Ahhhhh, summer camp! Fireflies, fishing, friends and fun are just around the corner for your favorite camper. There are several things that you can do to help prepare them for camp.

Talk to your child about camp. You will only know about your camper’s concerns if you talk about them. Talk about your experiences if you attended camp.

Talk about homesickness. For many children, sleep away camp is their first away from home experience other than staying with family members. Talk about how you handled it. Explain that homesickness is a normal experience and that the activities and making new friends will distract them from feeling sad or nervous. Let them know that their counselors will always be there for them to talk to. Tell your camper that they will be receiving mail from you and that you will be logging in to see pictures of the fun they are having. Have your child choose something from home like a picture or stuffed animal to take with them to camp. Show your camper the opening and closing dates of camp and mark them on the calendar. If there are any recent stressful events in your family, discuss them so they are not worried while they are away from camp.

If you child has any special needs such as reminders for help in specific areas, dietary needs, medical needs…etc. assure your child that you have spoken with the camp and those needs will be taken care. Remind them that they can always ask their counselor for help as well.

Pre-write some letters to leave in the camper Mail Box at Check-in. This will assure that he/she gets mail the first days at camp. Plan and encourage your camper to write home by sending paper, envelopes & stamps.

Get your camper involved! Involve your camper in selecting their activity preferences. Discuss the options and have your camper look at the list of activities and videos on our website to guide them in their selection.

Involve your child in any shopping that needs to be done and packing to get ready for camp. Let him make some choices.

Involve him in putting batteries in the flashlight, choosing a book he might like to read during rest time and help label clothing and belongings.

Talk about the things that they will learn and friends that they’ll make.

Always be positive, assure them that they are mature enough to handle being away from home and encourage them about the fun that they will experience!

Pray for your child. God has great plans for your camper, but He wants to hear from your heart!

You might also like: 5 Ways Parents Can Help Prevent Summer Camp Homesickness