Tomorrow marks the end of our first session of summer 2019. Transitioning from camp to home can be 
challenging. Of course, campers are happy to reunite with their family, but they’ll also be missing their camp friends and activities. Kids tend to ‘re-invent’ themselves at camp and it can be jarring to return home where people don’t know how they’ve grown. Whether the achievement was climbing a mountain, milking a goat, scaling a rock face, singing at a variety show, a long-distance swim, or just making a new friend; kids grow and change very quickly at camp.
Here are some tips to help your camper transition to home life and to learn more about their summer:
- It may take a while before they’re ready to talk about their experiences, so give them plenty of time and space to do so. A round of rapid-fire questions are unlikely to yield the answers you’re looking for.
- Open-ended questions like “Tell me about one great thing that happened this summer” or “What surprised you about camp?” may yield better results.
- Camp is very stimulating and your camper may need some extra quiet time before they’re ready to share. They’ll probably sleep late and not be up for a lot of socializing for a few days.
- They may also be more interested in reconnecting with their camp friends than reconnecting with you! Try not to feel hurt. It’s normal and only temporary.
- You might find your camper more willing to help out with chores or that they have a new sense of maturity. If you notice these changes let them know (and you can let us know, too. We do love to hear how campers bring F&W home).
- See if you can convince your camper to look at the photo blogs with you. Ask them to explain to you what’s happening in the pictures.
P.S. Have any questions about pick-up, directions, the bus, places to spend a night, etc? Check out these links:
