Let’s start with a new, purposeful presentation of an “Awe-Sum” game, spelled that way because it gives us a clue as to how to play. We can teach this game to staff during their training. The character qualities it teaches are great for them, and then they can use the game to teach those qualities to campers.

1. Ask everyone to say, “Please stand up and find a partner.” (We always say “please.” This models the quality of respect.)
2. Each person holds a hand behind their back.
3. On “Ready, set, go!” each person puts their hand out in front of them, displaying one to five fingers (no zero).
4. The first person to add up and shout the total number of fingers wins that round. (Example: If Person A holds up two fingers and Person B holds up one finger, the first person to shout “three” wins.)
5. Have the partners high-five each other at the end of each round. Explain that this is a terrific way to celebrate competition. It demonstrates the qualities of respect and positivity. We thank our partners for playing with us, understanding that sometimes we’ll win and other times we’ll lose. It provides practice being gracious when winning or losing.

Give them about two minutes for the first round. For round two, announce that they are going to do something much harder — much more challenging. Elongating the word, say, “Now we’re going to do . . . subtraction!”

Many will make a face or groan. Explain that what we say to ourselves affects how well we do things. (Say this as an observation; we’re not criticizing them.) Making positive statements — to ourselves and to others — plays a key role in success, because attitude affects outcomes.

Ask, “What do positive and confident people say when they have to do something hard or different?” You can give some examples (“I’ve got this!” and “I can do hard things!”), and ask for other examples from the group.

Now tell them to pretend they don’t know what’s going to happen — you’ll announce the second round again, and they can shout out one or more of the positive responses. “Now we’re going to do . . . subtraction!” Praise them for their spirited responses and positivity.

Give them a minute to do this second round. You can repeat this process with multiplication.

(Note: For the youngest campers, you can limit the numbers shown on fingers to one or two to make it easier to add them up.)

“And now,” you say, “a final challenge that’s the hardest of all!” Invite the positive cheers, and then say, “The best part of this game is that it can be played with more than two people. So I want you to form a group of four (or six, if necessary).” Return to addition. They must add up all of the numbers. Remind them to continue the high-fives.

For more details on the Awe-Sum activity, please see Training Terrific Staff Volume Two, Brandwein, Chapter 13, pp.112-120.

This activity was developed using a three-step process I call “Qualities, Behaviors, Plan” (QBP). You can use this simple, practical process every day to build character development into your programming.

How to Embed Building Character Qualities into Everything We Do at Camp

To build character development at camp, we don’t have to start from scratch. QBP can be used to create new ideas for our programs. But we can also use it as a way of thinking about what we already do and make character building even more intentional.

We do this by asking what I call the “Intention Question (IQ).” The IQ is, “How can we use this activity or moment to build one or more of the Qualities that we want to build in our campers)?” (The Intentional Camp: Putting More Muscle in the Mission of Character & Youth Development, Brandwein, Chapters 6 and 7.)

This is the three-step QDP process:

• Qualities (Q): Decide which qualities you want to build, such as confidence, kindness, respect, responsibility, creativity, cooperation, and more.
• Behaviors (B): Identify which specific, observable actions you want campers to do or say that demonstrate these qualities. For example, when building the quality of confidence, one behavior is the camper trying something new or more difficult than they have done before.
• Plan (P): Ask, “What can we do at this moment, or what can we add to this activity, to give campers an opportunity to practice the behaviors?”

Putting the QBP into Practice

The following examples demonstrate how to incorporate the QBP process into your already existing camp programming. While the examples are specific to the type of setting, they all follow the same steps:

1. Determine which qualities you’d like to focus on.
2. Figure out which behaviors will exemplify those qualities.
3. Create a plan that will help campers practice those behaviors.

Instructional Activities for Individual Learning

• Q: Positivity, confidence
• B: “I can do it” demonstrates positivity; “I’m doing things that are harder than things I’ve done before” demonstrates confidence.
• P: Ask staff to explain “self-talk” and how it affects what we do. Then, as a camper steps up to do an activity, staff ask, “What will you say to yourself to help you do this?” Staff can coach campers to help them pick an example.

Any Individual or Group Activities

• Q: Confidence, responsibility, independence
• B: Self-assessment (“How is this working out?”) and reflection (“What can I try to make it better?”)
• P: Before staff provide feedback, they can get campers to self-assess independently by asking campers questions such as, “How did that feel?” and “What could you do differently next time?”

Large Group Gatherings

Large-group gatherings at camp might include meals, assemblies, campfires, special events, and more.

• Q: Confidence, responsibility
• B: Large-group leadership skills including projecting voice, positive self-talk, handling fear through rehearsal
• P: We get as many people up in front of a large group as possible. We have campers make many of the announcements, side-by-side with staff or on their own. Staff do fast practice sessions with campers before a gathering. We provide progressive opportunities for growth, matched to their present performance level and confidence. For example, with beginners, have them stand up with staff without having to say anything. As they develop confidence, another time they appear up front to hand a copy of the announcement or a prop to a staff person without having to say anything.

Snack or Treat Time

• Q: Responsibility, organization
• B: Supporting others by getting them what they need (responsibility); identifying which steps they need to take to complete a task (organization)
• P: Involve campers in the process of identifying the steps needed to hand out things to everyone. Maximize the use of campers, individually, with peer partners, or with a staff person, in doing the preparation and actual distribution.
  • Bonus: Consider which other jobs at camp you can involve campers in. (Please see “Operation G.R.O.,” Training Terrific Staff, Volume Two, Brandwein, Chapter 19)

Activities That Involve Setup, Materials, or Equipment

• Q: Responsibility, kindness
• B: Delivering materials to others, following directions
• P: “Step Up to Set Up” — Despite our desire to have everything laid out in front of campers when they arrive, we can instead have staff put out some of the materials but have campers put out the rest of the supplies under staff direction. Example: Two campers work together to pass out a glue stick to each camper. Campers thank their peers for helping them get what they need. (Please see The Intentional Camp, Brandwein, Chapter 43, pp. 183-185)

Lunch

• Q: Respect, kindness, confidence
• B: Trying something new, volunteering, leading discussion
• P: Have a “Question of the Meal” where someone at each table selects from a collection of questions to foster brief discussion. Use an “I Tried It!” board where a camper puts their name on the board whenever they try a new food or beverage.

Anywhere Groups Can Take Turns Being Responsible for a Task

This includes instances such as raising the camp flag, setting up for a meal, etc.

• Q: Responsibility, kindness, teamwork, organization, confidence
• B: Showing someone else how to do something; making decisions as a group (what steps need to be taken; who will complete which tasks)
• P: Teach one camper group to do a task and, after discussing how they will divide and teach what needs to be done, have them teach a second group so they can do it next time. (Please see The Intentional Camp, Brandwein, Chapter 40, pp. 174-178)

Cleanup

Cleanup can include after meals, cabins, activity areas, etc.

• Q: Respect, responsibility, teamwork
• B: Cleaning up after themselves and others
• P: Conduct a “Space Check” (the leader shouts “Space!” and campers respond with “Check!”) where campers observe their personal space and the area immediately around them. Leaders ask campers if they think everything is cleaned up, and if not, campers complete the job. If campers don’t observe something that needs to be picked up, leaders can gently point out an item and ask the closest person to take care of it.

Places Where Campers Receive a Service

Examples of these places include transportation and meals.

• Q: Respect, kindness, gratitude, empathy
• B: Thanking those who have transported them somewhere or given them food — including thanking the person by name
• P: Regularly practice having each camper, upon receipt, say “thank you” or express appreciation with a warm tone and a smile. Example: When campers pick up food for themselves or for their group, they say, “Thank you!” or “Thanks for making us lunch!” adding the server’s name. (Note: Nametags facilitate the important practice of using people’s names at camp.)

Conclusion

By focusing on the QBP method — determining qualities we want to build, identifying behaviors that demonstrate those qualities, and creating a plan to provide campers practice with those specific behaviors — we can build character development into the camp activities we’re already doing and create new ways to use programming to accomplish the mission of youth development.

© 2026 Michael Brandwein / All Rights Reserved

Want to learn even more? Check out this episode of the CampWire podcast, in which Michael Brandwein answers questions submitted by camp professionals after his webinar.

Photo courtesy of Camp John Marc in Meridian, Texas