How to Assess if Your Kid is Ready for Day Camp

Day camp can be one of the best experiences your child will have in his or her young life. It can prepare your kid for preschool or for longer overnight camps. Day camps also have great summer programs for kids to help them learn new skills, meet new friends or just be active during the summer months. However, simply sending your child to day camp without assessing for readiness may also have negative effects on him or her.

How to Assess if Your Kid is Ready for Day Camp

Here are some tips that can help you assess if your child is ready to join a day camp with a summer program for kids:

1. Readiness isn’t just about age. Some kids get enrolled in summer programs for kids as early as their toddler years. Whether this is for swimming lessons or arts and crafts specialty camp, you need to find out if the program is fit for the developmental needs of your child in his particular age. Find out also if there is an age group within your chosen camp that your child can belong to.
2. Is your child always worried when you are not around? Separation anxiety is normal in the first few days of camp. If this is your child’s first time to be away from you for long periods, expect him or her to be a bit resistant during the first few days. Let a week of day camp pass before determining whether or not the separation anxiety is affecting your child so much that he or she would not enjoy the activities for the rest of summer. 
3. Socializing is an integral part of day camp. Some kids warm up to others fairly fast while others take some time. If your child is hesitant about meeting new people, it may be a good idea to bring him or her to other social activities first before considering enrolling in camp. 
4. Is your child able to follow instructions? To be able to safely take part in different activities at day camp without your guidance, your child must be able to listen and follow simple instructions. There are summer programs for kids that require the participation of parents or caregivers (such as swim programs for toddlers), but in most cases, these programs are designed to make your child more independent. 
5. Can he or she communicate his/her needs with adults? This is another important factor to consider before sending off your kid to day camp. You and your child may have a different level of communication where you are able to easily predict his or her needs, but in camp, the setting is entirely different. Other adults must be able to understand what your child is trying to say.

As the parent, you are the best judge of whether or not your child is ready for day camp. You can help ease any anxiety by talking them through what to expect from the program or even visiting the camp grounds before it officially starts.