With the last days of school just around the corner and kids excitedly gearing up for a sleepaway summer, it’s essential to prepare campers for what may be a first-time experience. And I’m not talking about packing bug spray and sunscreen—but about socially and emotionally preparing children to be away from everything that’s familiar to them.
Heading to camp can elicit all sorts of feelings: anxiety regarding new places with new people, fear of different experiences on top of homesickness, all of which can cause stress for kids and parents, too. But you are not alone! At eight years old, I remember not sleeping for two weeks before heading off to sleepaway camp because I was paralyzed with the fear of leaving my parents. I’d never spent more than two nights away from them. Would I be homesick? What would it be like to live with someone I didn’t know?
My own camp experience and years of teaching have taught me that knowledge is empowerment. So as you check-off items on the packing list, remember, it’s just as important to prepare the entire family socially and emotionally for the experience that lies ahead. Here are a few tips.
1. MAKE FRIENDS Camp is a great place to gain new pals. Discuss with your children how to approach someone for the first time and how to make a good first impression (using appropriate eye contact, body language, a smile and initiating conversation). Then, try a practice run at home.
2. MEAL TIME Just because it’s a “mess hall” doesn’t mean it’s a manners free-for-all. A lesson on good dining skills—not necessarily fancy dining—but the basics are a must.
3. TRY NEW ACTIVITIES Talk to your kids about being open-minded. Give your child an anecdotal story of something you were hesitant to try and ended up loving when you were young. Or choose something new and different to try as a family, right here in New York City, before heading to camp.
4. GROOMING ESSENTIALS When parents aren’t around to check up on things, a routine is key. Get your child set-up with a proper grooming routine before he or she heads to camp. These are life skills that will be used back at home after the summer ends.
5. BUNK LIFE It’s important to be mindful of others. Take the time to teach your campers how to handle the sticky situations that can arise with roommates while living in close quarters.
6. COUNSELOR INTERACTION While they’re not teachers and are often a lot younger than most adults, counselors are authorities to be respected by all campers. Be sure your child understands their role.
7. HOMESICKNESS Feeling nostalgic for familiar things like your family, friends, pets or house is normal. Explain to kids that homesickness happens to everyone, even adults. The good thing is that it doesn’t last. Do a trial weekend away and also discuss tactics for managing the feeling: journaling, talking with a counselor or friend, keeping busy and, as a last resort—calling home.
8. EMPTY NEST SYNDROME Whether this is your first time sending a child to camp or you’ve done it before, you may experience feelings of loss and loneliness. Write to your child often and plan special things for visiting day, like bringing something from home. Remember that crying and being sad in front of your child will only trigger his or her fears and homesickness, so stay strong. Your children know that you love and will miss them.
Camp is both a rite of passage for a child and a respite from parenting for adults, so take the time to prepare your child (and yourself) for a great summer.
Faye Rogaski is Founder of socialsklz:-) tools to thrive in the modern world which offers a campsklz:-) workshop for kids and their parents. For more information on the campsklz:-) program please visit socialsklz.com.
