Far too many of us take the decision of where to send our child for summer camp too lightly. 

Actually, this is a decision that is going to shape our child in many ways for years and perhaps the rest of their lives.  Did you spend any time in a summer camp whenever you were a child?  You probably either remember it as being some of the more enjoyable times that you ever spent or you remember it with unpleasant feelings. 

Regardless of how you spent your summers as a child, however, finding the best summer camp for your child is going to make a large difference in how well they will enjoy it or not.

The first thing that you really need to consider is what your child wants to do a camp.  Although you are going to have the final say as far as that is concerned, it is always helpful and beneficial if you take your child’s opinion into consideration.  Your idea of what the best summer camp is may differ greatly from what your son or daughter’s image of  the ideal camp.  It is not always necessary for you to bend to the point of breaking in this regard but it certainly wouldn’t hurt for you to meet them in the middle somewhere.

You should also keep the camp philosophy in mind as you research various possibilities.  Since your child is going to be molded to a certain extent by the camp program, you want to make sure that the camp’s philosophy of education, sportmanship, and child development are a good match for your own. There’s no point in confusing your child by teaching them one thing at home and then exposing  them to a radically different set of standards whenever they are away at summer camp.

Of course, there are a number of other things that you need  to consider  when choosing from the best summer camp for your family. 

  • Day or overnight camp
  • Traditional or specialized camp
  • Single sex or co-ed camp
  • Cost per child and per session
  • Location and distance from home
  • Size of the camp grounds
  • Number of children attending a typical session
  • Age range of campers
  • Experience of camp staff

 You should also look for a list of references that would let you know how other parents felt about the camp once their children were finished attending it for the summer session.

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