Are You and Your Daughter Ready for Camp?

Take a brief quiz to see if you and your daughter are ready to attend resident camp.  Quiz

Prepare for camp together.

Mark the dates for camp on a calendar and have her help keep track of what she needs to pack or prepare beforehand.  Go over the packing list together and decide which items to bring.  If she helps pack her own bags, she'll be ready to to repack them at the end of camp, remembering what she brought and how the items fit together in the suitcase.

Talk about concerns.

As the first day of camp nears, some children experience uneasiness about going away.  Encourage your child to talk about these feelings so that you can help to alleviate some of them.  Communicate confidence in your child's ability to handle being away from home. 

To help while she's at camp.

Send a note or care package ahead of time to arrive the first day of camp.  keep the note upbeat and looking forward.  Ask specific questions about what she is doing, the girls she has met and so on. Share jokes, include items from the daily paper such as comics or crossword or word find puzzles.  Reinforce that you are very proud of her and that you can't wait to hear all about her time at camp. Pack a personal item from home, such as a stuffed animal.  Include a surprise note inside her bags or backpack.

For more articles and helpful hints for preparing yourself and your child for camp, visit the parent page on the American Camping Association's website at http://www.acacamps.org/parents