Sleepover camp is a major childhood rite of passage. For many children it’s their first experience being away from parents and home. The familiar people, surroundings and activities that anchor life and provide belonging and stability are suddenly gone. While some children thrive in new environments and find making friends and trying new activities exciting, others grow anxious and can become distraught. Homesickness can turn summer camp into a trying experience for children and their parents.
Most children feel a few twinges of homesickness when they go away to camp. The challenge of making friends, a difference of agreement with another child, a reprimand from a counselor, difficulty excelling at camp activities — experiences that bruise the child’s ego or make him feel unsure of himself often engender a desire to return to the safety of home. For some children, the drastic change in environment and routine can be unsettling and upsetting. Sharing a room, interacting with new adults, unfamiliar foods, insects, camp bathrooms — so many new experiences at once push some children into emotional overload.
Parents can help their children prepare to cope with homesickness before they leave for summer camp. In the years leading up to overnight camp, expose your children to other adults, new friends, new activities and time away from parents and home. Encourage your children to participate in sports, dance classes, music lessons, scouts and other activities. Sign them up for park district, scout or sports day camps. Allow them to sleep over at friends’ and relatives’ homes.
Before camp, talk to your children about homesickness. Explain that feeling homesick is normal and that activities and making new friends will distract them from feeling sad or nervous. Let them take a talisman from home with them — a stuffed animal, family photo or other comforting item. Encourage them to write letters sharing their camp experiences and write to them. Write a cheerful letter before they leave, timing it to arrive the first or second day of their stay. Always be positive, encourage your child not to give up, and reassure your child that you know he can handle being away from home.
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