Summer Camp Planning

Planning your activities for the summer feels hard and overwhelming. The fact that it needs to be done in February and March seems crazy and yet if your summer isn’t already planned, you are late. But don’t stress. We can help.

Here are some tips that have helped me plan camp for my kids.

Research Options: Ask other moms where their kids love. Consider your child’s interests, age, and any specific activities or themes they might enjoy.

Plan Ahead: Popular summer day camps often fill up quickly (Like within ten minutes – so those are likely gone this year – note for next year!). Take note of registration deadlines and any required paperwork or forms.

Create a Spreadsheet: I make a spreadsheet with each week of the summer on the top and my kids on the left. I block off any vacation or family time where camps aren’t needed. As I find camps that would interest them, I add to the spreadsheet as options for each week. For example, Week 1 may have tennis, soccer and chess camp as those are the available options that week. You can also track fees so you can watch your budget.

Communicate with Your Child: Go through the spreadsheet with your child and ask for preferences. Eliminate the ones they don’t want and get a first and second choice for each week.

Communicate with Other Moms: This is the hard part to coordinate as my kids got older. They are more interested in being with friends than with the activity so I recruit other moms to sign up their kids for the same camps.

Register: I will highlight each week as my kids are fully registered so I know what remains to be done. Often this can’t be done in one sitting so that is why I use a system to keep track.

Gather Necessary Supplies & Info: Depending on the activities offered at the camp, your child may need specific supplies or equipment. I note these on my spreadsheet with drop off times, pick up times and any aftercare options available. This is critical as they often change each week and keeping track in the blur of the summer is hard.

Good luck! It’s a full time job for a while but your kids will thank you for it (No, they won’t).

P.S. I am happy to share my spreadsheet if you like. Email us at info@imaginehomeorganization.com