Summer Camps for Kids: 11 Tips to Get Your Child Ready
The best summer camps for kids offer a variety of activities and experiences. While you know your child will have fun, they may feel nervous about this new experience. These 11 tips will help your child get ready.
1. Expectations About Summer Camps for Kids
If you don’t set your child’s expectations, your child will do it for you. The problem is that children can allow fantasy to take over, resulting in unrealistic expectations. This can result in disappointment and a hard time at camp for your child.
Sit down and talk to them about what summer day camp is. Explain what your child can expect while there. This will help them understand what camp is and why they are going.
2. Talk Through the Schedule
You can walk through the schedule as part of your setting expectations talk. Children function better when they know what to expect.
It gives them a feeling of safety and security. It also helps them develop their ability to understand time and event sequence.
3. Review the Rules
While camp can be a fun place to be, there are rules that your child needs to follow. Set the standard and expectations for your child by reviewing the rules. That way, there can be fair consequences when your child breaks the rules.
4. Pack a Day Bag Together
Let your child be a part of packing their bag for camp. While sleep-away camp requires more packing, even day camp can require them to bring personal items. Being a part of this activity helps build decision-making and organizational skills.
Your child will feel more prepared for camp when they are a part of the prep work. This will foster confidence in them and ease anxiety.
5. Practice Life Skills
Take note of your child’s life skill habits and abilities. Review the areas where your child struggles. For example, do they forget to wash their hands after going to the bathroom?
Developing life skills helps them function independently while at day camp.
6. Encourage Independence at Home
Start building your child’s confidence at home by giving them small tasks to do independently. They will carry this newfound confidence with them to camp. Try asking them to do these types of tasks.
- Pick up their toys
- Put clothes in the hamper
- Feed pets
- Pack and unpack their bag
7. Make New Experiences Fun
Help your child view new experiences as fun. One of the more significant benefits of summer camps is that it offers new opportunities. This is a chance for your child to make new friends, try new foods, and participate in new activities.
However, some children may prefer to stay in the safety of their comfort zone. If your child isn’t open to new challenges, try to make new experiences fun. Focus on the positives of camp and the things that your child likes.
8. Ask How They Are Feeling
Don’t forget to ask your child how they are feeling. Stop talking and listen to their answer. Acknowledge their response.
Relate to your child by sharing your own experiences of summer camp. Help them process the emotions they are feeling.
Talk through their feelings while looking for ways to address their fears, anxiety, and concerns. This helps them develop logic, problem-solving, and emotion regulation skills.
Choose a Small Keepsake
Going to school and day camp can feel different for your child. They may feel scared to go to summer day camp in a strange place with new people. Having a small keepsake with them can give them confidence.
Let your child pick out a small picture, stuffed animal, or another meaningful item that they can take with them. Tuck it in their backpack or lunch box. They can pull it out when they need it and remember that they are not alone.
9. Role Play Social Situations
Some children are social butterflies. They have no problem making friends everywhere they go. There is no fear about approaching other children and initiating a conversation or play.
Other children do not have this type of personality. If your child is more introverted or shy, they may need help.
Role-play some possible social situations. These could include role-playing introductions, initiating conversations, or finding topics in common to talk about.
Conflict Resolution
No matter what type of personality your child has, at some point, they will encounter conflict. While this sounds like a negative thing, it isn’t. Conflict resolution and dealing with impolite children are important parts of personality development.
Talk about what your child can do when someone is mean to them. Help them have strategies for resolving conflict.
10. Visit in Advance
It can feel scary to go to a new place. Visiting the summer camp’s location in advance can help your child feel more comfortable when camp starts. Even if you can just drive by it, this can help to ease anxiety and stress.
If possible, plan a tour of the camp facility with your child. They can see where the activities take place, where they will eat lunch, and how to find the bathroom.
11. Do a Countdown
Help build positive excitement for summer camp by making a big deal out of the countdown. Hang a calendar and mark when the camp will take place on it. Then, have your child mark the days off leading up to the first day of camp.
This keeps the excitement going and helps your child know how long it is until camp starts.
Register for a Summer Camp at Got Game Sports
Summer camps are great for children to build confidence, develop new friendships, and experience life. Los Angeles summer camps offer a wide range of activities to keep children engaged. With the perfect mix of fun and exploration, your child will come home with stories to share every day.
Register your child for summer camp at Got Game Sports and give them a summer they will never forget.