Is my kid ready for camp?

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It’s all about kids today

Two questions come up in almost every new parent call at this time of year.

“Is my kid ready for camp?”

“Is it too late to start?”

Easy to say these are questions about age or timing.

But really, they’re questions about fear.

Fear their kid will struggle, will be left out, or missed some weird invisible window.

Knowing that makes them a lot easier to answer.

“Is my kid ready for camp?”

First-year camper at K&E last summer.

His mom was an alum. Knew camp, loved camp, wanted this experience for him.

Kid was excited but def way anxious.

Day one: didn’t eat lunch. Didn’t eat dinner. Said he had a stomachache.

You all know the drill here. Camp 101 stuff.

Sat with him in the health center to talk. And yeah, he was just nervous.

Texted his mom in real time to tell her things weren’t perfect, but the support was there.

Next few days he started eating (phew), started engaging, and started finding his people.

Then came Big Weekend Formation. It’s this team event with routines and cheers, lots of energy, lots of noise.

And….he had a minor meltdown. Sat it out. (Not where you saw that going, right?)

But by Color War?

Standing at the front of camp. Leading his team’s song. Confident, loud, fully in it.

The graph wasn’t linear, but it pointed up throughout the summer.

Months later, his mom texted me.

That kid stood toe-to-toe with a mean kid at school. Just said, “Hey, it’s not cool when you do that.”

She credited that confidence to camp.

The point most of us camp people know, is that readiness isn’t about being perfect on day one.

It’s about being willing to try. And having a place that supports you while you figure it out.

That kid wasn’t “ready” by some checklist standard. But he was ready enough.

So What Does “Ready” Actually Mean?

There’s no universal age.

Some kids are ready at 7. Some at 10. Some at 13.

It’s totally personal.

But here are the questions I ask parents when they’re trying to figure it out:

What’s school like for them?

Do they navigate new situations okay?

Have they done a sleepover without calling home in tears?

How did they do at day camp or other activities away from you?

How do they do brushing their teeth or taking a shower on their own?

Do they want to make friends? (If yes, they will make friends at camp.)

These aren’t pass/fail questions.

Readiness isn’t some binary checklist. It’s what comes out when you talk about your kid.

For the most part, I can say to parents some form of:

“Kids are more ready than you think.”

“And parents are less ready than they realize.”

“The first 24 hours? Yeah, uncomfortable. That’s just what it’s like to going somewhere new.”

“But we have amazing counselors, high staff ratios, and a community built to make sure the first few days of a new place don’t feel like it.”

“Your kid might be nervous. That’s normal.”

“Nervousness isn’t the same as 'not ready.'”

Too Late?

The other question: “Did we miss our chance?”

Parents worry their kid is too old to start. Or that everyone else has been coming since they were 8. Or that their kid won’t fit in with the established groups.

And I kinda love this question. Because where camp is concerned, it’s never too late.

Kids start at 7. At 10. At 14.

Every age has its own version of “firsts.”

And most camps are specifically designed for new kids to feel welcome.

Camp culture is kind. That’s not an accident.

Most camp kids are super nice. They’re looking for connection, not cliques.

So when a new kid shows up, the community does its thing. Staff help. Returning campers help. The structure helps.

Yeah, the first 24 hours might be uncomfortable. But we’re also getting Time To Fun down to zero. And by week two, when the Hidden Curriculum kicks in? New kids have friends. By week four? They’re leading songs.

The “too late” fear is almost never true. It’s just parents projecting their own anxiety onto their kid’s timeline.

Kids are adaptable. They make friends fast. They find their people.

The right time is whenever parents are ready to say yes.

What We Tell Parents

So when is the right age to come to camp?

And is it ever too late?

The perfect answers: “There is no right age.” & “No.”

Those are simple, succinct, and don’t really acknowledge the reality of each question.

When their kid is willing to try. When the parents are ready to let them.

Camp isn’t really about a number or a window. It’s about trust.

Yeah, some kids will struggle on day one. Some will love it immediately. Some will start at 7, some at 14.

All of it’s fine. All of it leads to the same place.

The reality is that parents want crystal-clear certainty. They want to know their kid will be happy and safe. They want to make the “right” decision.

But there’s no perfect timeline. Just the one that works for their family.

Most kids won’t love camp because they were “ready.”

But because they (and their parents) were ready enough.

You got this,

Jack

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It’s all about kids today

Jack Schott

Summer Camp Evangelist