How do I know if my child is ready for camp?
If you’ve found your way to this article, it means you’ve asked yourself this important, yet difficult-to-answer question. Overnight summer camps can be the adventure of a lifetime, but that thought can also be an intimidating one for those parents/guardians who aren’t sure if their child is ready for it. Here are a few questions to ponder that might help you make that determination:
Has your child been away from home before?
How did they do? Did they enjoy themselves? Were they in good spirits when they left? Remember, if they showed some nervousness or anxiousness, that’s ok! One of the things we often mention to kids experiencing homesickness is that it isn’t a bad thing – it just means they have a good home. In fact, it would be kind of odd if someone didn’t have at least a little uneasiness about being away from home.
Don’t worry, if your child hasn’t had much experience away from home; they certainly aren’t alone, and that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t come to camp. In fact, camp is many kids’ first time sleeping somewhere else. If this is the case, try to get a sense of how your child would feel about being away from home, and maybe do a test run with a close friend or family member in the time leading up to camp.
What type of camp are you considering?
Maybe you think your child is ready for camp, but a big camp with several hundred people or more might be too overwhelming. Or maybe your child would be most comfortable in a camp that specializes in something they are passionate about, like sports, nature or technology. Or maybe you have both a son and daughter and need a coed sleepaway camp they can attend together. The kind of camp you choose can have a big impact on your child’s readiness.
Something many parents often overlook are sleepaway camps that offer sessions specifically for first-timers. These programs, like Swift Nature Camp’s two-week “Discovery Camp”, are for first-time campers only. This helps take some of the pressure off both camper and parent, because they know every camper is going to camp operating at the same experience level. Operating in smaller cabin groups (often with a 1:4 counselor/camper ratio), the staff are able to offer one-on-one support to every camper.
Are YOU ready to send your child away?
Sometimes this is the question that really needs to be asked. Kids are so much more resilient and flexible than they are given credit for, and it’s not uncommon for the adults to struggle with being apart just as much as –if not more than– the kids. As parents/guardians, we have a natural instinct to want to protect our kids, and we often do that by keeping them away from unfamiliar situations. Even though we have that rational part of our brain that knows our child stands to gain a lot from an overnight summer camp experience, we also have that part of our brain that sees spending weeks away from our child as an eternity.
In the world we live in, these concerns are totally normal. However, a parent who is openly uneasy about sending their child to camp isn’t doing a whole lot for their child’s confidence. The best way to set our kids up for success is by showing that we believe in their ability to thrive at camp (even if we have butterflies in our stomachs, as well). Also, it never hurts to reach out to the directors or other staff members that will be working with your children. Getting to know and building trust with the people who will care for your child will make the transition much easier for you.
