Summer Camping Away from Home: Here's What Parents Should Pay Attention to

Summer vacations are the right time for children to learn skills unrelated to academics. You can use this time to nurture your child's personality development and soft skills. These skills will work in tandem with the school curriculum and teach your child to apply them to real life. An excellent way to utilize summer vacations to teach your child the skills needed is summer camps. Summer camps are instructional or recreational programs for children or teenagers across a period of the summer vacations. There are various kinds of summer camps. Some are wildlife-oriented while others may focus on sports, performing arts, crafts, technology etc. Pursuing extracurricular programs like these can not only boost your child’s confidence and assertiveness but also make him or her perform better academically. Therefore, let your child invest some of his or her vacations into instilling such qualities using enjoyable summer camps.  

Also Read | Enrolling Students to Summer Camps: Importance and Benefits

Why Send Your Child to a Summer Camp? 

Summer camps are recreational programs that focus on one or more activities. They are usually organized by educational or specialized institutions. They are overseen by experienced coaches or mentors to help your child learn whatever is to be taught. Summer camps may focus on a sport like cricket, karate, swimming, or some other skill like arts and crafts, theatre, singing, dancing etc. Some camps focus more on a recreational and relaxing atmosphere and may include sightseeing in different places. The stereotypical image of a summer camp comes from North America's wildlife and nature-oriented camps that include staying overnight in forests and campfires. 

There are numerous advantages to sending your child to a summer camp. These include;

• It builds confidence by letting your child experience new things and make new friends.
• Summer camps include many unknown faces and interacting with them improves your child’s ability to socialize.
• Overnight camps can make your child feel more independent and build good memories.
• It can allow your child to explore new interests and be more physically active. 

How to Talk about Sending your Child to a Summer Camp? 

While sending your child to a summer camp is incredibly beneficial, forcing him or her to do so might make the experience harsher and undesirable. Therefore it is imperative to avoid making going to a summer camp daunting or unpleasant. 

Start by introducing the concept of summer camps. You can look for some camps that focus on your child’s interests or hobbies before you have a conversation. You can offer these choices and let your child decide. This will make the child feel more motivated to go through the program. 

Many schools organize camps over the summer vacation. You can go for such programs where your child can join his or her friends. Additionally, you can ask your child’s friend’s parents to join while signing him or her up for some camp. 

How to Choose a Summer Camp? 

Camps can be of different types and focus on different activities and niches. Summer camps can be overnight or day only. Overnight camps include the participants staying overnight together and require more preparation. Overnight camps teach children personal responsibility and instil a sense of independence. These can be a good choice for older children and teenagers.

On the other hand, day camps require children to report to the camp location every working day. After following the program for the day, the children return back home. These can be an excellent choice to teach new skills to younger children who cannot stay away from home for too long.

Choosing a camp need not be difficult. If you want to send your child to overnight camps, you can start by making a list of camps that offer programs related to your child’s interests. Among these, you can enquire about the expenses, materials needed, and security and then make a decision with your child. 

Similarly, if you want to send your child to a day summer camp, you can start by finding out about summer camps or programs in your vicinity. Among these, you can enquire about the activities, security, expenses, and any additional information. Then you can pay a visit with your child and based on his or her willingness, you can enrol further. 

How to Prepare for a Summer Camp? 

Sending a child who has never been away from home for long can be intimidating for the parents as well as the child in question. However, doing so will make your child be more independent and realize personal responsibility. If your child intends to study abroad or away from home later, this experience can help him or her prepare better for it. 

While your child is likely to feel homesick initially, packing some special sentimental objects related to home can allay these feelings. You can also clarify the camp’s policies related to calling or communicating in any form beforehand. 

Apart from mentally preparing yourself and your child, it would be best if you packed supplies well. These should include:

• Spare change of clothes, socks and undergarments
• Reusable water bottle and container
• A towel or hand towel
• Sunscreen and bug repellent creams
• Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, shampoo etc.)
• Medication
• Pyjamas or a separate night suit
•  Any seasonal supplies like a raincoat or umbrella
• Any program-specific supplies (usually informed by the camp organizers)
• Some mementoes from home

With this, you and your child are all set to have a productive and fun summer vacation!

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