Managing Homesickness
Homesickness is incredibly common when children of any age attend sleep-away camps. It can happen whether it’s your child’s first summer or tenth! It is entirely normal, and at Camp Casco, we are well-equipped to address homesickness in campers of all ages. Our daily schedule is jam-packed with fun activities and surprises, which generally help keep camper minds preoccupied. Often, a listening ear, a hug, and a gentle redirection of the conversation cure most cases. Encouraging camp friends and silly counselors can quickly turn frowns upside down. Research shows that homesickness is not only common - it’s also preventable!
Here are some ways to decrease homesickness and maximize your child’s time at camp:
• Practice spending time away from home. If your child has not attended a sleep-away camp before, trying a sleepover at a family member’s house or overnight with a school friend can go a long way in helping a child get comfortable being away from home for a night.
• Get excited about activities and new experiences. A sleepaway camp is full of fun activities and theme days, but for more information to help your child get pumped for this year’s camp session, check out our website or social media pages for videos and pictures from years past! Excitement is an excellent way to refocus on fun.
• Involve your child in camp prep. An essential part of emotionally preparing your child to attend camp includes ensuring they feel like they have a say in the experience. Include your child in any pre-camp shopping, packing, or organization to allow them to feel more responsibility and ownership of the camp experience. We’ll continue this encouragement at camp by allowing campers some freedom and flexibility in their activities and day-to-day life.
• Talk about it. Many families worry that mentioning homesickness encourages it in a child, but in fact, the opposite is true! Talking about homesickness normalizes the experience and helps a child label and understand any new, difficult feelings it may cause. Don’t be afraid to discuss homesickness with your child ahead of time! It also helps to share personal tips and tricks for avoiding homesickness.
• Avoid encouraging your own anxieties. You may feel very nervous about your child going away to sleep-away camp, especially if this is the first time, and that’s normal. However, we encourage you to privately vent your anxieties and fears to other adults rather than your child. Hearing a parent’s fears over sleep-away camp may teach a child that there is something to be fearful of and encourage more homesickness than is necessary. Share your concerns with your partner, family,r friends, or us (Seriously, call us! We are here for you!) instead.
• Avoid making pick-up deals. A common answer to a child’s question, “What if I get homesick?” is the response, “Then I’ll come get you!” We respectfully request that you avoid making pick-up deals with your child, as it provides an easy alternative to participating and fully immersing in the camp experience. Even the best-trained, most experienced camp counselors will have a massive challenge trying to encourage and redirect a homesick camper who has made a pick-up deal with mom or dad. Reassuring your child that, yes, they may get homesick but that they are strong enough to work through it and will have a fantastic time will go such a long way in helping to equip your child to embrace the short time we have at camp.
Feel free to send us a message if you have any questions about camp: hello@campcasco.org
