Think back to when you were a kid daydreaming about all the summer plans ahead. Somewhere in those fond memories, you attended summer camp. And there’s a good chance spending time at one of the camps for kids was one of the best times of your entire childhood.
Who can forget learning camp songs, roasting s’mores, hiking trails, and swimming?
You and your kids are excited about having the best summer at the very best camps for kids. It’s time to start packing all the gear that will help your children enjoy their time away from home. But a question remains…
Should you pack your child a cell phone?
We generally think of summer camps for kids as outdoor excursions free of technology. But now we live in a world where even camps have an internet connection and electrical outlets.
How we answer these questions is a reflection of our own upbringing and experiences camping and interacting with our peers.
Your decision to send a phone with your kid is an ongoing discussion and different camps have different policies. Ultimately, parents make the final choice and we want to help you weigh all the options.
No Need For A Phone
First, there are many summer camps for kids that have a strict no electronics policy – and yes, that includes cellphones. It might be easier for most parents to imagine a week or two without any electronics, but children today spend over seven hours a day with digital media.
At least a week away from screens will do wonders for your child’s social skills, conflict resolution, and physical health. Even if they don’t learn anything new over the summer, the social development represents significant growth that can translate to success in school.
Camps always have access to the internet, phone, and news. They won’t be stranded on an island without contact with the “outside” world.
During emergencies or urgent matters at camps for kids, camp staff will call you, medical emergencies, and other proper authorities.
- Camp Policy – Like we mentioned, some camps for kids have a strict no electronics policy so the campers can increase face-to-face to interaction.
- Growth – Kids will grow the most when they are put in unfamiliar or uncomfortable situations. The opportunity to navigate solutions in difficult times will benefit all the campers.
- Screen Break – With all the time they spend with their face buried in a screen, we know the time isn’t always spent doing educational research. Their eyes and brains need a break.
- Make Mistakes – The internet allows kids to look up any answer for any question. With no phone, kids learn to figure out questions through in-depth thought processing and experimenting.
There are probably a hundred reasons to eliminate the distractions and isolation technology can raise. Without a cellphone in hand, you can be assured your kid is making new friends, exercising, and eating the best camp food.
Phone Home
Should your kids really be without a phone hours away from surrounded by miles of woods?
Of course, you don’t go swimming or build a fire with your phone in hand. The camp will have excellent facilities and activities that will pull the kids away from technology.
But packing a phone is still an idea to consider.
The camps we went to as kids didn’t have “no electronics” policies because there weren’t a lot of portable or invasive technologies to bring. With all the hours kids spend on media today, if camp can provide even a few hours less on a phone, that’s something worth considering.
Here are some reasons campers should bring a phone.
- Emergencies – If the power or telephone lines go down, a cell phone will become the lifeline to the rest of the world.
- Resource – Maybe someone needs help learning how to build a fire or recognizing a certain plant – a phone will assist.
- Activities – Some camps for kids even work different technology mediums into the camp curriculum. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “It’s better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.”
In an increasingly technologically driven world, eliminating technology might not be a good thing for kids. Fostering a healthy moderate relationship with a screen and the real world at camp will translate to a better lifestyle when they get home.
There are even summer camps for kids dedicated to computers and screens today. Those kids have the same social interactions as other overnight summer camps but with a different emphasis.
Camps For Kids Are A World of Moderation
You don’t want your impressionable kids spending their entire time missing out on fun activities because they are spending all their time buried in the latest phone game.
You also don’t want to run the risk of them being unable to contact you or vice versa. This an unpredictable world and communication is king.
A compromise is sending a phone but setting rules and parameters for them. Let them use the phone only when the camp is not doing a programmed activity or at night. Trusting a kid to follow through with that policy is a tall order – use parental controls to help keep them honest.
Moderation with electronics should be exercised at home. The moderation should be more heavily favored to no electronics at camp.
But we don’t want them to live like Robinson Crusoe.
The Importance Of Fun
We can’t forget that the purpose and goal of summer camp is for our kids to have a great time. While us parents are a little excited to have a chance to recharge our own batteries, we can’t help but be enthusiastic about our kids getting a great social experience.
Phones can hurt or enhance an experience at camp. You know your children better than anyone else, and you know their limits.
Sit with them and remind them that they are supposed to have fun, try new things, and avoid sitting in a room hooked to a phone or electronic device. Tell them about all the great nostalgia you have without a phone in your hand. It might do more than you hope.
If you’re ready to start searching for the best camps for kids, look no further. The best summer begins now.