Many campers away from home for the first time are homesick for a short period of time.  It is not uncommon for children to experience homesickness while attending camp. For those who do, the sickness is real.

There are steps you, as a parent, can take to help your child be ready for a camp experience.  Parent support and preparation can minimize the chance of homesickness. 

• Discuss the selection of a camp with your child
• Point out some of the exciting activities that lie ahead
• Emphasize that your child is “going” to camp rather than “being sent” to camp
• Avoid statements like, “I’m going to miss you,” which may make a child feel guilty about going to camp.  Use comments like, “I know you’re going to have a great time," "I'm so proud of you."

If this is your child's first time away from home, homesickness may occur.  Speak of it as a natural experience and help your child understand that it usually passes quickly.  Don't dwell on it.  Don't speak of it as though you expect them to become homesick.  A parent confident in their child will inspire their child to be confident in themselves.  Cabin counselors are trained to recognize and deal with the symptoms of homesickness.  You can prepare your child for being away at camp by letting the child spend a weekend away with relatives or friends.  Children who are accustomed to spending time away from home are less likely to experience homesickness.  If your child has difficulty spending a night away from home, he may not be emotionally ready for overnight camp.

You can be an encouragement to your child during the week

• Write letters to your child at camp.  Kids love mail.
• One-way e-mail can be sent to campers through a form on this website

What will the camp do if my child gets homesick?

There are different approaches that will work with different campers.  Because most homesickness occurs on one of the first 2 days, we will encourage the campers to focus on activities that may be coming up later in the week.  The anticipation of the waterslide that is 3 days away is sometimes enough to help a camper through the first day of camp.

Other campers respond well to a visit from one of the program staff or the camp nurse.  When the campers engage in conversation, telling about their pets from home or sharing about all the reasons they love their family, they often jump right back into the camp activities.  It is such a joy for the staff to see campers who have experienced some homesickness on Monday, not wanting to leave at the end of the week.

If we don't see any improvement in the situation either the Camp Director or Nurse will call the parents and inform them of the situation.  The camp staff are aware that if the problem is mishandled and the child goes home it can be very difficult for the child to ever try camp again.  We will work with the parents and do our best to make sure the child has a great camp experience.