Summer Camp Success
Summer is finally here and heating up! This can often mean summer day and sleep away camps.
While for some kids and teens these activities can bring bounds of excitement, between catching up with friends from previous years, activities, and adventure, they can also bring up feelings of nervousness and anxiety. The idea of being away from the safety and predictability of home can cause homesickness and sleepless nights in some children. To help navigate these feelings, we have come up with some helpful tips and tricks to prepare your kid for a fun-filled summer!
Keep in mind that it is always important to discuss with your child and hear their concerns before signing them up for any kind of camp. If the camp has a website, you could show your child pictures of the setting, the camp schedule, and some activities they will do while there. This can help your child know what to generally expect which can ease anxieties or worries. It’s not uncommon for kids to have reservations about going to camp, even if they will come back home every night! Camps entail a lot of “newness” - new places, new potential friends, and new adults! Make sure that your young one is ready for away camp before sending them off.
Summer Camp Anxiety (and Homesickness) Can Look Like:
Reluctance to go to camp
Unexpected tearful spells (even if they are seemingly unrelated to camp)
Worrying about something happening to themselves or caregivers while they are at camp
Needing to be around their caregiver at all times, and seeming clingy or distressed when they can’t be around their caregiver
Getting tummy aches, experiencing dizziness (physiological symptoms of stress)
Refusing to do activities that remove them from their caregiver, even with preferred activities
Difficulty sleeping and being afraid to be in their room alone
Now, How Do I Help My Child with Homesickness?
Remember to always validate your child’s feelings when it comes to being nervous to attend a camp. Let them know that being worried is completely normal, especially if this is their first or second time going away to camp. You can normalize their emotions by reassuring them many kids feel nervous and it is likely there will be other kids in the group who are nervous, too!
Practice: You can help your child practice being away from home by arranging a sleep-over with a friend or family member who the child feels safe with for a night or two.
Use Positive Language: Remind your kid of all the fun they will have during their time at camp! Focus on the positives: making new friends and potentially seeing old ones, camp activities, and making memories. Focus on concrete things that will happen at camp rather than broad “what it might be like” ideas. If you attended camp when you were a child, you can share your own positive experiences at camp with your child. Refrain from sharing the negative experiences you might have had! Even if you can look back now and laugh, or if you think it may be a teachable story to tell, it can add to their anxiety. Remind your child this is a short-term experience that will be over before they know it! You can also remind your child about successes they have had trying new things. It is helpful for them to know they can do hard things and they’ve done it before!
Packing Reminders of Home: Our nervous system is a powerful thing! Help your child calm themselves at camp by packing something (camp approved) to bring with them. This can be a small stuffed animal that smells like home, a favorite book, or even a small family picture with a note. Some children respond well to a familiar ritual or routine, you can write your child with a bedtime note that they can read to themselves before bed each night. These items can act as their “home anchor”. Humming can also be a great way to calm down our nervous system. You and your child could practice a simple humming rhythm they can do at camp if they feel overwhelmed.
Writing Letters: Some camps allow for kids to write their family letters. You can make pre-addressed envelopes with stamps for your child to have so they can fill you in on how camp is going. If you decide to include paper for them, you can even write positive prompts for them to respond to - like “What has your favorite activity/meal/new experience been so far?”
Discuss with Staff: If your child is continuing to have reservations about going to camp, make sure staff is aware and that you understand their plan if your child is struggling.
Books to Read Before: We have an extensive list of helpful books to read to your child before sending them to camp! Here are a few that you can read to help with the first day, anxiety/worries, and keeping connection to family while away:
On the Way to Camp: You may notice that your child will get increasingly anxious on the drive to camp. To help with this, make a playlist together of their favorite songs beforehand to listen to on the way to camp. Singing together and laughing can be a great way to co-regulate. Additionally, you can bring some fidgets for them to keep their hands busy.
Some “Do Nots” for Camp
Now that we’ve gone over some of the “Do’s”, here are a few “Do Nots” to remember before your child goes to camp:
DO NOT #1: Tell your child you will come and pick them up if they are having a bad time. Homesickness often dissipates after one or two days once the child gets into their new temporary routine. Obviously, if something is going completely awry and your child really needs you, you can pick them up, but sometimes this is not an easy or quick escape plan!
DO NOT #2: Drag out your goodbyes when dropping them off. Make sure to give them plenty of eye contact and hugs while dropping them off. Be brief and leave your child before they get too worked up! Make sure you are approaching the goodbye confidently and reassuringly- your child is watching you!
DO NOT #3: Trivialize their concerns; their concerns are valid. Make sure your child understands that you hear them. If you notice your child is repeating themselves, this is often a sign that they do not feel heard. Continue to repeat back what they have said to you even if you’ve already done this numerous times.
Our kids and teens are resilient, and feelings of anxiety and homesickness are completely normal! Keep in mind for yourself that the first couple of days may be tough for them, but away camps can help build confidence and develop a sense of self-reliance in a less-structured environment than school or sports. Your child can do this! And so can you!