Parental Counsel

Ask your 1-to-1-help.net counsellors1to1Help.net CounsellorsI would like to send my son to a summer camp where he learns something. But with many summer camp programmes advertised these days, I‚m confused. How do I choose the right summer camp for my child?Reena David, BangaloreWith the commencement of the summer holiday, camps and classes are attracting children in large numbers. Camp experience could make a significant impact on your child‚s life. Therefore it‚s important for parents to carefully choose a suitable camp. Many parents choose a camp regardless of children‚s needs and desires. In other cases, children are sent to a camp on the recommendation of friends. But very often such referrals prove inadvisable. Here are some of the things that you should keep in mind while selecting a camp for your son. Ascertain what you and your son expect of a summer camp. Regardless of the age of your child, it is important that the camp meets the needs, interests, goals, and expectations of parents and child. Parents must make an effort to understand what children want and why. Does your son want to learn new skills, or develop more self-confidence, improve proficiency in certain areas, become more independent? These aspirations must be considered while choosing a summer camp destination. Type of camp. Summer camps and classes promise to provide a wide range of activities for children ‚ painting, sculpting, rock climbing, swimming etc. Parents often enroll their children into such high-promising camps with the expectation that children will learn everything within a short span of time. Such great expectations are unrealistic. If there are too many activities, your son may become confused and lose interest in the camp itself. Thus, it is important to select a camp which offers at most one or two activities of your child‚s interest. Another important point to bear in mind is the type of camp your child is attending. It could be a daily classes kind of camp without night stay. The other kind of summer camp is the sleep over type which involves a stay for a number of days. Make the choice of summer camp wisely taking into account how well your son will be able to adjust if it‚s a long duration camp. Whichever camp you and your child choose it is important to be conscious about the safety and security of your child. Make it a point to check out the organisers and facilitators of the camp. Check if they have the skills, expertise and experience to manage children. Also check out the hygiene and sanitation arrangements. Checking these aspects before deciding will make your child‚s summer camp experience memorable. Cost. This is another important consideration while choosing a camp, because prices vary widely. Always agree on the budget before choosing a particular summer camp. This will give you a clear idea about the expense involved and eliminate last minute cancellation or tension.Size of camp. Check out the number of children attending the chosen camp. Usually summer camps take 100-150…