How to Help your Camper (and yourself) Feel Confident about Teton Valley Ranch Camp

As the day draws near for your camper to head off to Teton Valley Ranch Camp for a whole month, it’s natural to feel a mix of excitement and anxiety. Both you and your camper might be nervous about the big change—your camper leaving home, and you learning to let go. But the good news is, with the right mindset and preparation, this experience can be an incredible opportunity for both of you to grow. At TVRC, campers will experience a combination of activities like craft shop, fly fishing, and target sports; along with exciting and challenging adventures in the great outdoors, such as horseback riding and backpacking in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Whether they’re crossing streams on horseback or navigating tough trails with a pack on their back, this mix of experiences offers a unique opportunity for your camper to build confidence, resilience, and lifelong memories. One of the most important things you can do to help your camper feel confident is to start with your own confidence. When parents are calm, positive, and trusting, their campers often follow suit. Here’s how you can nurture your camper’s self-confidence and prepare them (and yourself) for an unforgettable summer of adventure, challenge, and growth at TVRC.

Start with Your Confidence—Your Camper is Watching

It may seem like the anxiety is coming from your camper, but the truth is, kids are incredibly sensitive to their parents’ emotions. If you’re nervous, your camper will sense it, and they might feel more uncertain themselves. The best thing you can do for your camper’s confidence is to show them that you trust them, and that you believe they are capable of handling the challenges of being away from home and the physically demanding elements of horseback riding and backpacking at TVRC. Even if you’re struggling with your own worries, try to project calmness and positivity when you talk to your camper about their camp experience. Whether it’s riding through the trails of the Ranch on horseback, mastering the skills of backpacking, or bonding around the campfire, your camper will feel more comfortable embracing the adventure ahead when they see your confidence in their ability to handle it all.

Practical Tips to Help Your Camper Build Confidence

1. Talk About Camp in a Positive Light - Keep conversations about TVRC upbeat, but also be realistic. Highlight the exciting parts—making new friends, enjoying new activities, being surrounded by nature, and the thrill of the rodeo. At the same time, let your camper know that horseback riding, like backpacking, involves both fun and challenge. Riding a horse requires focus, balance, and communication with the horse. It can also be physically demanding, just like carrying a backpack or hiking through rugged terrain. Emphasize that while there will be moments of discomfort, these challenges are where growth happens. If you show that you’re excited for them to tackle these challenges, they’ll be more likely to feel confident in themselves.

2. Set Realistic Expectations - Camp, especially at TVRC, isn’t always going to be easy. Your camper will face moments of discomfort—whether it’s the strain of a long hike, the challenge of controlling a horse on a tough trail, or the mental fatigue of a day spent navigating difficult terrain. These challenges, though difficult, are a normal part of camp life. Help your camper understand that these tough moments are opportunities to build resilience and strength. Let them know it’s okay to feel frustrated or uncomfortable at times, but that they’ll get through it—and the sense of accomplishment they’ll feel afterward is worth it. Overcoming these challenges will build confidence in their abilities.

3. Role-Play Before Camp Starts - A great way to prepare your camper is to practice some common situations they might face at camp. For example, role-play how to ask for help when they’re struggling with homesickness, how to manage the discomfort of a long hike with a heavy pack, or how to work together with their cabin mates when things aren’t going as planned. Practicing these types of situations will give your camper the tools to feel more confident when these challenges arise in real life. It’s also a great way to remind them that they’re capable of handling challenges on their own.

4. Celebrate Their Strengths - Remind your camper of the skills and qualities they already have that will help them succeed at TVRC. Whether it’s their ability to stay calm in stressful situations, their love of animals, or their determination to push through tough moments, focusing on their strengths will help them feel confident when faced with challenges. Horseback riding requires focus, trust, and patience—skills your camper may already have in abundance. Backpacking requires resilience, teamwork, and leadership—qualities your camper has developed in many other areas of life. When they face challenges, remind them that these strengths will help them persevere.

5. Visualization Techniques - Help your camper visualize themselves succeeding at camp—navigating a tough trail on horseback, making it through a challenging hike, or setting up a shelter with their group after a long day on the trail. Positive visualization can work wonders in reducing anxiety and boosting confidence. Encourage them to picture how good they’ll feel when they summit that mountain or work together with their group to solve a problem. These small victories will build their confidence and sense of accomplishment.

For Parents: Building Your Own Confidence

It’s natural to feel anxious when your camper goes away for an extended period, especially if it is their first time. But remember: challenges that your camper will face are exactly what make TVRC so valuable. Whether they’re fly-fishing on crystal clear rivers, learning new horsemanship skills, or navigating a difficult trail, the challenges at TVRC are designed to help your camper develop important life skills like independence, resilience, and the ability to manage stress. Trust in the foundation you’ve built with your camper over the years. This experience is a chance for them to apply everything they’ve learned at home in the supportive- yet challenging- environment of camp. They may face moments of stress or discomfort, but those moments will help them grow in ways that can’t be replicated anywhere else. When you show your camper that you believe in their ability to handle the challenges of camp, they’ll believe in themselves too.

A Win-Win for You and Your Camper

The month-long camp experience at Teton Valley Ranch Camp, with our unique blend of western inspired camp activities, horseback riding adventures, and challenging backpacking excursions, is an opportunity for growth—for both of you. Your camper will gain valuable life skills like resilience, teamwork, and independence. They’ll make lifelong memories, discover new strengths, and develop a deeper sense of self-confidence. And you’ll gain the confidence that comes with knowing your camper is capable of navigating the world on their own. By embracing this experience with trust, optimism, and a willingness to face both the fun and the tough moments, you’re giving your camper—and yourself—the gift of self-confidence that will last long after camp ends.