say?

In short, Social-Emotional Learning works.

Here’s a run-down of some leading studies tracking social-emotional learning outcomes in the classroom and beyond.

• Social-Emotional Learning programs improve performance in both SEL areas and academic achievement. A 2011 analysis of 213 school SEL programs across age levels showed participating students did 11 points better in social-emotional skills and the classroom, too.

• Social-Emotional Learning can help reduce bullying, as part of a comprehensive approach. A 2013 analysis found SEL skills help kids form strong support systems and boosted emotional awareness—key components in bullying prevention.

• 2015 research connects kindergarten students with strong social-emotional skills to all kinds of good outcomes as young adults, including being less likely to abuse substances and need public assistance.

• Social-Emotional Learning programs’ benefits last a long time. In 2017, researchers looked at how kids’ well-being, years (up to 18!) after participating in SEL programs. They found that SEL exposure led to higher long-term academic performance and lower behavioral, emotional and substance abuse problems.

Science says social-emotional learning gives kids an edge immediately, and you know Camp Fire is all about the right now. But SEL also sets kids up for success as adults; we’ll get into that research in our next blog post!

The post How Social-Emotional Learning Helps Your Kids Thrive appeared first on Camp Fire.

Social-Emotional Learning recognizes that critical life skills extend beyond the traditional reading, writing and arithmetic. We know (both intuitively and through evidence-based studies) that kids thrive when they are taught how to identify and manage their emotions, build healthy relationships and make great decisions.

Our Thrive{ology} framework is founded on SEL principles, which we formalized in 2012 and have since integrated into all of our programs nationwide. Camp Fire focuses on the “whole child’ skills of identifying sparks, developing a growth mindset, learning goal management and reflecting. These are social and emotional tools that kids will use their entire lives, no matter what vocations they choose or challenges they face.

We also use Social-Emotional Learning touchpoints to measure Camp Fire’s impact. Sure, it’s cool to know how many kids are learning hard skills like archery, water safety or better after-school study habits in our programs. But we’re more interested in whether they are learning how to live. So twice a year, we conduct surveys to find out how Camp Fire’s 180,000+ participants are progressing in social skills, life skills, conflict resolution, confidence, purpose and appreciate of nature.

These thriving indicators are the reason we do everything we do! And we’re psyched that they way we’ve done things for 100+ years is now being backed up by Social-Emotional Learning research and embraced by schools and youth organizations across the globe.

We’ll be celebrating Social-Emotional Learning all month on the blog and our social media accounts. Join in the conversation by posting below or finding us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter!  

All-in on Social-Emotional Learning? We need you! Camp Fire is always looking for volunteers who want to make a lasting difference in young people’s lives. Find out how to get involved today!

The post What in the World is Social-Emotional Learning? appeared first on Camp Fire.