Choosing The Right Summer
Camp For Your Kids
by Tanni Haas, Ph.D.
I
t’s no exaggeration to say that the one event kids really look forward to all year is summer
camp. But how do you choose the right one? Based on my experiences as the parent of a
15-year-old boy, as well as conversations with other parents, I’ve figured out the top six things
to consider.
Cost
It goes without saying that cost is an important
factor, especially if you have more than one kid.
Summer camps can range widely in price, depending
on whether they’re bare-bones camps with a limited
number of activities or camps that offer a lot of
expensive activities, like overnight trips. But don’t
just consider the price of the camp. Also consider
how much money you’ll have left for other summer
activities, like family trips. Kids’ summer vacations
are long and can feel even longer if the whole
family has to stay home for many weeks because
you didn’t have any money left to do other things. I
learned this the hard way the first time my son went
to a summer camp. The camp was so expensive that
we ended up not having money for our planned
family vacation.
Geographical Distance
Another aspect to consider is the distance of the
camp from your home. If the camp is far away, you
may end up spending a lot of time and money
driving to and from camp. This issue is made even
more challenging if you have kids who go to
different camps, at different times, and for different
lengths of time. A good friend of ours spends a lot
of the summer crisscrossing the U.S. on the way to
and from the different camps that his kids attend.
Day Camp or
Sleepaway Camp
One of the biggest choices every parent faces is
whether to send their kids to a day camp or a
sleepaway camp. In my experience, it’s best to start
with a day camp until your kids express interest in
going to a sleepaway camp. Believe me: they’re fully
aware, even at a young age, that sleepaway camps
exist and that some of their friends already have
attended them. If your kids haven’t said they’d like
to go to a sleepaway camp, it’s probably because
they’re not ready yet. It can also be a good idea to
send your kids to both day and sleepaway camps.
While sleepaway camps give them a chance to
experience real independence and to make new
friends, day camps let them come home in the late
afternoon and spend some time with their
regular friends.
Indoor or
Outdoor Activities
When choosing a camp, consider the types of
activities in which you kids will be engaged. Some
kids enjoy sitting quietly inside focusing on arts and
crafts; other kids prefer being outdoors doing
sports. You could choose to simply follow your kids’
preferences and let them decide, or you could use
the summer camp as a chance to challenge your kids
to step outside their comfort zone and try
something entirely different. My spouse certainly
prefers the second option. Since our son first began
going to summer camp, my spouse has insisted that
he try activities that we can’t offer him in our
regular city-slicker lives in Brooklyn, like canoeing,
water skiing, and zip-lining.
Single Activity or
Multiple Activities
Find out if the camps you might be interested in are
specialized and focus on one activity or if they offer
multiple activities. Many camps are geared toward
S T. JOHNS
parent
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