7 year old hates camp.

[Anonymous]

My 7 year old is not into camp. I am home so its not a child care issue. Just wondering what others do in this situation. Do kids fall apart in the fall if they have no structure in the summer?

[Anonymous]

Why does the child hate camp. Where have they gone? In terms of structure, every kid is different.

[Anonymous]

My 8 year old hates camp too. He's hated it since he was in preschool. Last summer I made him go to a few weeks (maybe 4), and some he was ok with if he had a ton of friends at them, but one (he had friends there) he said was really, really boring. I found out what they did, and yeah, it sounded boring.

This summer I'm going to make him do a few sports camps (he likes sports) with friends and I'm using the money I'd save on camps to do better day trips and a few mid week trips to the beach.

[Anonymous]

My almost 6 year old hated one camp last summer but loved another. After talking with him, it was pretty clear why he hated the one experience. I'd talk to your child about why they dislike camp so much and try to find one that's more fun for them.

[Anonymous]

Are you paying for DPR-type camps? We've mostly stuck with high-quality camps (although more $$$) with daily swimming and all the bells and whistles. Our 7yo loves camp, and has been going since age 4.

The only one she was a little "meh" about was a more budget-friendly option last summer that required them to walk a long way in the heat to get to a playground.

[Anonymous]

Hates camp? Was it just one camp? Was it a particular mean counselor or kid? Not being able to swim as well as others? Being too hot? Was it not being with any of his friends from school? Bring stuck with kids with were much older or much younger?

Are you only able to offer one particular camp or nothing, or are you able to offer different types of camps, different locations, signing up with different friends, etc. before giving up on all camps entirely?

[Anonymous]

No, we just do different activities and its been fine. This year we are doing targeted camps to my child's interests but we just spend the time together. No big deal.

[Anonymous]

My kids don’t really like it. I make them do a few weeks of tennis camp for 2-3 hours a day. The rest of the summer we hang out, go to the pool, travel, play outside, etc. Pretty similar to summers when I was a kid, except we did no camp at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids don’t really like it. I make them do a few weeks of tennis camp for 2-3 hours a day. The rest of the summer we hang out, go to the pool, travel, play outside, etc. Pretty similar to summers when I was a kid, except we did no camp at all.

And my kids have no trouble transitioning back to school in the fall. They love school.

[Anonymous]

One of my kids didn't like camp for a long time either. We'd go to the library, the pool, visit museums maybe have some music or math lessons with a tutor once a week. Gradually I was able to introduce short camps, week long when he was especially interested in them and that's how it has developed from there.

[Anonymous]

I’m a teacher and home in the summer. One child never liked camp and would go to some if he went with a friend. He went years without any and eventually he wanted to go to his sport specific camp for a week or two. DC2 loved camp when younger but wanted more downtime as she got older. She did less and less structured summer activities. Going back to school has always been a hard transition for the three of us no matter what happened during the summer.

[Anonymous]

We are introverts and don't see the appeal of camps either, unless it's a specialized one that feeds their passion.

I feel sorry for all the kids who need to endure poorly run camps for the overly long summers in this area, because both their parents work.

What I've always done is structure their summer days with academic work, outings, pool, and periods where they can veg out. They have done one specialized camp every summer. This year, my teen will do several.

The answer is to have shorter summers and longer breaks during the school year. Then I'm sure camps wouldn't feel so terrible for the ones who are forced to go.

[Anonymous]

Any particular reason? If you want to child to go to camp - identifying where the dislike is coming from could help you find a better option. I have 1 DC who also hated camp until we found they were happier at a more relaxed "back-yard"
approach (How Cleveland Park Club used to be. Not sure how it is now.) and another who needs the structure and focus of a camp piquing their current interests. Finding out where friends are going and trying a 1-week camp could be a good way to ease into the idea.

[Anonymous]

The answer is to have shorter summers and longer breaks during the school year. Then I'm sure camps wouldn't feel so terrible for the ones who are forced to go.

If only! This a subject worthy of it's own thread, but yes - the harvest needs an overhaul!

[Anonymous]

*Harvest Schedule