How to Find the Right Camp for Your Kid

Looking for the right summer camp for your child? Here’s some helpful tips and advice from Mabel's Labels, a company founded by four moms. See below for their suggestions for great things to consider when choosing a summer camp for your child!

Google the phrase “summer camp” and you’ll get almost 30 million hits. So how do you find the right one? Here are some helpful tips and key points to consider when selecting a camp. 

• The earlier you start your research, the better. The best camps fill up fast!
• Get online and be as specific in your search terms as you can, (narrow down location, type of camp, co-ed or not, etc.)
• Another good way to source camps is to think of where the preferred activities are normally held. Your kid loves to act? Check out local theatre companies. Into science? Try a university engineering department. Lurk on camp chat boards (many of the larger camp websites have them) or better still, post a question or three.

Some key points to consider when selecting a camp:

• Day camp or residential? Or maybe a mixture of both? Some outdoor day camps end their week with a sleepover and this is a great way to introduce your child to being away overnight.
• Which type of camp? Consider choosing camps based on your child’s interests (sports, science, arts…) or by their needs: is their year crammed with homework and after-school activities? If so, perhaps a traditional, fun, outdoor camp would be just what they need. Are they comfortable meeting lots of new people or would a smaller, more controlled environment be better?
• What’s your budget? Costs range from thousands of dollars for international camps to a few bucks for an afternoon at a local day camp. Keep in mind; price is not necessarily an indication of quality. For that, you should consider: