Summertime is approaching, and camp season is in full swing! Sleepaway summer camps are popular among NYC families, because city kids can benefit tremendously from some time in nature with new friends and new activities. We’ve written here about how to consider and select a sleepaway camp for your child. 

But before your child is old enough to consider a full-time sleepaway summer camp, you may be interested in dipping your toes in with a multi-week day camp experience for younger kids. There are a variety of such programs; usually they’re held nearby in the city for the youngest students, but kids in kindergarten and early elementary school may have day camp options outside of the city, too. Regardless of their location or exact logistics, multi-week day camp programs can be enormously beneficial for younger children; read on for a few ways that your child might grow from the experience. 

• Maintaining routine. One of the hardest things about parenting young kids during the summer is maintaining a routine. When school lets out, it’s tempting to let nap times get a little lax or to let fun summer opportunities alter daily schedules. Obviously some degree of change is normal and fine, but with too little routine, kids can get all out of whack. Lack of consistent routine can provoke behavioral issues and a lot of stress, for both kids and parents. That’s one key benefit of multi-week camps: they provide a consistent daily routine reminiscent of school, to keep kids on a predictable schedule for a big chunk of the summer.
  
  
• Practicing separation. Little kids may not have begun school yet (or only recently), so they might not be accustomed to saying goodbye to their parents/guardians for large chunks of the day. Multi-week camps give you more chances to practice separating from your child at drop-off, which could make them (and you!) a pro at it by the time the school year rolls around. (Anxious about separation? Many of our recommendations for getting ready to start nursery school can also apply to getting ready to start camp.)
  
  
• Getting accustomed to school-like schedules. There’s a clear theme throughout these benefits of multi-week camps: helping kids practice what it’s like to go to school. That also includes the experience of the actual day at camp, which often feels quite a bit like a school day. Kids benefit greatly from early exposure to school-like activities, like morning circle time, snack breaks, outdoor time/recess, unstructured playtime, etc. In fact, some camp programs are actually a bit longer and more structured than some school environments, with a slightly longer duration and many more adult-led transitions between activities. All of this is great practice for your child’s stamina and adaptability, which could help them excel once school starts.
  
  
• New social experiences. Little kids do most of their growth when they’re exposed to (safe) new experiences, particularly with regard to social comfort. Multi-week camps offer a vast new social environment, with many new kids and teachers for your child to meet and learn to trust. Camps can be great for more reserved children, creating a safe space for them to come out of their shell a bit. Unlike single-day programs where your child barely has time to get used to the environment before the day ends, multi-week camps give them plenty of time to settle in and gain confidence. That can lead to a tangible increase in social/emotional skills.
  
  
• Benefits for admissions. This point is intentionally last on the list, because we want to be quite clear that admissions benefits are not the priority of multi-week camps; always focus, above all, on your child’s growth and development rather than checking boxes for admissions’ sake. That said, it is true that multi-week camps do have some specific usefulness in the admissions process (for any age/level of school). All of the new experiences that your child will have at camp can provide you with much more information about their personality and ideal learning environment; you’ll likely be able to observe some of these trends yourself, particularly if you have a chance to visit the camp, but you can also always ask counselors/teachers for additional feedback and information as they get to know your child. That information can be very helpful when researching schools and identifying the best-fit option for your child; it can also provide tangible content for admissions essays and/or interviews. Parents sometimes struggle with how to describe their younger children during the admissions process, because it can be difficult to think of a variety of anecdotes from your child’s early life before they’ve been exposed to new situations; camp can accelerate your child’s learning about themselves, and your learning about them, too. 
  

If you’d like to move forward with a multi-week camp for your little one, start your research ASAP. There are a wide variety of options out there, from specific themed camps for certain interests to general programs for a variety of age ranges. It’s particularly convenient to find a program that your child could return to year after year! 

Summer camp can be very beneficial for students of all ages, but little kids can experience particular growth from navigating all of the varied opportunities that will come their way. It can be difficult to send your young child off to a brand-new environment, but rest assured that they’ll learn and grow in a variety of ways that will set a strong foundation for their next educational steps. 

Need help finding the perfect school for your child? We’re here to help; our expert team has guided hundreds of NYC families toward their best-fit private or public schools. Reach out anytime.