5 Tips to Prepare Your Child For Summer Camp
Camp is an opportunity for children to make friends, try new activities, and stretch their independence.
At the same time, attending a new camp can cause some anxiety for children, especially for first timers. Here are some tips to help your child get ready and confident for summer camp and set up your happy camper for success.
Do your research.
There are a wide range of summer camp options out there. Select camps based on your child’s interests. Opt for ones with counselors who have a background in education. Before choosing a camp, check references and talk to other parents who have sent their children there. For some children, attending the same one or two camps over summer helps keep their routine consistent.
2. Set expectations.
Each camp will have different staff, routines, and rules. Preparation is key:
Normalize the camp experience by reading books about it.
Write on a white board calendar which days your child will attend camp. If your child is pre-reading, draw a picture of a soccer ball if they are attending a soccer camp. On Sunday nights, go over the week together.
Familiarize your child with the camp environment. View the camp website and photos of staff with your child. Learn about and describe what types of activities they will be doing so they can formulate expectations.
Make time in the conversation to discuss how your child is feeling about it. Allow space for them to ask any questions and answer with concrete details. Acknowledge that two feelings can be true at the same time - excitement and uncertainty. Then, reassure your child by saying “You’ve got this and I believe in you!”
3. Do a dry run.
For some children, it may be helpful to do a “rehearsal”:
Do a drive by of the camp in the days leading up
Role play and practice drop off and pick up in the parking lot ahead of time. Add humor by taking turns being the grown up and child. Kids love seeing their parents be the nervous child! For younger children, bring their favorite stuffed animal along and pretend they are going to camp.
4. Prep for drop off.
Give children a sense of ownership and control. After you have role played, choose a goodbye ritual together:
A special handshake or high five
Ask them ahead of time, “How many hugs or kisses do you want?” within reason. Follow through with that wish at drop off.
My children chose to ask for a hug from their counselor when I passed them off
Older children might prefer to walk in with a buddy
5. Offer a small reminder from home.
Let your child know you are thinking of them throughout the day:
Write a post-it “love note” on their lunchbox or download free ones here
Add in joke cards if your child can read
Wear a matching mama and mini bracelet. Show them how you’ll “rub your love into it” that they can take with them to camp
Have your child tuck a photo of their family into the outside pocket of their backpack and reference it when they are missing you.
Prepping your child with information about camp can ease any nerves. Remember if your child is experiencing some separation anxiety at a new camp, it is normal. It is okay for them to cry and protest a new setting. It is best to make the goodbye quick and tell your child that you will be back after a specific time - e.g. after lunch, nap, or afternoon playtime. Children take a few days to adjust to any new routine, so stick with it, even if you are fighting those emotions as well.