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.
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.
Geographical Distance Indoor or
Outdoor Activities
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.
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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.
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