Step by Step Ways to Prepare as a Family for Sleep Away Camp

Sending your child away to sleep away camp for the summer can be fun and exciting, and also quite stressful for the whole family if you don’t have the necessary tools to help you with the process. Sleep away camp provides many benefits; helping the child develop autonomy and more independence in their everyday life. The transition from school and staying at home to going to a sleep away camp is a big change for both the family and the attending child(ren). To help parents and families navigate this change, here are some tips broken down by step-by-step.

Before camp: Emotional Regulation Skills and Open Conversations.

The first step of this process occurs weeks or even months leading up to camp. It’s highly encouraged to work with a therapist to develop more emotional regulation skills, including ‘Mindfulness’, and ‘Coping Ahead’. Teaching your child Mindfulness skills, such as five senses and box breathing, can help them form a coping toolkit that they can utilize in a time of need. Practicing mindfulness skills like these, and others, before sending your child off to camp will be helpful in helping them utilize self-soothing strategies.

Having a conversation with your child about the expectations of camp, the limits of talking with their parents, and determining the areas in which they may find difficulty, is extremely important as well. Coping Ahead strategies can work hand-in-hand with these open conversations and help families develop plans for safety and boundaries. Open conversations about the excitements of camp is also equally as important as identifying coping strategies. Getting your child excited, talking about all of the positives about camp will be helpful in framing this experience as a positive one.

During camp- Continuing with Parent Sessions.

After your child leaves for camp, it’s important as parents to continue the work with their current therapist. Scheduling weekly parent meetings to meet with your child's therapist can help to assist in the creation of clear expectations for when your child returns, learning parenting strategies to help manage your child's behavior while they’re away and when they return, as well as help parent’s to process the leaving of their children, which can be as equally as stressful on the family. This gives you time, as parents, to ground yourself and prepare for the upcoming school year.

After camp- Setting Expectations.

Before your child returns home from camp, it’s highly encouraged to set up an appointment for your child with their current therapist. Having a clear date and expectation that they will return to therapy to process the summer events, is imperative. Returning to therapy after camp will allow the child to process the obstacles and accomplishments from the summer and help them transition to school back into the school season. At camp, your child will be in a very structured environment; planned meals and planned activities. Maintaining structure at home such as creating schedules can also help with the transition between camp, home, and starting school. As parents, setting rules and expectations in the home before your child returns home, will help you formulate the best course of action to meet your child's needs.