How Do I Know If My Child is Ready for Overnight Camp?
What a great question. I wish there was a one word answer I could give, but of course, that’s why you’re asking the question in the first place! I do have some guidelines that I think can be helpful, but as always please feel free to reach out to discuss your specific situation.
In general, any typically-developing child who is over the age of about eight is probably ready for sleepaway camp. Even if they have never had a sleepover, they are generally mature enough to be successful at camp. There might be a little homesickness at first, but the beauty of camp is in the growing: by experiencing the challenge of being away and figuring out how to have fun regardless, kids learn that they are capable and believe in themselves. Of course, whether you as a parent or guardian is ready for them to go to camp might be another story!
That being said, there are some reasons a child might not be ready for camp. Developmental skills and preparation are all reasons a child might struggle. Let’s discuss in more depth.
To have a successful experience at any overnight camp, a child must have reached certain developmental milestones. These apply mostly for our younger campers, but are good guidelines to think about for everyone. First, can your child shower and reliably toilet on their own, including communicating to someone when they need to go? Most of our activities out in camp are approximately a three minute walk from a restroom. If your child still needs to be reminded to go to the bathroom, they might not be ready for camp yet. Second, can your child dress and undress themself? Our staff are always happy to help with a particularly difficult button, but your child should be able to get dressed without assistance. Third, can your child follow two or three step directions? We train our staff to give accessible and straightforward instructions using different methods, but it is important that a camper can remember two or three steps at a time. This helps support their ability to follow a schedule and make activity choices. Finally, does your child sleep in their own bed, and can they generally fall asleep without support? Each cabin creates a unique bedtime routine that frequently involves cabin chats, singing, and reading, and staff remain just outside the cabin as campers fall asleep. However, if your child is used to falling asleep with you in bed, or while you rub their back for 20 minutes, that is going to create some unnecessary stress for them at camp.
This is a topic for a whole other blog (tune back in every other Friday to see what we’ll discuss next!) but your attitude and preparation has a huge impact on whether or not your child is ‘ready’ for camp. Spending the time leading up to camp discussing the fun, acknowledging the challenge, and reiterating your child’s abilities can help set them up for success. It might not feel obvious, but when you tell your child that you’ll pick them up if they are homesick, the message your child ultimately receives is that they can’t do this. Instead, we need to prepare future campers by talking about the hard things, and reminding them that we know they’ll be ok.
I started off by saying most typically-developing over-eight year olds can likely be successful. So what about a more neurodivergent child? The same developmental skills apply (toileting, dressing, following instructions), but there are a few others we might look for. What general level of support does your child have for everyday activities? What accommodations or modifications does your child use at school to ensure success? How is your child’s social development? Are they interested in interacting and playing with others? What about behavior? We firmly believe that our staff are the best trained staff in the world, but they are still mostly college students. They competently handle many different behaviors, but if your child has an one-on-one aide or is in a behavior classroom at school, they might not be ready for the excitement of camp yet. That is not to say they can never go to camp! There are many camps designed for children who need more support if you’re considering camp right now, or wait a year or two and see where things stand.
I know this is a lot to think about. The truth is, your child probably is ready! But sending your child to camp is a difficult decision, and one we don’t encourage you to make lightly. Think about my guidelines here, and as always, reach out if you have questions or want to discuss your specific child. My email is tali@falconcamp.com, and I am always happy to talk.
–Tali Cornblath, Assistant Director
