To Give the Best Summer Camp Experience Possible, You Must Include Them in the Decision-Making Process

Camp does lots of very good things for kids.  It helps them make new friends, learn responsibility,  improve and increase their self-confidence and esteem, and adds so much additional value to their growth and development -- indeed, their lives -- that it's hard to mention all the amazing benefits here.

At the same time, parents must do their part, too, to help put their kids in the best position to enjoy the best possible camp experience.

One of the ways you do that is including your child in the summer camp decision-making process versus unilaterally deciding where your child will go to camp.

Parents ask us all the time where we think they should send their kids to camp.  We're always happy to share our knowledge of the L.A. summer camp scene.  In our opinion, though, that's not really the ideal question to be asking.  Instead, you should be consulting with your son or daughter about what kinds of things they like to do and the types of camps they may be interested in, then proceed with your summer camp search from there.

If your child is going to have the best Los Angeles summer camp experience they've ever had, you need to do your part to find out what kinds of activities your child likes to do -- what kinds of things sound fun to them -- then research available programs taking into consideration your child's input. (If you are an involved parent, you probably already know this! :)

The main point to note is that choosing a summer camp should be a family decision where everyone contributes, not one made by the parents in a vacuum.  It is widely known and has been proven among camp professionals and industry insiders, that children are more likely to enjoy camp when their input is taken into account as to which camp they eventually choose.

If Your Child Hates Baseball, Don't Choose a Baseball Camp!

Look at it this way. Let's say you're a baseball fan, so you think your son would love to attend a baseball sports camp. That's So you find a baseball camp in L.A. and send your son to camp...but he hates it!

And you know what?  The reason he hates it might very well be because you didn't take the time to ask him whether he'd even enjoy going to a baseball camp or not.

If you'd only asked, you would've discovered he'd rather learn about animals and prefer a nature-based program instead.

So when a parent asks us where we think their kids should go to camp, we're always happy to help. But ultimately the choice should be yours -- and your child's. 

If you decide on a camp without first consulting your camper, you run the risk of choosing program he or she has limited interest in.  Imagine the struggle you'd face just trying to get your child to go to camp in the first place, let alone enjoy it.

But when you ask your child what kind of camp she'd like to go to this summer, and really consider their input, you can be confident you'll pick a winning program and your camper will have a meaningful experience all summer long.