General Characteristics
Campers of all ages want the following:
- To be loved
- To be accepted for who they are
- To have friends
- To confide in someone, no matter how foolish their thoughts may seem
- To be treated like a VIP
- To have a fantastic time at Ironwood
Campers of all ages need the following:
- The security of consistent, loving authority
- To hear the “Good News” of God’s salvation, presented in a manner which they can understand
- To see how they fit into God’s eternal plan, beginning today
Specific Characteristics:
Young Day Campers (Grades 1–3)
Physically
- Enjoy movement games
- Possess hearty appetites, sometimes larger than their stomachs
- Tire easily
- Would rather do than watch
- Enjoy building projects
Mentally
- Have an attention span of approximately 20 minutes
- Enjoy pretending and using their imagination
- Ask many questions; want answers
- Can follow clear, simple rules and instructions
- Have a good memory and enjoy memorizing Scripture
- Are literal-minded
- Enjoy counting and writing
- Sometimes have a hard time distinguishing between fact and fantasy
Socially
- Are learning to share
- Enjoy the opposite sex
- Want to be “grown-up”
- Respect solid authority
- Enjoy group games
- Are developing leadership
Emotionally
- Are easily excited
- Are sometimes reclusive due to shyness
- Are basically impatient
- Have many fears
- Are willing to trust older folks they respect
Spiritually
- Are curious about God, death, and Heaven
- Have faith in prayer
- Enjoy Sunday School
- May be ready to accept Christ as Savior
- Understand the meaning of Christ as a personal friend
Specific Characteristics: Grades 4–6
Physically
- Grow slowly, but generally active, strong, and healthy
- Love the outdoors
- Need 10 hours of sleep
- May reach puberty (girls)
- Enjoy the challenge of difficult and competitive activities
Mentally
- Are in the “golden age of memorization”
- Enjoy reading, writing, and collecting
- Are very curious; want to know “Why?”
- Enjoy true-to-life stories
- Have the ability to reason
Socially
- Are indifferent or antagonistic to the opposite sex
- Are hero-worshippers
- Enjoy being part of the “gang”
- Are becoming more independent
- Have healthy respect for and loyalty toward consistent authority
- Demand fairness and justice
- Enjoy teamwork
Emotionally
- Enjoy slapstick humor
- Dislike outward displays of affection
- Are developing controls on their emotions
- Are developing a personal system of values
Spiritually
- Are able to recognize sin as sin
- Are genuine in their decision to trust Christ as Savior
- Are willing to apply biblical standards of conduct to their lives
- Dislike emotional displays and appeals
- Are concerned for the lost
- Can begin daily quiet time
- Many capable of lifelong decisions to put God first and to serve Him
Specific Characteristics: Grades 7–8
Physically
- Are experiencing rapid, uneven growth about which they are embarrassed
- Are extremely sensitive about their appearance
- Experience low endurance
- Are going through puberty; girls develop sooner than boys
Mentally
- Are able to memorize well
- Enjoy adventure and activity
- Have a tendency to daydream
- Tend to make snap judgments
- May have a know-it-all attitude
- Highly critical of inconsistency, hypocrisy
- Are interested in the here and now
Socially
- Cautiously attracted to the opposite sex
- Belong to a gang or clique
- Want to act like adults, at times
- Have crushes on older members of the opposite sex
- Desire approval of the group
- Need recognition, love, and patience
- May become a show off at times
- Desire to be independent of adults
Emotionally
- Are unstable; mountaintops to dark valley in a short time span
- Often feel misunderstood; will confide in someone they trust
- Are extremely self-conscious
- Want to be treated like adults
Spiritually
- May question many childhood beliefs
- Want to do something for the Lord
- Can establish habits of Bible study and personal devotions
- Can become effective witnesses for Christ
- Make life-changing decisions for the Lord
- Want to learn more about the Bible and apply it to their lives
- Show root problems with outward misbehavior (bad attitude)
Specific Characteristics: Grades 9–12
Physically
- Are reaching maturity
- Love to eat
- Are establishing physical habits
- Need instruction concerning their body being the temple of God
- May be experimenting with smoking, drinking, and/or drugs
- Have different levels of metabolic rate; boys need more physical activity than girls
- Enjoy recreational sports
- Desire challenge in activities to measure themselves, especially boys
Mentally
- Tend to be idealistic
- Remember ideas more than words
- Are interested in the process of success
- Are able to see other points of view
- Are beginning to do abstract thinking
Socially
- Desire popularity and social approval
- Want to be with the opposite sex
- Care about their personal appearance
- Tend to rebel against authority
- Enjoy being in a crowd
- Are interested in fads, will copy what appears to be grown up
- Enjoy writing letters, especially girls
- Are interested in dating and love affairs
Emotionally
- Often hide their true feelings under a false front
- Are seeking a thrill
- Are often emotionally intense and fluctuating
- Are greatly influenced by their peer group
- Face “insurmountable” problems
Spiritually
- Often consider their religion to be personal
- Desire the best that God has for them
- Begin to understand concepts like victorious Christian living, counting the cost, God’s will for their lives
- Often feel that the Bible is hard to understand
- Are capable of genuine, full-time surrender decisions
