I’ve loved going to overnight camp my entire life. I went to Camp Winnataska for the first time when I was 6 and I’ve been hooked ever since. I went every year as a camper until I was old enough to be a leader. I was on the summer staff during college and even went back to be an adult program specialist after I graduated. Then, a few years ago, I had the opportunity to join the team of adult volunteers as a weekly director. So when I say that I’m a forty (almost) year old “camp kid,” it’s really not much of an exaggeration!
When it was time to send our oldest to camp for his first time last year, I thought it would be a piece of cake for me! There’s not a question he could throw at me that I wouldn’t be able to answer. Honestly, I thought it would be pretty easy for him too. After all, he’d spent a couple of summers with me as a director and he knew exactly what he was getting himself into. What I wasn’t prepared for was the total 180 flip I had to do to think of camp preparation from a parent’s perspective! So, I wanted to share some tips that I thought would be helpful for any mom who finds herself entering her camp mom era this summer.
1. Prepare for Independence
One of the most wonderful things about camp is that children have the opportunity to learn what they are capable of when their parents aren’t around. They get to spread their wings a little and find themselves responsible for a lot of daily tasks that parents usually help with. While every camp has a well-vetted staff for your child to rely on, kids generally have more responsibilities when they are at camp. Here are a few things that we practiced with our son to prep him for doing things “on his own.”
Personal Hygiene Tasks
Children should be able to independently bathe themselves before they go to camp. Learning how to get all of the shampoo out of your hair is hard! Independence with brushing teeth, brushing hair, face washing, etc. will all need to be practiced before your child goes to camp.
Dressing/Undressing
This one seems fairly obvious…until you think about your child trying to get in and out of a wet bathing suit without your assistance. This also includes getting water shoes on and off and making sure your child can tie shoes if they have laces. As much as a camp’s staff is going to love you child, they are not going to love having to tie your camper’s shoes 37 times a day.
Daily Prep
Most of the time, children carry backpacks as they move their way through camp activities. They often need a change of shoes for water activities, goggles, a towel, bug spray, etc. So make sure your child can actually fit all of those things in their backpack. I cannot tell you how many millions of towels have been lost at summer camps because a child did not put it back in their backpack! Also make sure your child knows how to fill his or her water bottle. Some of the tops can be super tricky to get on securely and nobody wants a leaking water bottle at camp!
Nighttime routines
This one was hard for my mama heart. My little boy loves for me or my husband to scratch his back while he falls asleep. Since he’s our oldest, this is literally the one time of day that he gets our undivided attention. However, I knew that he would have to fall asleep on his own at camp. So about two months before he went to camp, we started practicing “camp kid nights.” He picked one night per week where we kissed him goodnight and let him fall asleep on his own. The first few attempts were hard. But by the time camp rolled around, he knew that he could fall asleep on his own.
A trial run
The first night at camp can be hard for some campers. Homesickness levels are always at their peak during nighttime routines. This is especially true for campers who have never spent a night away from home. If you have the opportunity to practice spending the night at a grandparent or friend’s house, I highly recommend trying that before you go to camp! Practicing a different nightly routine can make that first night easier for any camper!
2. Packing Hacks
Let’s be real, this is the section that you know you really need. My number one piece of advice for any parent preparing to send a child to camp is: make sure your child helps you pack their bag!!! Would it be wildly more efficient for you to pack for your child without them getting in the way, YES! However, you aren’t going to be there when your child needs to pack up at the end of the session. So they need to see how everything fits in their bag. They need to know where they are supposed to put their pillow and their bedding. They need to know that toiletries need to be inside the ziplock baggie. This is likely not a skill they have any experience with, so it is a really important step in ensuring that at least some of their things make it home!
Other important things to consider when you’re packing together:
Canvas laundry bags are a mom’s nemesis.
Your child will put wet clothes in the hamper and it will be absolutely disgusting by the end of their session. Mesh laundry bags let those nasty, damp clothes breath. The laundry bag will definitely still stink, but you can smell a canvas laundry bag from a mile away! (You will thank me when you have to put it back in your car at the end of the week!)
Label EVERYTHING.
No really, everything. Every shoe, towel, shirt, pair of shorts, undies, pair of pants, sheets, backpacks, hats, etc. If it has your child’s name on it, there is a significantly better chance that the item will return home! Inchbug makes some great label tags but you can also get clothing stamps if you’d prefer going that route. They are 1000% worth it!
The Ziplock bag hack.
It’s truly one of the best things that parents have figured out since I was a camper. For each day your child will be at camp, simply put a day’s worth of clothing in a ziplock bag and label it for the day. Most camps have themed night activities, so add a back for each night activity as well. Not only does it remind your child that they really should change clothes, it helps you make sure you’ve packed enough of everything!
3. Talk About What to Expect
If your camp hosts tours or new camper days, take advantage! It takes a lot of anxiety out of going to camp if you have seen where you’re going. It helps campers set their expectations just like when they went on a tour of their elementary school as a preschooler. Getting to meet some of the trusted adults and leaders can ease parent’s anxieties as well as campers!
Talk about the activities your child will get to do at camp! Most camp websites have pictures of their daily program areas and their nighttime activities. Look through them together so your child can get excited about what they can expect from camp!
If your child is nervous about going to camp, acknowledge their feelings. It can be very intimidating to be away from your family for a week! Let your camper know that it’s okay to have nervous feelings. However, don’t dwell on how much you will miss them or talk about things they will miss while they’re gone. Instead, give your camper some ideas of things you are excited to hear about when they get back. An example of how to redirect that conversation would be, “I know you may miss our dog while you are at camp. BUT I can’t wait to hear about you getting to ride a horse for the first time! Will you make sure you remember it’s name so you can tell me all about it?”
It can also be helpful to talk about things that your child has been nervous about in the past that turned out to be okay. Talking about going to a new school, moving to a new house, or trying a new sport can help a child realize that they’ve overcome their nervous feelings before. If trying soccer turned out to be super fun, just imagine how much more fun you can have at camp!
4. Things to Avoid
DO NOT take anything valuable to camp! That means sentimental value as well as monetary value. Your child will be living with several other children for anywhere from 3 nights to a month. As a weekly director, I’d love to tell you that the cabins are all nice and tidy for daily inspection. However, that would be a bold-faced lie. Imagine what your child’s room would look like after a week of no mom reminders. Now multiply that by the number of children in the cabin. THAT is why things go missing at camp!
So, leave the fancy watch at home. Don’t bring the nice, new clothes or the new tennis shoes. And please don’t bring the irreplaceable lovie or stuffed animal that your child sleeps with every night. There is just no way to guarantee it will make it home. My little boy couldn’t cope with the idea of not having anything to sleep with while he was at camp. So, I found a special “camp only” stuffie for him. It came with markers so he could get his little camp buddies to sign it and he thought it was the best thing ever!
Make sure you check for camp specific things to avoid. Most camps have policies on electronics, phones, smart watches, etc. They all also have specific guidelines for how to pack any kind of medications so that they can be stored properly by the staff.
5. Care Packages
Care packages are a camp staple. They can also be overwhelming when you don’t know what to put in one! I’m including a picture of one of my packages for my son last year to give you some starting point ideas. I included some small snacks, mad libs, a joke book, some glow sticks, a few games from the Dollar Tree, and a cooling towel. The Learning Express has some great fidget toys that are always a fan favorite! Dear Emmaline and Over the Moon also have a great selection of gift toys and camp swag to throw into a care package as well! Just remember when sending snacks to send things that are single-serve. Any snack that is in a multi-use container has the potential to attract some unwanted critters to join your child’s cabin.
6. Plan Something For You
When you send your child away for an overnight camp, you may find that it’s a little too quiet at home. Make sure you plan something for you while your child is away. Enjoy a few date nights. Plan a girls night out. Don’t just sit around at home thinking about what your camper is doing without you. This is also a prime opportunity to do a toy purge without getting caught.
Entering Your Camp Mom Era
I these tips and tricks have been helpful for you! I cannot put into words how camp helped shape me as a person growing up. It has been one of the greatest joys of my life watching my little boy learn to love the camp that has my heart. Not everyone has the benefit of growing up at camp, but I hope that you can not enter your camp mom era with a little more confidence, now. If you need any suggestions for a great local overnight camp, check out the BMC Guide to Summer Camps.
