13 Tips for Helping Anxious Kids
Enjoy Summer Camp
How to clear the fear to make way for a formative experience
From The Child Mind Institute
P
ortraits of summer camp showcase sun-splashed
children playing sports, swimming, and getting
freckles. Not pictured is any sign of anxiety, a
natural reaction to a new adventure and a several-
week separation. All children experience a mixture
of excitement and nervousness when summer camp
approaches. For most, excitement trumps nerves, but
some children develop anxiety serious enough to get in
the way of what should be a fun, formative experience.
Summer camps hone many skills useful for future
success: resilience, self-reliance, and social adaptability.
The camp experience — being away from home among
peers — can help kids develop social skills, separate in a
healthy way from parents, and cultivate independence.
Camp activities can help them build confidence by
demonstrating mastery. Children are often ready for
sleep-away camp around ages 10 to 12, although
preparedness varies depending on age, experience, and
temperament.
Tools for taming anxiety
The key to helping your child get over pre-camp nerves
is to acknowledge her feelings and give her tools to
help her tame them.
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