You want your children to have the best summer experience. That’s why choosing a summer camp for your children can be a tough decision to make. Is overnight camp the right decision for your family?

Sleep away camps offer different experiences and memories for children, from those who attend day camp. Children who stay at a camp away from home must learn how to deal with their loneliness and independence without the security of knowing that they can return home at the end of the day. Most sleep away camps start around the age of 8-years-old, but parents should keep in mind that as the children get older, camp stays tend to become longer.

Some children who attend a sleep away camp may experience feelings of anxiety from being away from their parents. Sleep away camp does provide children with the opportunity to experience growing pains, perhaps, dealing with feelings or raw emotions, all while making friends and bonding over outdoor activities. Camp counsellors who enjoy nature’s best activities often run summer sleep away camps and their enthusiasm often transcends to the kids, helping them focus on the activities to get over being homesick.

Stephen, is a dad of three children. Every summer he sends his children to a sleep away camp in Ontario. He believes that it is a summer experience that his children should not miss out on. The sleep away camp that he sends his children to does not allow electronics. So his children have to enjoy their time at camp off their phones and even resume to writing letters to communicate with their parents.

“Sleep away camp is a great experience,” Stephen explains. They are exposed to activities that are out of the norm. They learn to handle responsibilities as a team, make new friends, and rekindle old friendships from the year before. One fact of life that is tough, but is a great experience, is learning to deal with situations, such as loneliness – oh my, letter writing –and rekindling the imagination. ‘No electronics. What do I do?’ Sending the kids every year is a proposition that is beneficial, and in most cases, the kids will ask to return.”

What about the hefty price tag? How does a parent properly budget for a summer sleep away camp, especially, if you have more than one child? Most sleep away camps start at around $700 per week and prices can go up quickly depending on the camp. There are ways to budget for summer camp throughout the year. Some grandparents give their grandchildren money for their birthdays and holidays. Some parents start a camp fund just as they would for a vacation by saving increments throughout the year. Always start with a goal and aim towards summer as your deadline. Summer sleep away camp may not be an opportunity that you would want your child to miss out on.