Building your
child’s readiness
for summer camp
It may look like the North Pole outside your living room window, but look again! Summer’s just a blink away, and that means it’s already time to think about summer camp.
It’s amazing what kids can pick up in those few short, but powerful weeks of sleep-away camp. With opportunities for swimming, sailing, canoeing or waterskiing, campers learn the skills to manage themselves safely in the water. Hiking and camping give them a chance to experience the natural environment in ways that aren’t available to them the rest of the year.
If they’re ready for it, being away from Mom and Dad allows kids to leap forward emotionally, too, as they make new friends, learn to trust and respond to their counselors, and manage their day-to-day responsibilities with relative independence.
But when kids go away before they’re ready, the experience can be too emotionally challenging for them, and do more harm than good.
Determining whether your child is ready is partly intuition and partly a matter of taking some practical steps.
§ Pay attention to your gut. If your child has trouble separating from you and you sense that a long separation at a new place would be overwhelming, then it’s probably not time to head off to camp without you for several weeks.
§ Start with day camp. That way your child can learn what camp is all about before taking the step of going away from home.
§ Before attempting overnight camp, your child should be able to go on and enjoy sleepovers with friends. A great next step is a “practice trip,” such as a two- to three-day trip to visit an out-of-town friend or relative.
§ Choose a camp that provides the supports your child needs – for making friends, for managing the daily routine and for any special needs your child has.
§ Let your child get a feel for the camp before going. Visiting the camp’s website, talking to other campers and meeting the director are all ways to help your child feel more familiar with this exciting new place he or she is going.
§ Follow your child’s pace. Kids are ready when they show sustained interest in camp, and feel positive and excited about going.
--Fran Hendrick, M.Ed., P.C.C., is Director of Parenting Resources at Beech Acres Parenting Center, as well as a parent coach, therapist and mother of two, ages 25 and 27.