Camps are always fun for children since the experience keeps their adrenaline high and their moods elevated. However, parents always have an uncertain apprehension in letting their little ones out of sight, especially if it would take some time before seeing them again. As a parent, it’s always commendable to get your children out of the leash and loosen a bit. Of course, they’ll need some time away to figure a few things on their own and their intuition into use.
Camps are the perfect fit to amass all the fun and play. Therefore, it’s always good to know how to prepare your kids. In this regard, you’ll need to do some in-depth research and adequately frame the experience. Perhaps, it would also deem fit to have a hearty chat with the camp team and assess their level of professionalism. This guide will provide insight on kids camp in Singapore and explain how you’ll better prepare your child for them.
1. Do some proper research
Proper research sharpens your intuition and offers the chance to learn a thing or two about the camp. It goes a long way into channeling your decision-making to ensure that what the camp offers is up to scratch. A proper scuffling of the papers for some helpful information won’t bite but offer you an angle to scrutinize safety and standard. There are numerous sources you can turn to, and some include asking around from people or doing deep searches on the internet.
If that doesn’t feel enough, take yourself to the camp beforehand and see if you can find out more about it yourself. If feasible, have a chat with the officials and let them touch on the intricacies. Of course, it would concern you to have your child under their care, and if indeed so, you need to keep close tabs.
Whether you are sending your child to a summer art camp LA, or one a little closer to home, doing the right research will leave you safe in the knowledge they are safe, and being well looked after. Allowing your child the freedom to express their passion for art or the outdoors starts when you know as much as possible about where they are going.
2. Have a chat with the camp team
A good chat with the camp team would play a big part in your research to get the assurance that your kid is in able hands. No parent wants to feel wary about their children, especially away with some strangers. It’s good to have a hearty conversation with those involved and connect personally. This way, you’d forge some trust and scrap away your fears.
In-depth conversations quickly build trust since you’ll be well sure about the kind of camp maker your child is in the custody of. In case your child needs something extra, like some personality training, you’ll choose who handles that if you at least personally knew them.
3. Encourage your child to be independent
While it’s okay to shower your child with all the pampering and comfort, it’s good to break that loop a few days before the camp. And no, it doesn’t mean that you take away their toys or stop giving them what makes them happy but ingraining in their mind the idea of independence. It means that they’ll have to learn how to figure things out by themselves, like taking baths, brushing their teeth, and cleaning their shoes.
Please focus on the progress and reward it with praise. Don’t try telling your kids that they’d be back home as soon as they’re done because that’ll make them determined to finish the camp quickly. Make it all about them having fun exploring new things with new people they can be good friends with.
4. Prepare them to make friends
Speaking of friends, it’s imperative to prep your child quite somewhat to engage others in conversations. If your child is the extroverted type with a seamless ability to connect with new people quickly, there won’t be much to worry about. However, the opposite can be true to an introverted child, who typically confines themselves and doesn’t feel easy being around new people. For such children, camps can be the idea of torture which won’t bid well for them.
Therefore, give it a try with a few preparations before they set foot on the camp. Figure out what your child loves and would happily share with others. If they have a relentless passion for Lego robotics or playing the guitar, ensure that they carry one. Or if they love indulging in physical play – say, soccer – get them a football. Wanting to share their passion with others will likely help them quickly start conversations.
5. Find the doctor for the medicals due
Most camps require prior medical assessments before receiving children as due process. If it calls for it, don’t hesitate but rather move fast to avoid last-minute gushes. To prepare adequately, pre-arrange meets with your doctor or health provider to make the necessary medical assessments. If your child doesn’t pass the test, it will comfortably position you to arrange for special care if your kid needs one.
Prior knowledge of your child’s health condition will help check if they cut it health-wise to reassure seamless admission to the camp. If not, it would help to know if there’s anything you can do to handle it. It’s critical to figure if special attention would be necessary to ensure that your kid stays comfortable and well taken care of by the staff.
6. Involve your child in packing
Don’t just check every item box on paper as you pack without your child’s consent. Of course, it’s your responsibility to ensure that every item needed for the camp is included, but at least let your child follow closely. It would help if they knew what gets in their packs to be aware rather than get stuck in oblivion when they can’t find them when unpacking.
It is good to label everything and let your child understand what gets in their bag and their respective uses when packing. This way, it won’t be challenging shuffling through the bag when trying to find something to use since they’ll aim straight at it. It would also prove helpful on their way back home since it would provide a blueprint on how to pack neatly and effortlessly. Perhaps as you tag them along with the packing, try explaining how they’ll use the items not to get confused.
7. Drop your child to the station on time and leave immediately
Don’t linger around the bus station when your child boards the bus to set off to camp. It’s typical with most parents, and as much as it shows concern, it wreaks havoc on children’s emotions. Staying and waving goodbye won’t help. Instead, it’ll induce homesickness that potentially unsettles them. Besides leaving promptly, you also need to arrive on time at the picking station. Or, if you’re dropping them at the camp, be sure not to show up late.
Arriving on time and leaving within a short while will enable your child to quickly acclimatize with the ambiance of friends, making it easy to adapt. It would stop them from feeling homesick and pick up faster. It would be best to let the staff and camping team take over immediately, and trusting them with that will work well both ways.
8. Talk to them about the camp positively beforehand
One way to sort out the anxiety is to engage your child in a bit of pep talk to prep them psychologically. Please don’t go all-in trying to scare them to bits with eerie stories about camps. These camps are all about having fun and changing perspectives and might as well be elating for your child. There shouldn’t be anything worrying about camps, given the level and effort of care the campers give.
Therefore, it would help to reinforce the belief and relay the idea that camps are fun by talking to them calmly but assertively. Try voting in some confidence in them by assuring them that it’s not just a few weeks they’ll be away from you, but the great adventure in store for them would be unforgettable. If you have some memorable experiences with camps, probably from your past, walk down the memory lane with them and let them build some perspective. Here’s how to talk about camp.
• Reminding them that children in the camp are always willing to make friends, and it’s not always about keeping it to themselves. Let them learn that camps are fun and adventurous.
• Ask some positive questions that build optimism. Nag them with questions like “what feels fun for you” or “what type of friends do you like?” Asking these questions is a subtle way of igniting their interest and shun the belief that camps are constraining.
• Convince them to ask questions that address their concerns. If they need clarity on a few things about camping, encourage them to spit it out. And make sure you give a reassuring answer to settle their nerves.
• Help them build perspective by watching videos of other campers happily and merrily enjoying the ambiance of camps.
• Reassure them by showing concerns. Of course, a few things about camp may sound alien to them, especially their first time. Let them know that you understand their fears and that it’s pretty normal. After all, they get over them and immerse in the fun and play in the camps.
Conclusion
Whether it’s a Christmas camp, a day or asleep-away camp you’ve put your child in, there’s no denying that they’re going to make the best of them. With all the fun and adventure that camps bring, they’re an ideal way of disengaging children from the contemporary world of video games and computers and at least learn a thing or two about the outside world. However, it’s always good to prepare them psychologically to make their camp experience more worthwhile.