Sleepaway Summer Camp is an exciting adventure, filled with campfire songs, wacky cabin jokes, color wars, original craft projects, and creating amazing memories with friends from camp. However, if this is your child’s first summer going to camp, he may be more nervous than excited as the big day approaches. The following are some ideas to ease your child’s worries and increase the joyous anticipation of a summer of fun.

Visit camps

One of the best ways to reassure your child that summer camp is really fun is to take a little road trip highlighting summer camp visits. Many overnight summer camps host organized open houses to introduce children and parents to camp facilities and staff, giving potential campers a view of where they would play, sleep, swim, and boat. It’s especially good if you can visit while camp is in session so you and your child can get a feel for the camp environment, how the kids interact, what kind of camper / counselor ratio seems obvious, and if most of the campers seem happy and engaged. . If your child can talk to some current campers, that’s even better!

Share memories

Maybe you were a camper yourself as a kid. Share stories of your adventures, accomplishments, and friends at camp; This will make the next camp experience seem more familiar, and children love to imagine their parents when they are young. If you were a little apprehensive at first and then ended up loving the experience, share this with your child and let him know that it’s perfectly normal to be nervous about the unknown.

Explore Online

The Internet can be a great help for parents trying to ease their child’s nervousness at night at camp. Blogs, Facebook pages, and websites related to your child’s future camp cover pretty much everything they, or you, might want to know about upcoming summer adventures, along with lots of photos. Kids can read children’s posts at their potential camps and get an idea of ​​how they’ll fit into summer adventures.

Line up some books

There are many great books for kids and tweens that take place at summer camps overnight. After all, where else can you have incredible adventures away from the watchful eyes of your parents (but in a safe and welcoming environment anyway)?

Call a friend

If your child has a friend or acquaintance who has attended camp, it may help to talk with him about his summer experiences. Even knowing that there will be a familiar face or two in the gaga ball hole can make a big difference in how your child feels about a summer away from home. Even if your child doesn’t want to make the call, you can call the camper’s mom or dad and get information about the camp and pass information on to your child.

Take the family camping

Young people who haven’t had much experience in nature, particularly city kids, can be a bit nervous about spending weeks in the woods. Consider taking the family on a camping trip before the start of camp. This will allow your future summer camper to see how much fun it is to sing silly songs around the campfire, cast a fishing line into the lake, and hear a chorus of tree frogs while sleeping. Practicality matters; For example, how to use a flashlight to get around at night and identify various night sounds can also go a long way in alleviating nervousness in nature.