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Did you know the summer time? Yes, it’s the time of year when the weather’s warm, the kids have a little more time off school, and it’s time for a vacation. Theme parks and beach destinations make for great summer vacations, as well as island trips and continental excursions.

Summer holds the possibility of a slower pace, fun times together as a family, and the kids being able to wrestle each other outside instead of in the family room! But then there’s the other side of the summer vacation coin: refereeing the kids’ fights blocking out the whines of but there’s nothing to do,” shuttling kids around from one activity to the next, and discovering that there is only so much time you can be around your children before you start to lose your mind.

Summer can be a great time for kids, parents, and families as a whole. A little time spent in planning can make the difference between a successful, rejuvenating summer, and one that leaves you burnt out and longing for September. Look for a future article covering the kinds of questions you should ask when considering summer programs and activities for your child.

Summer opportunities can help your child develop new interests, open their mind, choose a new direction, or make lifelong friends. As a parent, you need to ask yourself what your child needs over the summer and then you can match them with the appropriate program. Perfectly matched summer programs can have a profound impact upon your child and help them develop life-long passions. But, these programs are not inexpensive. So, when choosing, know all of the options and make a wise choice for your child.

Summer also mean it can be a daunting task to choose a camp, however, with over 11,000 camps in the United States. And, even if you were an 8-week camper as a kid, there are trends that have changed the face of the camping industry in the last few years.

Meanwhile, many parents have images of endless road trips when they think about summer vacation, but international travel is a wonderful way to spend the summer. In recent years, airlines have offered cheap airfare to entice travelers to think abroad when it comes to summer vacations.

A little summer pre-planning can go a long way in maximizing summer benefits for any family. Summer is the time to building healthy self-esteem is a concern for parents. The key to ensuring a child feels good about herself (or himself) is to take small persistent action. Small persistent action is about doing something every single day to help your child build self-esteem. It is also the key to happiness, success and joy.

See next post for detail about summer activities for kids…

Camps. Have you ever noticed how many different meanings one word can have? For example, there is the military training camp, a boot camp and even a training camp.

Or perhaps the word reminds you of times where you used to play cowboys in the neighborhood and pretended to sit around a campfire. It may even remind you of some of the great times you and your family had when you went camping at some remote lake.

The purpose for setting up a camp can be for different reasons also. Some may be done strictly for pleasure, like summer camp or camping with the family. There are also some that are for training purposes, much like a military boot camp, and sometimes it is necessary to camp in certain areas to carry on research.

Have your kids expressed an interest in going to camp in the summer? There are many, many different types of summer camps for kids and usually several of them will fit your needs. Studies have indicated that children in the 6 to 10 age group will adjust much quicker to camp, as opposed to an older child.

You may also be under the impression that your child and a friend going at the same time may make it easier for them. However, usually the opposite is true. If it is their first time at camp, then they are likely to stick together and resist the idea of making new friends. Or sometimes one child will be more outgoing, making new friends while the other becomes more shy or withdrawn.

If you have a child with a specific interest or hobby, then many summer camp programs include a specialty camp. If your child enjoys tennis, then a tennis camp may be perfect. There are computer camps for the techie in your family, or perhaps an art camp for your budding Picasso.

Of course, depending on the child’s age there will other options available to you. There are also programs available for children with special needs. These types of programs can really be something special for your child and can give them a great sense of accomplishment.

Of course, as with anything that involves your child, you will want to be sure that the any of the camps that you are considering have great references, and you will want to spend some time with the director, either on the phone or in person. First, you will want to make sure that the director’s methods and philosophy complement your own parenting style. You will want to ask about the counselor/camper ratio, as well as what type of training the staff and the director have been through.

For the director, The American Camp Association suggests the following minimum requirements: a bachelor’s degree, complete in-service training within the past three years and at least 16 weeks of camp administrative experience before assuming a director’s role. In the end there is only one happy camper to worry about, and that is your own.

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