Choosing a summer camp for your child or children may prove to be a difficult task, but it is by no means an insurmountable one. The challenge of finding a summer camp for your child is rooted in the need to find one that will cater to the interests of your children, that will meet your approval, and that is friendly to your budget. Other considerations, such as distance from home, length of stay, and your child’s comfort and need for contact from home may come into play, as well.
The first step in finding a summer camp for your child is to adjust your frame of thinking. Searching for a summer camp is more than just trying to find somewhere to “put” your children while you are at work or for a few weeks every summer.
The search for a summer camp for your child or children is incredibly similar to a search for a new pair of shoes for your growing child. You have to find the right size that will fit their lives and interests just like you would seek the correct shoes for their two precious feet.
Summer camp is a lesson in growing up for youngsters. They encounter a lot of things personally for the first time in their lives when attending summer camp that first year. Some of these valuable life lessons include dealing with homesickness, learning to swim on their own, and sleeping in a tent or cabin.
Here are a few questions to consider while searching for a summer camp for your child:
- Is your child old enough or ready to go to a camp that offers overnight stays as part of its program?
- If not, is there an interesting and affordable day-camp alternative in your area?
- Is there a time during longer stays when family will be allowed to visit?
- Does this camp meet with your child’s specific interests or goals?
- What type of camp do you think would be best for your child and is it something you can afford?
- If your child has special needs, can this camp accommodate the needs of a differently-abled child?
- Have you compared the specifics of several camps?
- Have you asked your child which camp he or she would like to attend
- Does the child make new friends easily?
- Will there be other children who are already friends or neighbors with your family who will also be attending?
Once you find the right “fit” of a summer camp, your children will be on a path to a higher degree of independence and an improved concept of their abilities to succeed at activities and relationships new old.
Now it’s just time to find the camp that fits like a glove. Or, as the case may be, a good pair of sneakers.