The Power of Skits!

By Riley McInerny, Ministry Intern

Skit! Skit! Skit!

I’ve been asked many times what my favorite camp activity is.  I always respond with ASSEMBLY. Assembly is that time during the day where everybody comes together to sing and dance and then watch a skit. My personal favorite part of assembly is the skit itself.

Camp Sonshine skits always have some sort of comedic bit to them which makes them very enjoyable. But these skits also always teach a lesson to the campers, whether it be about the camp rules, a life lesson, or a bible story. Everybody loves skits. Whether you are watching the skit or acting in it, it is sure to bring you joy. 

One of my favorite skits that I ever did was a skit similar to the story in the movie Frozen. The goal of the skit was to teach a lesson about not talking while others are talking. What made this skit so enjoyable was the fact that we sang every word rather than talked. One of the actors was playing both Sven and Prince Hans, so he would change characters all the time which was hilarious. The other counselors and I were actors who were preparing for their production of Frozen at their theater. As the skit went on, all the actors kept singing over each other and stealing the spotlight from others so nothing was getting done in preparation for the big show. They finally all agreed that to get anything accomplished they must listen to everyone and not talk, or sing, over others. 

Skits Teach a Lesson

Skits are always thought up with the idea that they teach the campers some sort of lesson. I have watched skits with lessons like why kindness is important or like re-enacting the story of Jonah and that Whale.  

The biggest thing is that the skits are captivating to the campers so that they are able to take something away from the story being told on stage.  

At the end of each skit, we do a debrief with the campers about what happened in the skit. Someone on Staff will ask the campers what they just saw and ask them to tell us the story. Sometimes they will only pick out the funniest part and say something like, “That one guy was Spiderman!”

But when you ask them further questions they are able to tell you more about the skit or why what happened on the stage happened. It is evident that skits are effective in teaching these campers lessons in a way that is exciting and fun, and are sure to keep them engaged in the lesson they are trying to teach. 

Pure Imagination

As you can see, skits are very fun and everybody loves to watch a good skit. However, there are more benefits that come with watching a skit than just learning a lesson. Skits help campers and counselors both unlock their imagination and see it come to life with a skit. Many kids today are not used to using their imagination because of screens. According to the American Psychology Association, today in the US children 8-12 years old use screens for an average of 4 hours and 44 minutes a day, and that is only for entertainment purposes, not school. 

Kids have less opportunities to make things up or imagine, because the games or shows are already imagined for them. However, at camp we value active imagination and using it all throughout the day. This can be pretending you’re pirates when you’re on the playground or that you are olympic athletes at your sports rotation. 

Skits play a vital role in showing campers the joy of imagination and creativity. They show them that when you create a character and story, so much more unfolds on the stage with the use of imagination. Counselors will step onto stage wearing a taco hat, camo pants, and a robe and say they are a game show host, and because of how much they play into that character and just the sheer power of their imagination, the skit comes to life on that stage. 

Skits also help counselors develop their imagination. If you didn’t know, we improvise during all of our skits! We are given the premise of the skit by whoever planned it, but once we hit the stage, we are just improvising it all! This allows counselors to exercise their imagination and truly let it take flight. They are given almost full control of their character and what they say and do aside from the basic storyline. This truly helps unleash the creativity and pure imagination of our counselors. 

Getting out of Your Comfort Zone

Skits are super beneficial to counselors. The fact that they have to improvise with their character and come up with their own lines or funny sayings can be very uncomfortable for many. However, over time, because these counselors are pushed out of their comfort zone, they are able to grow in their confidence and abilities to perform, and be on a stage in front of others. It grows out capacity to try and succeed at new things! 

Being on a stage too is another daunting task that comes with being in a skit. This might be very scary for them, but in the long run, their confidence and self esteem will grow because of how much being in skits can push you to grow in confidence. 

One of our core values at camp is BECOME – the idea of teachability & growth. We try to weave this value into everything we do throughout the day. One place that I really see the aspect of become come into play is through skits. From the start of the summer to the end, it is evident that many counselors have BECOME more of who God created them to be by growing in their social skills and confidence through being on stage and in front of others. I can recall many times where I have asked someone to be in a skit towards the beginning of the summer, and they were so nervous to go on stage, but towards the end of the summer, they loved to be in skits and would have a smile on their face any time they were asked to act in one. 

I can even say for me personally, skits have helped me become a more confident person. I vividly remember the first time I was in a skit and I didn’t even want to be in it. However, I did it, even though I was scared the whole time. Each time I was in a skit after that, I felt more confident and now I truly love skits. This last summer I even got to plan many of our skits, which pushed me even further out of my comfort zone! But, it truly helped me grow and unleash my imagination! 

So the next time your camper comes home from camp, and tells you all about a silly skit they saw, you can ask them what they learned from that skit. Or if you know a counselor, ask them about how skits have helped them grow in their imagination or confidence.  Just know that skits are a vital part of the camp experience and a favorite part of camp for many!