I am spending this summer working at a day camp. Long story short, the kids I work with have a whole plethora of issues. One such issue is that they either have cancer or they are a sibling of a child with cancer. These kids experience so many hardships on a day-to-day basis.

The kids I work with are facing problems at home and in their daily lives. They need special attention. I have learned several things while working at my day camp:

1. Kids need an outlet

If they need to run, make it a game. Instead of chasing after them, wait for them to get out their energy. Make them want to return to the activity instead of turning their outburst into a game of cat and mouse with their counselor.

2. Kids need a break

Yes, they are at camp to have fun and play—but they do need down time. Our camp gives kids the opportunity to choose either high-energy or low-energy activities. If they’re tired they can do arts and crafts or scrapbooking, and if they need to burn some energy, they can play soccer or do gymnastics.

3. Kids need a friend

They need friends their own age, but they also need their counselors to act as a friend sometimes. It makes it fun to be friends with the “cool older person." Counselors can be friends, too.

4. Kids mean well

We get frustrated and we get tired, but we need to remember when a kid isn’t listening there could be a deeper issue. Ask them to talk to you. Tell them to breathe and think about how to use their words.

As a camp counselor, you learn a lot about kids every day. It is important to validate and understand where they are coming from. Making sure kids know that you understand how they feel is very important; it helps you to bond with them. Lastly, take a deep breath. It helps.