With so much to do it’s all down to what suits your child best

CHOOSING the right summer camp should be a relatively straight forward exercise in that you choose the one your child likes best. But very often parents and children require a few suggestions as perhaps it’s their child’s first time or they may just be undecided given the choices available. Here are just a few short and easy questions for adults to consider when it comes to summer camps.

A good starting point is to ask what your child’s special interests are: it could be drama, music, a particular sport, nature study, or arts and crafts. Has your child expressed interest in learning a particular new skill? This can be exciting for kids and it’s always a good idea to set the seeds for what might be an emerging area of interest for your child - with a little encouragement, who’s to say where it might lead. Does your child have any special needs or a particular learning style? This is an area where great strides have been made in recent years, especially in sporting activities and water therapy sports. The child’s school will most likely know of contacts that are experienced and registered. Does your child do well in a structured environment? Or is a relatively relaxed setting more appropriate? This is a tricky one for parents who worry about whether or not their kids will ‘fit in’ - which 99.99 percent of the time they do - but it doesn’t stop parents worrying all the same. In such circumstances try and find out what your child’s friends are doing as this may be where he/she would be most comfortable.

Many of the aforementioned questions are only suggestions and are far from insurmountable for parents to deal with. Besides, your child’s age, past experience and personality will be the major factors in determining their readiness for a particular programme, camp or activity. When you, and your child, have selected the type of camp, make sure it’s a professionally run one with a good solid reputation for safety and attention to detail. This can be achieved by asking around and doing some research, but don’t get too stressed-out in the investigative side of things – kids will be kids after all and chances are there’s always going to be the occasional cut knee or bump.