Homesickness is the distress caused by actual or anticipated separation from home or beloved objects.  During their time at camp, nearly all campers will experience some kind of feelings related to this separation; even our staff experience these feelings to some degree.  The good news is that most campers have a wonderful time at summer camp and Cedarkirk counselors are well-trained to respond to homesick campers.

There are a number of ways parents can help prevent homesickness:

• Include your child in preparing, packing, and planning for camp.
• Use a wall calendar to chart how many days until camp starts and note how many days your child will be at camp.
• Talk frankly about homesickness with your child.
• Discuss the things from home your child may miss while away at camp, but emphasize the new friends they will make and all the fun activities they will have an opportunity to experience. Feel free to pack a favorite pillow, blanket, or stuffed animal so your child has a bit of home at camp with them.
• Talk about the length of camp in perspective to other positive overnight experiences your child has had, such as staying at the house of a relative or friend.
• Set up a time to practice staying away from home overnight.
• Try to avoid planning stressful events just before or during the camper’s stay at camp (such as moving, a divorce or separation, or the departure of a family member for military service).
• During the camp, send mail or email to your child highlighting how proud of them you are and how you are excited to hear about what they’ve been doing. Avoid writing excessively sentimental notes to your child or listing activities they’ve missed out on while away – these notions can cause even the hardiest camper to feel homesick!  (It is a good idea to mail letters the weekend before your child’s camp starts so that they arrive on the first or second day of camp.  You may also bring letters with you to Check-In and give them to a staff member for distribution throughout the week.)
• Try to avoid making deals or promises with your child. Do not suggest that your child can call home if he/she gets homesick.  It is our policy that campers are not allowed to use the phone while at camp. Campers are also not permitted to bring mobile phones to camp.  If your child is badly homesick or if there is a medical problem, a Cedarkirk staff member will contact you immediately.

If a child chooses to leave camp due to homesickness, please help your child understand that homesickness is a perfectly normal part of the growing process and never something for which a camper or parent should be ashamed. The camper will already be dealing with guilt and embarrassment about leaving camp. Let them know you are proud of them for giving camp a try and discuss the positive aspects of the experience so they will be willing to try an overnight camp or trip when they are ready.