By Elizabeth Blanchard Hills, member of the HEMP 2024 class. She is the Clinical Director of Inspired Psychiatric Care, or IPC. IPC reconnects patients to a sense of well-being and renewed purpose by providing medication management, brief therapy and psychedelics in a safe, supportive outpatient psychiatric setting.
Because I was a working Mom while my daughter was growing up, I relied on summer camps to fill much of the long, lazy days of summer. The camps provided opportunities for my daughter to practice new skills, make friends and manage uncomfortable emotions, such as homesickness.
Just as older adolescent children give parents obvious “readiness” signs for their ability to manage college, younger children also give us signals about their readiness for sleep away camps. Ask yourself three easy questions:
Does your child or grandchild want to go?
Deciding if your child or grandchild is ready for sleep-away camp involves assessing their emotional maturity, independence, and enthusiasm for the experience. One of the clearest indicators of readiness is your child's expressed interest in attending camp. If they are excited about the idea, if they talk positively about camp activities, or if they ask questions about what they’ll do there, this shows they may be ready to embrace the adventure.
Does your child or grandchild have sleep-away experience?
Successful experiences with sleepovers at friends' or relatives' homes can provide valuable insights into how your child or grandchild would handle being away from home for a summer camp. If your child or grandchild has managed overnight stays without significant distress, it’s a good sign they can adapt to the longer separation of camp life. On the other hand, if your child or grandchild regularly comes home from sleepovers exhausted, grouchy, and stressed, it may be a sign that they are not ready to go away to camp. And of course, if your child or grandchild does not want to go on sleepovers with friends at all or calls you for a ride home in the middle of the night, that is a big signal that overnight camp may not be a good fit right now.
Does your child or grandchild have the skills?
Your child’s or grandchild’s success at overnight camp will require specific skills, such as the ability to manage basic self-care and navigate new situations independently. Sleep-away camp requires children to handle personal hygiene, organize belongings, and follow instructions from caregivers other than parents or teachers. So make sure your child or grandchild has demonstrated flexibility in adapting to new environments and schedules, such as transitioning between activities or meeting new people. Social readiness is equally important; children who make friends easily and enjoy group activities are more likely to thrive in a camp setting.