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 By the time school's out for summer, parents and guardians should
feel confident that their children are ready for camp and that their
chosen camp is well prepared for their children, according to a
policy statement on summer camp health and safety issued June 21 by
the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"When families find the right camp for their child, the camp
experience has been proven to have a lasting and positive effect on
psychosocial development, self-esteem, relationships, independence,
leadership, values, and even spark a willingness to try new things,"
said Dr. Michael Ambrose, a pediatrician at St. Joseph Mercy
Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and lead author of the statement.
"Many children in urban and suburban settings especially benefit
from the opportunity to overcome a lack of connection with nature,
which has been associated with depression, attention disorders, and
obesity," Ambrose said by email.
Summer camps have been a rite of passage for many American children
for more than 150 years, Ambrose and colleagues write in the
statement published in Pediatrics.
Today, more than 14,000 daytime and overnight camps exist in the
U.S., and more than 14 million children attend one of these camps,
according to the policy statement.
To ensure the camp is a good fit for kids, parents should as much as
possible involve their children in the selection process and choose
a program that matches their child's interests and abilities,
doctors recommend.
This includes making sure camps are equipped to handle common
problems like homesickness as well as social and emotional needs of
campers. It also means ensuring that camps are able to manage any
chronic physical or mental health conditions that campers have.
"Some children may not be ready for camp from a development
perspective, which could impact their overall camp experience,"
Ambrose said. "When a particular camp is a poor fit for an
individual child, it may affect their behavior and cause them to
withdraw or act out."
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Particularly for inexperienced and younger campers, parents can
minimize the potential for problems by practicing time away from
home before sending kids to camp, whether with sleepovers or
day-long hikes or other activities with friends or relatives.
Parents should also make sure camps have up-to-date health and
vaccination records for their children and ensure there is a nurse
on site and a plan in place to address any illnesses or injuries.
Parents should review camp health policies, too, and make sure to
make advance plans for handling chronic issues like asthma or ADHD
or food allergies during camp.
Camp is also the wrong time to make changes to children's medication
regimens, said Dr. Amy Hepper, who teaches at the University of
Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and is also medical director of
Camp Bold Eagle in Ypsilanti. This is especially true with ADHD.
"Camp is a new, overwhelming and at times overstimulating place, and
keeping them on their medication helps the camper and the staff
navigate this more smoothly," Hepper, who wasn't involved in the
statement, said by email.
Good communication also goes a long way, Hepper said.
"Knowing how parents would handle issues at home helps us handle
them at camp when parents are away," Hepper said.
Parents should also be talking to their kids about camp long before
summer starts to help them focus on aspects that will be fun and
exciting and work through any questions or concerns children might
have, doctors advise.
This can help find the right camp, and also help kids cope when
they're having hard time.
"As always, having a good relationship with your child where they
feel like they can talk to you is the most important thing a parent
can do to help their child navigate difficult situations such as a
bad experience at camp," Hepper said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2RuWZbp Pediatrics, online June 21, 2019.
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