Summer Camps – Finding The Best For Your Child

Many of today’s camps are aimed at giving your child personal improvements, develop skills, start hobbies that grow into passions, or just fun and fitness.  As a parent, there are a few things you can do to make your child’s summer camp experience extra special.  Here are ten tips to help your child enjoy summer camp more:

1.  Preparation for Summer Camps:  You and your child will have a much better summer camp experience if you have prepared you and them.  Make sure that you all the important information about the summer camp.  That includes any requirements the camp has as well as a shopping list of things your child needs to bring.  Check when physical exams are required and keep up to date on any deadlines the summer camp imposes.

2.  Choices in Summer Camps:  It’s important that your child have an input into what type of summer camp they want to attend.  You don’t want to send them to an all boy’s camp if they want to start making friends with girls.  Find out if your child wants to continue to build on a certain skill such as surfing, or do they want to try something different, maybe golf for example.  

3.  Early Registration for Summer Camps:  Two reasons to look into early registration when choosing a summer camp, the first is that many summer camps offer 20 to 50 percent discounts to early registrations.  The second is that you give yourself and your child plenty of time to get prepared.

4.  Comfort Zone and Summer Camps:  Many times your child will want to go to summer camp with their friends.  However, your child’s friends may be preventing your child from broadening their social circle.  Try to get them to join a summer camp where they will meet new friends doing new activities.

5.  Summer Camps Foster Independence:  Many parents find that summer camps are a great place to begin fostering their child’s independence.  Try not to set your child up for failure by assuring them that if they are unhappy you will come to pick them up.  Being homesick and getting through it is part of the summer camp experience.

6.  Summer Camp Levels:  In your search of summer camps, you will find specialty camps that focus on your child developing a specific skill.  These camps have instructors who have an expertise in those areas, but may not be good at helping your child through their homesickness.  Investigate the levels of the summer camps you are contemplating.  If your child has certain needs, discuss them with the summer camp administrator.

7.  Specialized Summer Camps:  You will find that some summer camps are more specialized than others are.  If you send your son to baseball summer camp, will they offer him other activities such as swimming, hiking or canoeing?  On the other hand, is this a baseball summer camp that immerses your child in the advanced training in baseball? 

8.  Consider All Your Options for Summer Camp:  Is your child contemplating a local or long distance summer camp?  Make sure that you take into consideration how they are transported if it’s a local summer camp.  How are they picked up and dropped off?  Are there special services to get your child home safely? 

9.  Tour the Summer Camp:  Whenever possible, tour the summer camp your child will be attending.  As a parent, you may find details that are overlooked when you are registering your child.  Does the summer camp provide enough restrooms or adequate sleeping facilities for example?

10.  Recommendations for Summer Camps:  When it comes to summer camps, referrals are great, but don’t rely on them entirely.  You will find professional summer camp agencies on the Internet that can give you unbiased opinions.  They can address your questions and concerns to help you make sure that your child and their summer camp are a good fit.