The worst arts & crafts session ever
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It’s all about kids today
A few years ago, I was asked to run an arts and crafts block.
It went… poorly.
What was supposed to be kids making friendship bracelets and doing shrinky dinks turned into me having campers carry heavy stuff around camp because I wanted stuff set up in different places.
The truth is I completely suck at arts and crafts. I didn’t want to do it. And I wasn’t motivated to do it.
Because I was the boss, I was able to make the executive decision to do something different, but the effects were essentially the same.
The result? A lot of disappointed kids who signed up for A&C and got camp-manual (albeit fun) labor instead.
Looking back, I can see exactly what went wrong.
This kind of thing happens all the time at camp. We assign staff to activities they don’t connect with. We create policies that sometimes feel arbitrary. We wonder why some counselors are naturally amazing with kids while others seem to be just… there.
There’s actual science that explains exactly why my arts and crafts block went sideways. And even more importantly, how to prevent it from happening with our camp staff this summer.
It’s Self-Determination Theory, and it covers a ton of this (giving a brat like me a chance to make excuses about things I don’t want to do).
The Guy Who Figured Out Motivation
I recently had Dr. Richard Ryan on my podcast. Richard co-developed Self-Determination Theory, and he’s basically the world’s leading researcher on what actually motivates people.
On a high level, it’s fairly simple:
Not all motivation is created equal.
We tend to think motivation is like a gas tank. You either have a little or a lot. But Richard’s research shows there are completely different types of motivation, and some work way better than others.
The motivation that comes from external rewards and punishments? It might get some tidy rule-following in the short term, but it doesn’t stick. And it definitely doesn’t create the kind of engaged, passionate staff we want working with kids.
For our purposes, this looks like:
If you are late, you get written up
Or
If you get all your camper letters in on time, you get entered in a raffle.
I’m not saying to never use these techniques, I use them, I’m saying they are one of many motivation techniques and quickly turn into needing reward-flation.
But when we motivate people through rewards and punishments, we’re basically training them to ask “What’s in it for me?” instead of “How can I best serve these kids?”
And that’s exactly what happened with my arts and crafts disaster. I was there because I needed to be there, not because I wanted to be there. The kids could feel it, and the whole thing fell kind of stunk.
Richard’s research explains why this happens, and maybe more importantly, what actually works instead.
Quick break while we’re talking about tech at camp
I’m pumped to be using CampMinder this summer.
→ The Campanion app photo updating is especially important while I’m trying to learn a whole new camp’s worth of faces for the summer.
→ Automated emails and texts keep everyone in the loop
→ Onboarding was super easy, and registration is a snap
→ Plus, their team is all former campers, staff, and industry pros (founder Dan K even played a sick set at Tri-State this year).
All wins.
Check out CampMinder and tell them Jack sent you over
Three Things Every Human Needs
Here’s some easy math: Every person has three basic psychological needs to be truly motivated:
Autonomy → It’s not about being independent or doing whatever you want. It’s about having choice and ownership over what you’re doing. Think, “I choose to do this,” instead of “I have to do this.”
Competence → Feeling effective and like you’re growing. Not being perfect, but seeing that you can have an impact on the world around you.
Relatedness → Connection and belonging. Noticing you matter to the people around you and that they have your back.
When these three needs are met, people are naturally motivated. When they’re not met, even the best people struggle.
Let me go back to my arts and crafts fail for a second:
❌ Autonomy: I had to do A&C, didn’t choose it
❌ Competence: I can’t draw, cut out or glue anything right
❌ Relatedness: Everything from the plan to the execution was disconnected
No wonder it sucked.
On the flip side, for the most part, camp is set up to handle these three things amazingly. Autonomy, competence, and relatedness are baked into nearly everything happening at camp.
And when these three needs are firing on all cylinders, you get staff who don’t need to be managed. They manage themselves.
From “I Have To” to “This Matters”
Beyond those three things, Richard’s research shows there’s actually a spectrum of motivation, from the weakest to the strongest:
External motivation: “I do this for rewards or to avoid punishment.”
Introjection: “I do this to avoid feeling guilty or to feel good about myself.”
Identification: “I do this because it matters and aligns with my values.”
Intrinsic motivation: “I do this because I love i.t”
We would love for camp staff to say things like:
“I’m not doing this job just for fun, but because being a mentor to kids really matters to me.”
(Btw from them it might sound more like this: “Okay yeah, this job absolutely slaps and the vibes are immaculate, but fr fr these kids are my Roman Empire and I’m lowkey their biggest stan. That hits different, no cap.” Hey @Justin Pritikin how did I do?)
This is the difference between a counselor who’s going through the motions and one who’s truly invested.
So, how do we move staff up this continuum?
Start with identity, not rules. Instead of diving into policy manuals, ask staff: “Do you want to be a mentor this summer?” Basically, everyone says yes. Bam, now you’ve got alignment instead of compliance.
Let people do what they’re good at. I get this isn’t realistic 100% of the time, but getting it as aligned as possible pays off huge.
Focus on relationships over regulations. Kids are more motivated when they believe their teacher likes them, not whether they like their teacher. At camp, this translates to: Does your camper think you care about them?
Create structure, not control. There’s a huge difference between “Here are the rules you must follow” and “Here’s why we do things this way at camp.”
Starting this way gets way, way closer to self-determination on the part of the staff. And the effects later are pretty massive.
The Bottom Line
The shift from rule-follower to mentor isn’t always super seamless. But, it’s the difference between staff who need constant supervision and staff who are internally motivated to do great work.
And honestly? It’s way easier to manage people who are already motivated than it is to try to motivate people who don’t want to be there or aren’t loving what they’re doing.
Richard Ryan spent 50 years researching what we’ve always known intuitively: when people feel autonomous, competent, and connected, they do their best work.
The tricky part is that this is the antithesis of how school works, and it requires so much real connection that it is hard to measure.
We have to trust the science and work at connecting with staff and helping staff connect the dots instead of just checking the boxes HR says we have to.
It feels risky, but the reality is that external motivation ends up being the least sticky and hardest to maintain.
And look, I think we can agree we want to avoid kids signing up for Arts & Crafts only to lug Carpetball tables and benches all over camp.
You got this,
Jack
PS - Want to dive deeper into Self-Determination Theory? Listen to my full conversation with Dr. Richard Ryan on the Cabin Chats podcast.
We cover everything from why schools struggle with motivation to how AI might change the game. It's a good one.
Another PS -
Check out a couple of email series about all things camp:
And if you’re gearing up for staff training, we have:
The Summer Camp Society Staff Training Recipe Book
A full week already planned * 99 pages * 23 sessions with all activities * Too much to list here.
Get my newsletter every week.
It’s all about kids today
Jack Schott
Summer Camp Evangelist