Pack lots of stationary, stickers, fun, colored pens. Pre address and stamp envelopes for ease.  Be sure to send your children letters well before they are arriving at camp so the letters will be waiting for them. Camp mail is the best! Do not tell your children how much you miss them in letters.  That could create a sense of guilt/homesickness for them, and they will imagine you sad at home wishing they weren’t at camp.  Just tell them how excited you are to hear about all of their new friends and adventures.

Shelia M.
Camp Staff Member 
Camp Highlander
5 years

If you are homesick, start making a list of all of the new friends you have made a camp.

Kristin V.
Parent of a Camper 
Camp Mondamin
3 years

My daughter's second year at camp, she was very homesick in the beginning. She wasn't homesick at all her first year so it was a surprise. (We did skip one year of camp because of Covid, so that may have added to her anxiety.) I hated hearing how sad she was at camp (through her letters) but tried to reassure her through my letters and emails with positive messages.

Your feelings are normal.

Even though you don’t feel like you can do this, I know you can.

I'm proud of you.

Nothing fun is going on at home.

Heather K.
Parent of a Camper 
Camp Longhorn
3 years

Bring photos and tape!  I brought photos of my family, friends, and things from home with me to decorate my bunk by taping them on the wall. It reminded me of home, and really helped with my homesickness!

Mary B.
Camper 
Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp
1 year

Homesickness can happen to everyone, no matter how old you are, how many summers you've been at camp, or how much you love camp. It can be hard to be away from everyone and everything back home, but there's a few ways to get past homesickness that I have seen work wonders. First, remember that you are at camp and you'll only be there for a short time compared to the rest of the year. There's tons of things at camp that you can only do at camp, and people you only see at camp, so try to enjoy it while you can! Next, remember that your friends and family really aren't that far away, and you can send them a letter any time you want! Then try to think about how fast camp goes by and that by the end of it, you won't want to leave because it feels too quick. If none of that is working, it's time to self soothe. Two of my favorite ways to do this is by looking at constellations (if you can see the stars from your bed) or by listneing to/very quitely humming a lullaby to yourself. If you have an ipod/mp3 player, try playing something calming. Even if it doesn't put you right to sleep, it an help clear your mind. If all else fails, you can always talk to your counselor and they can help you talk through what's on your mind. Us counselors really value our sleep, but we value your happiness more so don't be afraid to wake us up if you really need our help. It is our whole job to make sure you are safe and happy, so we are more than happy to help.

Sara Y.
Camp Staff Member
Kamp Kickapoo
10 years