Each parent has his or her own reasons, but summer camp where kids sleep over, or day camp where kids just go for the day, is a phenomenon that’s taken hold.
Camp is appropriate for the school-age child in four important ways:
Skill building. The child in these middle years is typified by this need to be productive. Whether it’s making cookies at home or candles at camp, he wants to do it right with little adult supervision. Camp provides opportunities to satisfy kid’s needs for real-life productivity.
Friendships. School-age children still like Mom and Dad, but belonging to a social group and learning friendship skills is a push that lies within each child. Camp throws kids into a new milieu where they can test their developing social ability.
Adventure. Children between 8 and 14 hunger for adventure. Today’s parents don’t permit children to pack a lunch and go off unsupervised into the woods or to the beach. Camp satisfies the child’s need for adventure, yet it’s safe and supervised. Parents can relax.
Mentors. Successful adults who guide children during these years are the ones who take on the role of mentor. The effective adult overseeing a rocket-building project does just that - oversees, coaches, offers information - but doesn’t dictate how to complete the activity. This is definitely the role of the beloved camp counselor.
Camp also gives children a chance to change. Maybe your child - at school or at home - is the trouble-maker, the shy one, the clown, the responsible one. Going to camp where nobody knows him/her allows a new person to take hold. The troublemaker can become a helper, the shy one can try out a little silliness, the clown can become reticent and the responsible one can explore her mischievous side.
Maybe your child won’t be going to camp this summer, but look at his or her developing needs and see how these might be met elsewhere. One child goes off to her relative’s farm each summer in South Dakota; another goes to Whidbey Island with cousins and Grandma and Grandpa. Thought not formal camps, these places fill the camp bill.
Camp also provides a needed service for working parents and single parents. Rather than be left alone at home, kids go to camp. One 8-year old boy has his summer filled with a different adventure each week. His mom feels these camps are more appropriate for her son.
Going off to camp is a poignant experience. Kids are there with adults who expect them to do as much for themselves as possible, push their competencies, keep track of their belongings and feel a new set of emotions - everything from independent to worried to excited to lonely.
But camp isn’t for every child. Ask adults who themselves went to camp - some hated it, some loved it. Some love it at 10 and hated it at 12, others vice versa. Some thought it an OK experience but really felt it was just a way for their parents to get a break from the rigors of parenting, which might be the real and best reason you’re sending your child to camp.
For particulars about preparing your child for camp, go to the Web site http://www.family.go.com and search for “summer camps.” You’ll find all you need to know about a successful summer-camp experience for your child.
Jan Faull, a specialist in child development and behavior, answers questions of general interest in her column. You can email her at janfaull@aol.com or write: Jan Faull, c/o Families, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111.
