The First Day of Camp: What to Expect

If this is your child’s first time at camp, they may be feeling nervous. It can be scary when you don’t know what to expect and your child may feel better if you prepare them for what to expect on that all-important first day of camp.

Camp is one of those monumental milestones. Your child will make new friends, learn new skills, gain confidence, learn problem-solving skills and, most importantly of all, have fun. Camp is designed to be fun - we want your child to have the time of his life. For kids who haven’t attended camp before, the idea of camp can be a little daunting. Your child may feel nervous about not knowing anyone, worried about the activities offered or simply feel unsure of what to expect. You can help your child to settle in by preparing them in advance for that all-important first day of camp. Here’s an overview you can go over with your son or daughter.

Meet new people

There will be a lot of new faces on that first day of camp. Your child will be introduced to fellow campers as well as meeting all of the staff and volunteers. It’s a lot of people to say hi to, but don’t worry, we have plenty of ways of helping everybody out of their shells.

Learn names, make friends

There’s no better way to get acquainted with your fellow campers than by goofing around. We have plenty of fun ice-breakers up our sleeves to help the kids get to know each other, learn everybody’s names and relax a little. By the end of that first day, the camp full of strangers will already feel like a camp full of friends.

Exploring

We’ll be taking the campers on a guided tour of the camp facilities. We want to make sure your child knows where the toilets are as well as where to find all of the different activities. Campers will get a chance to explore their new surroundings and make themselves at home.

Learning the rules

Camp isn’t about rules and regulations, it’s about having fun. That said, to make sure people can have fun safely, we need to make sure everybody knows the ground rules. We’ll be explaining the rules to all of the campers on the first day. And once that’s done, it’s time to start having fun!

Buddying up

Your child will have a staff member to go to with any problems and these will be assigned on the first day. That means your child will have a point of contact for any issues that may arise. Of course, we hope there aren’t any, but if there are, we want you to know your child has somebody to talk to. Your child will be introduced to their assigned staff member on the first day and they’ll spend a little time getting to know each other ready for the summer ahead.

Don’t forget, letting your child know what to expect in advance could help your child relax and look forward to camp. If you have any questions, just ask!