4 Summer Camp Packing Tips Every Parent Should Follow

Summer is a time of many things, running through the grass with no shoes on, getting to do activities with the family, and long days that seem to go on forever. For many kids, it’s also the time when they head off to summer camp for a few weeks. For parents, it’s a time when they have to think carefully about what they will pack for their kids to take to that summer camp with them. With that in mind, read on below for a few summer camp packing tips every parent should know and follow.

Label Everything

We repeat, LABEL EVERYTHING! Whether it’s a suitcase, a lunchbox, or their favorite toy, you are going to want to label everything with something like these LeeLee labels for camp, to ensure that your kid’s things, stay your kid’s things. It’s easy to misplace things at camp and you want someone to be able to find it and turn it in. It’s also highly possible that other little campers could have the same things as your camper so it’s best to label them, so there is no confusion if their stuff gets mixed in together.

Help Them to Personalize

Most kids take their trunk along with them when they head out to summer camp. However, many kids are also a little nervous about leaving home, especially if this is their first time being away from home overnight. Make it a little easier for them, and a whole lot more fun by allowing them to personalize their trunk, in a way that reflects their personality. You can make this a fun afternoon event for the two of you as well, for some bonding time before they head off on their own adventure.

Pack What’s Needed the Least at the Bottom of Their Trunk

Everyone knows the way that kids unpack, everything all in a hodgepodge and laying everywhere. If it’s something that they need, they will upend their entire trunk to get to it, leaving everything else lying in the floor. If you pack what they might not need, such as a sweatshirt and pants, at the bottom, then everything needed will be at the top and you stand half a chance of their stuff staying neat for a couple of days, at least, and that’s the best you can hope for.

Don’t Forget the Extras

One thing you don’t want to forget is the extras. If your child has a certain stuffed animal they sleep with, make sure to pack that first, so there is no chance they will leave home without it. Packing things such as games, books, and writing supplies, so they can write you every day is a great idea as well. After all, though they will be busy, there will be some downtime and rainy days to account for.

These are just a few of the best tips for packing your child’s things to head off to summer camp. Just these few tips can make all the difference in organization and a happy experience.