Thinking of sending your kid on an overnight summer camp experience?
Sleepaway camps can be one of the highlights of childhood and allow kids the opportunity to have fun, make new friends, learn, and gain new skills!
However, they are a big step up from day camps and in many cases are a child’s first trip away from home for an extended period.
While it can be a daunting decision, there are numerous benefits of sleepaway camp for kids.
So, if you think your child is ready to take it on, it is sure to be worth it! In this guide, we will give you a generalized rundown of a typical sleepaway summer camp and cover the main benefits such as:
- Building independence and self-reliance
- Fostering social skills
- Promoting personal growth and development
- Gaining exposure to new experiences
- Development of life skills and practical learning.
Let’s dive in!
The Sleepaway Camp Experience and Benefits of Sleepaway Camp
Duration and Structure
In general, sleepaway camps last from three to eight weeks – long enough to get comfortable and into a routine without taking up the whole summer while still leaving time for family trips and getting ready for back-to-school!
However, the length varies for each camp, and some may be just a week or even a few days.
These shorter camps are great options for younger children, those who haven’t been away from home before, or if you’re just looking to try out the experience.
Summer camps are usually quite structured, which will help your child know what to expect and help them to feel comfortable and safe, as well as fostering good time management skills.
While the exact daily schedule changes from camp to camp, typically there is:
- An early wake-up, breakfast, and morning hygiene
- Planned activities
- Lunch
- An afternoon activity
- Some less structured or more relaxed time
- Dinner
- Whole group activities like campfires, singing, or movie night
- A rigid bedtime.
Larger camps and those with a wider age range often have different activities on offer to cater to different ages or preferences.
Diverse Activities on Offer
Stereotypical, nature-based summer camps often offer activities like learning wilderness skills, swimming, hiking, horseback riding, climbing, and sports for the active portions.
During downtime, crafts, art projects, games, reading, and group projects are usually the go-to.
However, some camps are more specialized. There are sporting camps, tech camps, cooking and art-based camps, and much more! If your child has a special interest, there’s probably a camp around that will cater to it and nurture their skills.
Building Independence and Self-reliance
The main perk of sleepaway camps is giving your child the opportunity to operate with a little more independence and to learn how to look after themselves while still in a safe and supervised environment. Here are some main things to expect:
Decision-making Skills
Without their parents there, children have an opportunity to make their own choices. Summer camp is a perfect place to test out that skill, as the risks are low.
For instance, if they choose to do canoeing and realize they don’t like it, it will only be for a few weeks. Additionally, it’s also beneficial to learn how to make the most out of a situation they would not prefer!
This also includes smaller choices, such as what to have for dinner or what to do with your afternoon.
This doesn’t seem like a big deal for adults, but for most children, it’s an opportunity to exercise a lot more agency than normal – which is amazing for their growth!
Handling Responsibilities
Most summer camps expect the campers to be responsible for age-appropriate tasks, such as cleaning up after dinner, getting themselves dressed, going to activities on time, doing their part in group projects, and keeping their beds made.
Having these expectations that need to be met helps teach your child how to handle their own responsibilities, which is an invaluable life lesson in itself.
Fostering Social Skills
Sleepaway camps are the perfect place to foster social skills and to make friends for life!
Making New Friends
Being immersed in a new environment with a bunch of kids their age is an amazing opportunity for your child to make new friends.
Often, people travel to get to these camps, so the campers will get to meet people beyond their neighborhoods, family circles, and schools.
Teamwork and Collaboration
While your child is sure to make some fast friends, they probably won’t become besties with everybody.
This is okay, as it’s an unavoidable fact of life; sometimes you have to be able to get along with people, even if you’re not close with them!
Summer camps foster productive teamwork and the ability to communicate and work with people, even if they’re different.
Personal Growth and Development
For many kids, summer camp leads to a big step forward in maturity!
Overcoming Challenges
There are plenty of challenges that come with summer camp, with one of the main ones being the scariness of being away from home!
It can also be a tricky social situation to navigate, in addition to having to learn new skills during the camp’s activities.
Getting through these roadblocks and still having a good time (with the help of counselors, staff, and friends) will help motivate and encourage your child to overcome adversity in the future.
Building Confidence
Overcoming challenges is a natural confidence builder as well, as is making new friends, working hard to become proficient at something, and making your own decisions.
Sleepaway camps are tailor-made to increase children’s confidence!
Exposure to New Experiences – Benefits of Sleepaway Camp
New experiences always foster growth, and sleepaway camps provide kids with the perfect opportunity to do so:
Cultural Exchange and Diversity
As mentioned above, kids will travel from all over to go to sleepaway camps.
How far depends on the size and popularity of the camp, but many major U.S. summer camps attract campers from all over the country (and even abroad!).
This means they create an amazing opportunity for your child to learn about other cultures and ways of life, as well as share their own.
Many camps host culture fairs or other celebrations to encourage open sharing and learning about the diverse backgrounds of their campers.
In addition, there are camps available for everybody! There are disability camps that are set up to accommodate children with disabilities and have gender-neutral and inclusive facilities.
If your child has particular needs, they will be looked after at the majority of camps; after all, they’re there to promote learning and inclusion!
There are also specialized camps if you want your child to meet people with similar life experiences and highly trained counselors, including religious camps, sleepaways tailored for children with ADHD and autism, and sleepaways for LGBT Youth.
Nature and Outdoor Skills
Especially if you live in the city or suburbs, sleepaway camps are a great opportunity for your kids to get in touch with nature!
This includes learning wilderness survival skills like navigation, fire building, shelter making, foraging, and plant identification. Many camps also help to improve fitness, and skills like climbing, running, and swimming.
In addition, it can be good to give kids an opportunity to unplug especially in today’s world.
Many camps are still technology-free (don’t worry, there is still the opportunity to call and write from home) or have very limited screen time.
This can give kids a much-needed break, the chance to foster face-to-face social and communication skills, and the opportunity to develop interests that don’t include staring at a phone, tablet, or computer screen.
Life Skills and Practical Learning at Summer Camp
Summer camp also gives children vital skills for life, such as:
Leadership Opportunities
Camps promote leadership skills by giving kids an opportunity to lead groups, teams, or projects.
This is a great way to learn how to manage a crew and resolve interpersonal conflict in a safe and controlled environment.
Older children also may get the opportunity to help look after and teach younger children, and many teens choose to return to their childhood summer camps as counselors or youth leaders.
Time Management
Being in charge of getting themselves to meals and activities, having group responsibilities, and working on longer-term projects is a great way to help your child learn to manage their own time.
Sometimes, the best way to learn is to be given the space to make mistakes.
For example, if a camper spends too much time playing after lunch, they might miss out on a planned group activity!
While this is disappointing, it’s not the end of the world but is a great motivator to be more aware of timing and responsibilities in the future.
FAQs
How do sleepaway camps handle homesickness?
While sleepaway camp staff and counselors will be prepared to handle homesickness, the best way to cope is for the parents or guardians to help the child before they’re away.
This includes practicing with sleepovers and other overnight experiences with limited contact, having a plan with the camp staff, and most importantly, openly talking to your child about what to expect.
What’s the right age to send a child to a sleepaway camp?
Every child is different when it comes to being ready for sleepaway camp. The most common age is from seven to nine years old, but there’s no need to worry if they’re not ready yet (or if they’re ready to go earlier!).
How do camps ensure the safety and well-being of campers?
In certified summer camps, many if not all of the staff will have First-Aid and CPR certifications.
There are also plans in place in the case of an accident or emergency, and these are regularly trained with the staff as well as communicated to the campers. Make sure to ask about the camper-to-counselor ratio at the camp.
Are there specialized sleepaway camps for specific interests?
Yes! No matter what your child’s interest, there is bound to be a camp that caters to it – or at least to something similar.
How can I prepare my child for their first sleepaway camp experience?
Talking to your child about what to expect (including homesickness), assessing their independence and social skills, and “practicing” with shorter trips or sleepovers are all great ways to help prepare.
Making sure they have everything they need, and making sure your child gets plenty of rest the night before camp (as well as a good breakfast on the day) are some good practical measures to take as well.