Parental wisdom... Some practical advice

• Do encourage your child to go on sleepovers to grandparents, friends and relatives before the camp.
• Do not have your child involved too much in the packing process, or they feel nervous.
• Do encourage your child to come to camp with his/her favorite toy.
• Do not tell your children that they can come home after a week if they do not like something. It sends the negative message that the camp is only for a week and no matter how good of a time they are having they will say they want to come home after the first week. Just say, "I am sending you because I know you will like it there. If after the session you do not like something then we can discuss it and think of alternatives".
• Do not repeat over and over again how much you will miss your child. Just say, “I love you, and can't wait to hear about your new friends and activities”.
• Having a friend or sister/brother at the camp is a sense of comfort for the first time camper.
• Do not expect everything to be wonderful. Young first time campers tend to want home when they suddenly think about it. This is normal, as they are not used to having people other then Mom and Dad close by. You cannot imagine how easy they forget their fears and relax. And they will learn the greatest benefit of camp: that they can be more independent and with the assistance of other adults solve their own problems.