by Tiffany Belle

Created on: April 19, 2008

Summer camps are an excellent way for children to meet friends, learn new activities and just have a good time in the summer. Picking the right summer camp for your child is not always an easy task. You do not want to waste your money on a camp and your child have a horrible time and hate camp. Here are some guidelines that you should consider when picking a summer camp for your child.

Rely on word of mouth and recommendations from people you know on different camps.

Consider your child's personality and interests. If they are not into sports, they are not going to like an outdoor sports camps. Try to find a camp that they will have an interest in and is within your budget.

Learn about the counselors. Find out who they are and how old they are. A lot of camps have older campers as junior counselors in their cabins. Find out what kind of training the counselors have and how long they have been with the camp.

Call your local recreation center to see about any public day camps or programs that they offer. Even though they are only day camps and they will not be away from home at night, your child can still learn and have a great time during the day.

Decide the length of time you want the camp to be. Do you just want a day camp at home, or do you want a camp that you go away to. If you pick a camp that the child goes away to, decide for how long. A week? Four weeks? The whole summer?

See how much say your child has in selecting their activities at camp. Can he choose from different programs once he gets there or is he on a set schedule of programs with no variation away from the schedule. Also, see how long the camp last. What time are the activities over and what time will they have to go to bed at night.

Once you have found a camp that is in your budget and something that your child will enjoy, take a trip to the campgrounds. Meet with the administrators and look around the actual grounds. Are there age appropriate equipment and activities for your child. Find out what kind of medical care they offer. If it is a young child, see how much they will be monitored and watched during the day and night.

Basically, when choosing a summer camp for your child you want to do your homework well. Summer camps are not cheap. You want to have your child get the best experience possible as you do not want to have to go pick them up half-way through the camp. You also want to make sure that they will be safe and cared for. Even though they will be away from, you know that you will still be worrying about them.

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