Big Breakthroughs and Small Wins: What Growth Looks Like at Camp

Ilyssa Thomas
6 days ago
3 min read

Sometimes it’s a new food.

Sometimes it’s a calmer drop-off.

Sometimes it’s deep water.

Sometimes it’s the top of the rock wall.

Sometimes it’s “I’ll try” instead of “I can’t.”

At JCC Abrams Camps, these are the moments we notice most. Not because they make the best highlight reel, but because they are real. They are the tiny turning points that add up to a different kind of summer.

This post is a love letter to those wins. The ones that might look small from the outside, but feel huge to your child.

What counts as a breakthrough?

A breakthrough is not always a big, dramatic “aha.”

More often, it looks like:

Trying something once, even if they were sure they wouldn’t
Coming back the next day a little more confident
Letting a counselor help instead of shutting down
Joining in for two minutes, then five, then ten
Realizing they can do hard things, and they are still okay

They’re the moments that make parents do the quiet “is this my child?” double-take.

5 breakthroughs we see every summer. (Really!)

1) The “new food” win

It might be one bite. It might be a whole plate. Either way, it counts.

We’ve seen kids go from “I only eat beige foods” to “wait, are these… strawberries?” in the span of a week. Not always, but when it happens? Iconic.

Why camp helps: Kids see other kids trying things too, and suddenly it feels normal to be curious instead of cautious. We've never met a "Picky Petunia" we didn't love! Just ask Deb.

2) The calmer drop-off

Drop-off can be a lot. New place, new people, big feelings.

A breakthrough might look like:

walking in without freezing
taking a counselor’s hand
running happily onto the bus (that's a big win for our preschoolers getting ready for kindergarten)
a quick hug instead of the full “cling like a koala” move
turning around and joining the group

Why camp helps: The routine stays steady. Familiar faces show up every morning. Kids learn what to expect, and that predictability builds trust.

3) The deep water milestone

For some kids, water confidence is the breakthrough of the summer.

It’s not just about swimming. It’s about:

building comfort step by step
practicing in a supportive environment
celebrating progress without pressure

Also, there is nothing like the pride of earning a new swim band. Kids will tell everyone. Twice. (As the author of this post, I'm not saying I still have mine from 1994, but I'm not saying I don't, either.)

Why camp helps: Encouragement is constant, and practice happens naturally over time.

4) The “I’m going up there” moment

Rock wall. Giant swing. Anything that feels a little too high.

A breakthrough might be:

putting on the harness without panic
climbing halfway up
trying again later in the week
going all the way up and realizing “wait… I did that.”

Why camp helps: Kids get multiple chances to try. It’s not one and done. They can come back when they’re ready, and that’s where real confidence happens.