Summer boot camps can be a great opportunity for kids. They’re often life-changing experiences and can be used to help kids overcome challenges, mature emotionally, and learn better behaviors and coping mechanisms that they can then apply to the rest of their lives.
But heading to a summer boot camp, whether it’s a wilderness experience, a skills-building opportunity, or any other type of boot camp, requires a little extra preparation on your part. These 5 tips can help you to make sure that both you and your child are ready for the camp.
Head to the Doctor’s
Summer boot camps often mean a major lifestyle change for children and teens. Campers face a different diet, a new schedule, and sometimes pretty major physical exertion.
Before your child heads to a boot camp, you should schedule a doctor’s appointment for a physical evaluation. Bring a list of the camp activities with you to the doctor, and make sure that your child is healthy enough to safely attend the camp.
Tell Your Kid What to Expect
Going to a summer camp can cause any child to experience some anxiety, but a summer boot camp brings some added stress. Talk with your kid about what to expect during the camp. Be honest about important information like the camp’s duration, the activities your child will take part in, and the camp rules. Your child may protest some of the information, but giving them the truth about the camp upfront can help to make the transition a little less stressful for them.
Get a Packing List
The camp should provide you with a packing list of items that your kid will need. It’s a good idea to start working on this list as early as possible, especially if it contains common camping supplies that tend to sell out during the summer.
Create a checklist and work with your child or teen to make sure that they’ve packed everything that they will need. Do a last-minute check before you load the car to verify that you have all of the bags packed and ready to go.
Avoid Packing Special Items
As you help your kid pack for summer boot camp, it may be tempting to try to sneak a few special items or treats into their bags. Surely a bag of candy or a favorite photo can’t hurt, right?
Don’t do it. Including special items that aren’t specifically on the packing list won’t help your child or teen once they’re at camp. In fact, most camps have staff inspect each camper’s bags, and any items that aren’t permitted will be pulled out and sent home or discarded.
Summer boot camps are meant to be challenging, and they’re carefully designed with strict rules in place. Don’t break these rules before your child even gets to camp.
Plan Out Your Transportation
How will you get your child to summer boot camp? Some of these camps may be located across the state, or even multiple states away. They usually have strict drop-off times that you need to accommodate, and these times may not work with your schedule.
You’ll need to do a little schedule rearranging, or you can rely on GoKid to help you arrange other transportation options. Since GoKid makes it easy to set up carpools for your kids, this app gives you more scheduling freedom when it comes to transporting your busy family. If you know another family whose child is going to the same camp, you can use GoKid to set up carpools to get the kids to and from camp.
Summer boot camps can make for a life-changing experience, and your child or teen may arrive home with new habits and skills, and even a new attitude. The better prepared you are for the camp, the smoother the drop-off process should be on both you and your child.
