Summer Camp Preparations!
Congratulations!
You made it through another school year & summer is here!
We know that many of your children will be attending day camp this summer. Some will be returning to a familiar camp and some will be first time campers. Whether your child is an old or new camper, transitioning to camp can be tricky and may cause some feelings of worry or resistance in your child. These are very valid feelings that express a child’s need for information, preparation and previewing to support a smooth beginning and enjoyable summer.
Here are our TOP TIPS TO HELP PREPARE YOU CHILD FOR CAMP
1) Visit the camp before it starts and take your child on a tour of the grounds.
This can also be done as a virtual tour on the camp website. Either way, giving your child a visual idea of where they will be can help them start to see themselves at camp and turn an abstract idea to something more concrete
2) Make contact with a counselor before camp.
Zoom makes this pre-camp connection very easy. Children often feel more secure when they know who will be responsible for their care and daily coordination. You can help your child prepare for this meeting by thinking about and practicing asking questions they may have about camp or the counselor and sharing things that they would want the counselor to know about them.
3) Tell your child stories about when you went to camp as a child.
Share the worried and anxious feelings that you had before camp started and what helped you to feel more settled and have fun. Hearing that you had similar feelings can be validating and opening the conversation to the solutions can help your child think about what might help them feel secure at camp.
4) Show your child a sample of the daily schedule so that they know what to expect.
Camps will often share the weekly schedule ahead of time so that you can regularly talk to your child about the activities and transitions that they will have each week
5) Include your child in packing their backpack for the first day of camp.
Allowing your child to weigh in on what they bring gives them control and ownership over a situation that may feel out of control to them. Think about some of the items together:
Is there a special towel that they want to bring?
What swim suit is the most comfortable and easiest to put on independently?
Which sunscreen smells the best?
Do they want their favorite hat to block the sun?
Lastly, remember that it is normal for your child to struggle and not love day camp immediately.
There is so much new to learn and adjust to and you may see a change in your child’s behavior as a result. Bedtime and goodbyes may be harder, you may see more frequent tantrums and inflexible behavior and your child will probably be very tired and cranky at the end of the day. All of these reactions are expected as your child is working very hard to build their stamina to a long and active day with new friends, new grown-ups and a new set of rules and expectations. Be patient with your child and yourself during these first few weeks. These behaviors and reactions will lessen as camp becomes less new and a more predicable part of their daily routine.