Should Your Child Bring a Friend with to Summer Camp?

Thinking of sending your child to camp with a friend from home? While it may seem like a good idea, this could potentially backfire. Since most kids attend overnight camp on their own, having friends from home attend together can complicate not only their experience but also that of their bunkmates. So before you decide and enroll, let’s look at the potential pros and cons of attending summer camp with a friend:

Pros

• Can make adjusting to camp life easier
• Can ease initial anxiety and boost confidence
• Can provide an emotional safety net

Cons

• Can make adjusting to camp life harder
• Can prevent them from making new friends or branching out socially
• They can become dependent on each other and miss out on crucial opportunities of personal growth and independence
• Feelings of resentment or guilt are likely if one friend wants to do their own thing but the other does not
• Can strain the friendship due to differences in interests and goals
• Makes sharing cabin life with the larger group difficult and may negatively impact their bunkmates experience

If you’re concerned about them making friends:

Summer camps excel at fostering friendships and creating inclusive cabin groups quickly, regardless of age. Plus, returning campers are very welcoming and LOVE making friends with newbies. Most kids make new friends before their parents even leave on arrival day.

If you’re concerned about homesickness

Some homesickness and initial discomfort is expected and unavoidable. Your child’s ability to overcome this on their own is essential for their personal growth and confidence. Remember, summer camps are experts at helping kids get past any homesickness fast.

If you’re concerned about them being on their own

Thinking your child can’t handle overnight camp by themselves and needs a buddy from home is setting them up for failure. Most kids come to camp on their own. It’s part of the allure of camp and what allows kids to build confidence, resilience, and independence.

If you’re concerned about something else

Discuss it with the camp! The idea of your child attending camp with a friend from home often stems from something so talk about that with the camp. Chances are they’ve heard it countless times before and will put your mind at ease. Most camps have been doing this for a very long time, after all.

Sending them with a friend? Tips to prevent conflicts

• Communicate this pre-existing friendship to the camp before enrolling
• Discuss camp expectations with both friends and both parents together beforehand to minimize any conflicts
• Make sure they’re prepared to make new friends and share cabin life with their bunkmates
• Emphasize having their own independent experiences and they shouldn’t always being doing everything together

Ultimately, the decision is up to you and your family. Most camps will highly recommend kids attend on their own but every situation is unique. If you think the benefits outweigh the possible downsides then enroll them with a friend from home. Just be sure both friends understand expectations before getting to camp and are ready to share the experience with each other and their bunkmates.