Yes, You Can Find a Great Summer Camp or Activity for Your Kid

Elle and Kai Kumar have enjoyed Lil’ Kickers soccer program for young children. Photo by Makenzie Howard Photography

Neel Kumar says he and his spouse, Erica Kumar, like to keep their young children, Elle, age 2, and Kai, age 5, active in the summer months. Since their children are very young, they look for age-appropriate programs.

“We’ve done Lil’ Kickers at SoccerCity,” Neel says, pointing out that the indoor facility is warm in the winter and air-conditioned in the summer. “Our goal is to find something that will keep them entertained, active and engaged.”

Lil’ Kickers is a youth soccer program for children between the ages of 18 months and 9 years old. It meets the Kumar’s criteria of being age-appropriate and fun.

Dustin Knight has been the Lil’ Kickers director at SoccerCity in Tulsa for nearly 15 years. The program serves over 900 children a season, including summer camps for very young children to camps for kids ages 9 or 10.

“Lil’ Kickers is a child development program,” Knight says. “It develops motor skills, eye-hand coordination and imagination. They use their energy, learn something new – and have some fun!”

As with any camp or program, returning counselors or coaches is an indication that the program has a well-trained staff, and that the kids are seeing consistent faces. Knight says his coaches receive good training, back-up and support, which helps maintain consistent staff.

“Some of our first Lil’ Kickers are now working for us as coaches,” Knight says. “It’s fun to see them grow up.”

A well-planned, consistent, developmentally appropriate program gives young children like Elle and Kai a sense of security and confidence. Parents should look for programs or activities that are play-based, allow exploration and challenge children without being frustrating. Discovery Lab is another place that meets that need for the Kumars. Neel says that Elle and Kai enjoy the interactive STEM learning in a safe, fun environment with a friendly staff.

Benefits of Day Camps

For older children, summer camps and activities can mean anything from extended time spent learning or honing a specific skill to traditional day camps or sleep-away camps.

Jacob McIntosh, director at Tulsa’s Camp Loughridge, says that traditional day camps like Camp Loughridge can give kids an opportunity to experience something totally new and to challenge them to do things they wouldn’t normally do.

Photo courtesy Camp Loughridge

Some of the experiences kids may have at Camp Loughridge and other traditional camps include mastering a ropes course, going on nature hikes, playing court sports, swimming, doing archery and arts and crafts. McIntosh says campers benefit from being outside away from electronics and making friends with kids from different backgrounds.

“Our counselors are also role models,” McIntosh says. “They’re modeling positive character traits for the kids.”

Above all, the staff must be well-trained, know how to keep kids busy and know how to have fun with kids.

“A really good staff could have a great camp in a parking lot,” McIntosh says.

Parents should ask camp directors about staff training, their ages and the ratio of kids to staff.

Talk to Camp Directors

McIntosh says that parents should also ask if a camp is accredited by the American Camp Association. “I wouldn’t send a kid to a camp unless it’s accredited,” he says. “And I would want to meet the director.”

Accreditation assures the parent that camps meet standards on health, safety and risk management for campers and staff, including such things as camper to counselor ratio.

McIntosh says it surprises him how few parents want to tour the camp. “Camps welcome that stuff,” he says. “Our business is parents and building relationships. Most camp directors want to give you a tour of their camp.”

A camp tour can be especially beneficial to calm anxious kids or parents. Knowing what the camp looks like, what a typical day involves and where things are in advance can go a long way in making a nervous camper (or parent) feel secure.

And, if parents are unsure about whether their child is ready for camp, McIntosh encourages them to make that call to the director. “Talk it through,” McIntosh says. “We take 6-year-olds, and it’s a long day for them. If they’re not physically active, and they don’t like being outside at age 6, this may not be the best place for them. A good camp director should be able to walk you through that.”

On the other hand, McIntosh says if parents feel good about their sending their child, if they’re doing well in school and can socialize and make friends, they’ll probably do just fine.

One question that McIntosh says comes up a lot is about honoring friend requests. Many kids want to come to camp with a friend, so Camp Loughridge does work to ensure that kids will be with their friends. If you want your child to be grouped with a friend at camp, ask.

Additional Questions to Ask

Questions that parents may not think to ask, but should, include how kids are grouped. Are they grouped by gender? Age? What are the sizes of the groups? Parents should also ask about medical staff. Is someone on-site or quickly accessible that can handle medical issues? What is the plan for medical emergencies? How does the camp handle giving regular medicine to children? What about discipline? What is the camp’s discipline policy, and how is staff trained to handle issues? Is there a policy for bullying or for dealing with difficult campers?

McIntosh says that camp directors welcome questions from parents – and he would love to give more tours of Camp Loughridge! Talk to directors about your concerns. And, if you want to know if your kid is enjoying a camp or summer activity, he says you’ll probably be able to tell.

“Is the kid coming home happy and are they excited for the next day?” he says. “Are they tired? Are they singing the camp songs on the way home? If I get a call from a mom or dad saying, ‘My kid won’t stop singing camp songs,’ then I know I’m doing my job.”

 Betty Casey is the associate publisher and editor in chief of TulsaKids Magazine. She has been with TulsaKids over 20 years.