Summer Camps Boost Altruism in Children, Study Finds

Author: University of Geneva (UNIGE)
Published: 8 Nov 2022 - Updated: 4 Aug 2026
Publication Details: Peer-Reviewed | Informative

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Overview - FAQs - Insights, Updates - Related Content

Synopsis

This research, a peer-reviewed study conducted by the University of Geneva and published in PLOS ONE, found that overnight summer camps produce measurable increases in children's altruism and socio-emotional development. Researchers tracked 256 children aged 6 to 16, comparing 145 camp attendees against a control group of 111 non-attendees using a standardized questionnaire completed at the start and end of the summer. Camp participants showed clear gains in their willingness to help others, both strangers and friends, while the children who stayed home showed declining altruism levels. The findings matter to parents, educators, and camp organizers because they offer evidence that even short stays of 10 to 15 days can strengthen prosocial skills, and the work carries added relevance for families of children with disabilities and those weighing structured programs where a child can practice recognizing and responding to the needs of others.*

At a Glance

• 1 - Self-esteem levels stayed stable in both the camp and control groups.
• 2 - Children who did not attend camp showed a measurable decrease in altruism over the summer.
• 3 - Attending with friends or having enjoyed a past camp experience further encouraged altruistic development.
• 4 - Researchers plan to study how long the benefits last and whether longer stays produce greater gains in these skills.

Topic Definition

Altruism

Altruism is the principle and moral practice of concern for the welfare and happiness of other people or animals, expressed through actions that improve their material and spiritual quality of life. In psychological terms it describes a motivational state aimed at increasing another individual's well-being, and it stands in direct contrast to psychological egoism, which is the drive to increase one's own welfare. In childhood, altruism forms part of a broader set of socio-emotional abilities that allow a person to recognize the emotions and needs of others, respond helpfully, and build quality relationships, and these capacities can be developed through everyday contexts such as school, family life, and leisure activities.

Overview

Be able to control oneself, cooperate, or help others: having socio-emotional abilities is essential for those who wish to interact positively with their peers. These skills are largely acquired during childhood and can be trained in different contexts, such as school, family, or leisure. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has shown that holiday camps favor their development. They found an increase in altruism among children returning from camps, unlike those who did not participate in this type of stay during their holidays. These results can be found in the journal PLOS ONE.

Knowing how to recognize and manage our own emotions and those of others and adapting our behavior accordingly: socio-emotional abilities play a key role in our daily lives. They enable us to make decisions that benefit our own well-being and that of our peers and establish quality relationships with them. Fostering their development in children from an early age is therefore essential.

These skills can be acquired and trained directly or indirectly. They can also be learned in various contexts, such as school, family, or leisure. By stimulating prosocial acts such as altruistic behavior, they are a prime target for preventing antisocial behavior, i.e., aggressive behavior towards others and society. A team from the UNIGE has studied the development of these abilities in a specific context: holiday camps.

"These overnight camps are spaces of socialization and experimentation outside the family, which take place over a more or less long period and integrate all daily life. They involve permanent interactions with adults and other children, rich in informal learning. We wanted to show that such a context is favorable to the development of socio-emotional skills", explains Edouard Gentaz, full professor at the UNIGE's Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and the Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences.

Altruism Peak

More specifically, the UNIGE team wanted to determine how much participation in these camps could increase children's altruism and self-esteem. The researchers also wanted to identify whether specific elements - such as going with friends - could make participation more or less beneficial. To find out, they used a sample of 256 children aged 6 to 16 - both camp and non-camp participants - who were asked to complete a standardized questionnaire.

"Among the questions asked were, for example, 'to what extent would you help a stranger find his way?' or 'to what extent would you help a friend with his homework?'. The possible answers ranged from 'never' to 'very often on a five-point scale", explains Yves Gerber, Research and Teaching Assistant and Ph.D. Student at the Section of Educational Sciences of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the UNIGE and first author of the study.

The children had to answer these questions on two occasions: at the beginning and end of the camp period.

"The answers of the 145 children who took part in the camps were compared with those of the 111 children in the 'control' group who did not participate in this type of activity. These revealed an increase in the level of altruism in the former and a decrease in the latter", says Jennifer Malsert, Senior Lecturer and Senior Research Associate at the Psychology Section of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the UNIGE, Lecturer in the Teaching and Research Unit Special Education at the University of Teacher Education, State of Vaud, and co-author of the study.

Stable Self-esteem

These answers also show that having had a positive camp experience in the past, or participating in this type of activity with friends, favors the development of altruism in this context.

"As for the level of self-esteem, we observe that it remained stable in both groups of children. It is possible that this element is more stable than altruism and that its modulations are less apparent. The response scale we used may not be specific enough to assess this," explains Yves Gerber.

The results of this exploratory study demonstrate the usefulness of summer camps as a tool for developing socio-emotional abilities. They indicate that the context of these camps, even over stays of 10 to 15 days, influences these skills by increasing altruistic intentions.

"The next step will be to study the duration of the benefits obtained. It will also be a question of evaluating whether there is a correlation between the duration of the stay and the level of these benefits," concludes Edouard Gentaz.

Frequently Asked Questions

NOTE: Researched FAQs by Disabled World (DW)

What age range did the summer camp altruism study cover

The study included children between the ages of 6 and 16, drawn from both camp participants and non-participants.

How long were the camp stays examined in the research

The researchers looked at overnight stays lasting roughly 10 to 15 days, which was long enough to show measurable changes in altruistic behavior.

Does attending summer camp with friends make a difference

Yes, going to camp with friends and having enjoyed a positive camp experience in the past both encouraged stronger development of altruism.

What is the difference between altruism and self-esteem in this context

Altruism is the willingness to help others, while self-esteem is a person's sense of their own worth, and the study found camps raised altruism but left self-esteem unchanged.

Can socio-emotional skills be taught outside of school

Yes, these skills can be trained directly or indirectly across many settings, including family life, leisure activities, and structured programs like overnight camps.

Why are prosocial behaviors important for children

Prosocial behaviors such as helping and cooperation are linked to healthier relationships and are considered a key target for preventing aggressive or antisocial conduct.

Are summer camps beneficial for children with disabilities

Structured camp settings can support social development for many children, though families should weigh accessibility and affordability when choosing a program.

Altruism and Brain Wiring: Treating Empathically Challenged: Peer-reviewed neuroscience research reveals that people with heightened activity in brain regions associated with empathy and emotion are the most generous and altruistic.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: The value of this work lies less in a single dramatic result than in reframing what a summer away from home can accomplish, positioning camps as developmental settings rather than simple recreation. Because socio-emotional skills such as cooperation and self-control are largely shaped in childhood and can be trained across school, family, and leisure, the study points to leisure environments as an underused avenue for preventing antisocial behavior and reinforcing helping behaviors. Led by first author Yves Gerber alongside professor Edouard Gentaz at the University of Geneva's Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, the exploratory design leaves open questions the team openly acknowledges, including whether the response scale was sensitive enough to detect shifts in self-esteem and how camp duration relates to the size of the benefit, both of which give parents, educators, and program designers a concrete reason to watch for the follow-up research.*

Attribution/Source(s): This peer reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by University of Geneva (UNIGE) and published on 8 Nov 2022, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.

* Editorial additions by Ian C. Langtree.