Is My Daughter Ready for Camp?

Camp is a wonderful opportunity for girls to learn independence, gain confidence, and grow in numerous ways. However, some girls may not be ready for camp, no matter their age. Before sending your daughter to camp, see if these statements are true about your daughter:

• She is excited about going away to camp for the length of that session.
• She is excited and comfortable with making new friends.
• She is able to keep up with her belongings and keep her things reasonably straight.
• She is capable of showering, dressing, and doing her hair by herself.
• She can make her own bed.
• She can entertain herself and be quiet for periods of time (our Rest Hour is one hour long).
• She is fairly active and is prepared to walk across campus to her many classes.
• She is able to spend the night away without anxiety.
• She is able to go to sleep without a noise maker.
• She is able to control emotions reasonably well, even when things don’t go her way.
• She is able to share the time and attention of her counselor with about 9 other girls.
• She feels comfortable talking to adults and can speak up if she needs help or is feeling upset by a situation.
• She is flexible about eating a variety of food.
• She wants to come to Greystone, and you are confident that she will have a great time!

Just because you cannot confidently say “yes” to all of these statements does not mean that your daughter is not ready for camp! Many girls are gaining and improving on these skills during this stage of development. You can also work with your daughter on so many of these skills before she comes to camp. Have her spend the night away from home a few times before the summer. Make sure that she knows how to make her own bed and fix her own hair. Help her to try new and different foods so that she can better find things she may like this summer. Talk to her about speaking up if she has a problem and how to talk to her counselor about an issue.

Also, many girls are nervous about coming to camp before their first summer – this is normal and expected! However, take a gauge on your daughter to see if she is nervous (due to uncertainty about trying something new) as opposed to being angry and refusing to come to camp (signs that she is not ready).

If you have any questions about whether your daughter is ready for a summer at Greystone, please feel free to contact one of our Directors: Katie Miller Grant (Junior Camp Director: katie@campgreystone.com) or Laura Hollowell (June, Main, and August Camp Director: laura@campgreystone.com).