How to make your child’s summer camp experience rock

Warmer days are (slowly) upon us and as the schooldays wind down, many parents and kids alike are thinking towards their summer plans.

For some that means summer school, for others, vacations abroad. But many young people will take part in the summer camp experience.

But when it comes to choosing the right camp for your child, do you know what to look for?

Yahoo Canada Shine recently spoke with Katie Herrick Bugbee, senior managing editor and resident global parenting expert of Care.com to get her expert tips and tricks for ensuring your child has the best summer camp experience.

There are three main types of summer camps – specialty camp, general day camp and sleepover camp.

“The average day camp can have soccer and arts and crafts and drama and introduce them to so many things,” says Herrick Bugbee. “But what's fun about a specialty camp is you can really hone in on a child's interests.”

Also see: The best graduation tips for parents, from parents

General camps are great for parents looking to enroll their child for a week or two at a time, exposing them to many interests. They can easily be worked around a family’s summer vacation or other plans.

Other factors to consider include camp cost and location. How far you’re willing to travel (or send your child) and how specialized the camp is will go into determining total costs. Sleepover camps are generally more expensive as the camp provides lodging and meals on top of daily activities. You’ll also need to ensure your child has all necessary supplies.

Summer camps can help children develop self-confidence, interpersonal and leadership skills as well as self-sufficiency.

“Some agricultural camps might do this where they have say horseback riding where you have to take care of the horse and the horse stall and it's really fun and really great experience for kids to learn something and to grow in that way,” says Herrick Bugbee.

Also see: Adorable twins fight over a shoe

When it comes to choosing a summer camp, include your child in the process of picking which camp they’d like to attend. The Internet has made it extremely easy to search for programs that match your child’s interests and some even offer virtual tours of their sites.

“Many of the sleepover camps have Facebook pages and you can even talk to alums. You can really become part of that community,” adds Herrick Bugbee.

Packing their own bag and lunch are also great ways to let your child feel involved in the day camp experience.

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges kids face when going to camp – especially sleepover – is separation anxiety. Herrick Bugbee suggests parents use these feelings as an opportunity to help their child grow, saying that communication is key to dealing with those feelings.

Also see: Mom turns daughters' lunches into delicious works of art

“We've heard that about 95% of kids are homesick, it's just a fact of life,” she says. “It's actually a little relieving because kids can bond over it and it's just normal.”

She suggests that for sleepover camp parents (and the rest of the family) send letters and self-addressed stamped envelopes so the child can write back. Setting up their bunk with special items from home can also help to ease the transition.

“I think it's great introducing your kids to new experiences and challenges. It's just great no matter how long it is.”

Each day at sleepover camp should become easier on your child. She says most children don’t struggle with separation anxiety at day camp as it’s a similar experience to daycare.