As a camp staff member, you have endless opportunities to help shape young people’s character and identity. You have the potential for powerful influence — and with intention your impact can be extremely positive. Provided here is a list of impactful reflection questions you can use in a variety of situations at camp. Additionally, you will find guidance on questions to ask yourself when you are struggling to think of good questions in the moment.

The Purposes of Reflection

Your schedule at camp is likely full of structured activities like fishing, archery, kayaking, or crafts, as well as less-structured activities such as free time, meals, transition times, or bedtime. Each kind of activity can be a prime opportunity for reflecting on the meaning of an experience. But what is the purpose of prompting campers to reflect?

Especially as children, engaging in a challenging activity that stretches us outside our comfort zone can lead to character growth. When we go through the process of reflecting on the activity, the feelings involved, and our changing understanding of ourselves, we are much more likely to experience meaningful growth.

Before we jump into a list of questions, let’s consider a few different purposes for reflection activities at camp centered around the development of positive character strengths.

• Adding meaning to experiences: A low ropes course involves challenge and teamwork, communication, and trust. Without facilitated conversation and reflection about these concepts, campers may miss these important elements. This is applicable in many activities. We must think about the goals we are aiming for in each activity.
• Identity development: For campers to return home with increased confidence and understanding of their own character strengths, they must hear those strengths named and have the opportunity to internalize them through reflection. Whether in groups or individually (preferably both), campers can focus their thoughts and conversation on how your camp’s apply to them personally.
• Perspective-taking: An essential element of developing strong character is to truly understand how different other people’s experiences are than our own. Group reflections on activities and events — when a safe space for sharing is established — provide campers with this valuable understanding.

Ideal Times for Reflection

While we often focus on facilitated reflection during or after structured activities, there are many times at camp where reflection can be valuable. For example:

• Bedtime routine. Guided group reflections at bedtime can help campers engage in a thoughtful routine that strengthens group bonds and frames daily experiences in relation to your camp’s character focus.
• Individual journaling. Campers can use journals to engage in reflection prompts related to character strengths (their own or someone else’s) during downtime. If your campers are comfortable letting you see their writing, you can also take time to provide meaningful feedback and encouragement in their journals.
• During conflict. Conflicts will inevitably occur at camp and often provide powerful opportunities to reflect on how camp values and culture apply. Campers often need help to see the values at play in situations they encounter.
• At meals. Casual reflective conversations can happen at meals without campers even noticing they are intentional! These less-structured times can be great for hearing different perspectives on the day, or understanding how campers perceive social interactions or camp activities.
• When tough choices arise. Throughout the day, campers will have decisions to make about doing the right thing. In addition to navigating conflicts, campers will continually make choices about how they treat camp property or choose to help make the community better through taking initiative. You can help frame these decisions by asking valuable questions.

General Reflection Questions

While your camp has its own unique mission and chosen character focus, there are many questions you can ask your campers that are relevant no matter what your chosen values are. Your responses as a facilitator can include wording related to your specific values. Here are a few key questions to ask in a variety of situations, with suggested follow-ups:

Group Reflections on Activities

• How did the activity feel for you?
  • How did you feel before you tried the activity?
  • How did you feel during the activity?
  • How do you feel now that you have finished it?
  • Since we are all different, does anyone have different feelings than what has already been shared?
• What did you learn about yourself during the activity?
  • Does anyone feel the same?
  • Did anyone learn something different about themselves?
• What did you observe about the group during the activity?
  • What did you notice others do well?
  • What struggles did you notice?
  • Did this activity help the group grow closer together or further apart?
• How did the activity relate to your life away from camp?
  • When you go home, when will it help you to remember what you learned during this activity?
  • What situations in your life might bring up similar feelings to this activity?
• If you do this activity again, what would you like to do differently?
  • Did you see someone in the group try something that you would like to try next time?
  • Because of what you learned about yourself, how will you be different if you try the activity again?
• What story will you tell about this activity? How will you describe what happened?
  • What would be helpful to tell yourself when you remember the activity?
  • What would be valuable to share with others?

General Reflections (Group or Individual)

• What was challenging about camp today?
  • Why was that experience challenging?
  • How did you get through the experience?
  • Did anyone at camp help or support you?
  • What support would be helpful if that challenge happened again?
  • Did anyone else experience this same challenge?
• What did you love about camp today?
  • Why was that part of camp so positive?
  • Did anyone at camp help make that experience positive?
  • How can you help make this experience happen more at camp?
  • Did anyone else love this same thing about camp?
• Did you do or try anything today for the first time?
  • Did you enjoy the new thing you tried?
  • How do you feel about having tried something new?
  • Did anyone else try the same thing? Did you feel the same about it?
• How are you feeling about your cabin group?
  • What is going well in the group, and why?
  • What is a challenge in your group, and why?
  • What can you do differently to help improve things in the group?
  • How do you contribute to the vibe or culture in your group?

Values-Centered Reflection Questions

Tailor your reflection questions to the specific character strengths and values you want to emphasize for campers. Learn simple definitions that you can consistently share with campers that define the character strengths. In these examples, a sample definition is included in the first question. Make sure you fully understand how your camp leadership is defining camp values or strengths, so you and your fellow camp staff present a uniform message and meaning to campers. These questions for group or individual reflection relate to specific character strengths. If your organization is focused on different values, you can use these examples to guide your own question development.

Reflecting on Respect

• How did you respect others at camp today? What did you do or say to show you value them as individuals and believe they deserve to be treated fairly?
• How respected did you feel at camp today, and why?
• How can you grow and improve by showing respect for yourself and others at camp?
• During this activity, who showed respect for others?
• How can we show respect for camp property and the natural environment right now, seeing what we see?
• In this conflict happening right now, what do you need to feel that you are being respected, and how can you show respect as you work to resolve the conflict?

Reflecting on Responsibility

• How did you behave responsibly at camp today? What did you do or say to take ownership of your actions and do the right thing?
• What do you feel are your personal responsibilities toward others at camp? What are their responsibilities toward you?
• How can you grow and improve by becoming more responsible while you are at camp?
• Who in this group offered a good example of being responsible today, and why?
• What are some things our group can do at this moment to show how responsible we are?
• As we clean up from this meal, how can we show we are responsible?

Reflecting on Community-Mindedness

• How did you show community-mindedness at camp today? What did you do or say to think of the group instead of only yourself?
• How did community-mindedness show up in the activity we just did together?
• How community-minded is our cabin group, and why?
• What can you do to grow and improve by being community-minded at camp?
• What can our group do right now to practice community-mindedness?
• How does being community-minded at camp relate to being community-minded outside of camp?

Reflecting on Integrity

• How did you act with integrity today? What did you do or say that you knew was the right thing, even if no one was watching?
• When do you struggle to show integrity at camp? In what situations do you see others struggle?
• During this group game, who acted as a good example of integrity? Next time, how can we better show integrity to the rules and to each other?
• In this conflict you are experiencing, how can you show integrity? And what do you need the other person to do to show their integrity?
• What does it mean to show integrity in the cabin when your counselor is not there? What could the group do better?
• How does showing integrity at camp relate to showing integrity at home or school?

When You Need to Think of Questions

Sometimes you may struggle to come up with valuable questions to ask campers to prompt reflection and add meaning to activities or experiences. Here is a list of a few questions to ask yourself in those moments. The answers to these questions can help you form simple but impactful questions to ask campers.

• What is the point of this activity, other than completing it or learning a new skill?
• What values or character strengths are hopefully being built in the campers at this moment?
• Are there conflicting feelings in the group right now that individuals may not be noticing or respecting?
• What character strength did I see demonstrated, especially in a camper who has been struggling? How can I provide appropriate recognition or prompt other campers to recognize it?
• What values are my campers struggling to understand or demonstrate? How can I get them thinking about how they apply in this moment?
• What individual or group commitments have campers made that it would be valuable to remind them of in this moment?
• What am I really proud of my campers for right now?
• How can I help campers make connections between what is happening right now and how it relates to their life away from camp?
• What does this individual camper need to understand about their behavior to grow in their character development? How can I help them in a compassionate way?

Expressing What You Need

Facilitating meaningful reflection with campers doesn’t happen by accident and can sometimes feel challenging. Make sure to ask for the resources and opportunities you need to do this effectively. For specific team-building or ropes course activities, reflection questions can be laminated and kept in a weather-proof container at the activity’s location. Questions during the bedtime routine can be written out ahead of time. Individual journal questions can already be printed out to give to campers each day.

More than anything else, you will be the most effective guide for meaningful reflection among your campers when you are prepared. Just as you get hands-on practice with CPR or first aid, you need to practice asking initial and follow-up questions, restating camper responses, and providing encouragement. Additionally, it is crucial to build a safe environment for sharing different or opposing views within these reflective discussions.

As you commit to promoting character development at camp, building the skill of facilitating powerful reflection will benefit each of the campers you support.

Amanda Palmer, MS, is a camp trainer, consultant, researcher, and doctoral candidate at the University of Idaho. Amanda supports camps and organizations year-round with developing plans for aligning their unique missions with observable staff practices. Within ACA, Amanda is a program quality coach, an accreditation visitor, a subject matter expert for the Character at Camp initiative, and a member of Camping Magazine’s Editorial Advisory Committee. She is a former camper, camp counselor, and mother of four campers of her own. Contact Amanda at [email protected].