Summer is drawing to an end and that means saying goodbye to your friends and memories at summer camp. There’s no way to explain how special it can be for a child, especially when they form bonds with their cabin mates, build new skills, and learn new things about themselves. However, keeping those connections strong is just as important for your child’s happiness. Luckily, there’s a variety of ways they can stay in touch with their summer friendships and transition into school where they can even more new people.
You’ve Got a Friend In Me
Although your child might not be able to see their summer friends after camp is over, thanks to old fashioned letters and social media they can keep those bonds alive. Before your child leaves camp, encourage them to ask for their friend’s contact information to they can send messages. This could be their home address, email, or phone number if they have one. To make collecting easier, they can bring a small notepad and a pen to camp with them for their friends to write on. This can serve not only as their own contact book, but as a kind of yearbook as well for others to write special messages or pictures to them.
After your child is back home for a few weeks, encourage them to write a note and help them send it off to their friends in the mail. Letters are rarely sent these days and are much more meaningful to a person when they actually receive one. Over time, once your child gets a letter back, them and their friend can become pen pals and write to each other throughout the school year. If your child is a little older and happens to have social media like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, they can easily keep up with their friends by adding them through those platforms. From there, they can send quickly send each other messages for free and update one another on life outside of camp. Encouraging your child to ask about their friend’s family, home, summer activities, and school are great ways to deepen the bond.
Back to School
Going back to school as its own collection of unknown with new teachers, a new schedule, and maybe even a dress code. Arming your kids with the tools they need to socialize with confidence is key to their success. Since you are your child’s first teacher, they follow your behavior and actions. By modeling cooperative behavior, you can help them see the pros to sharing, being helpful, and most importantly respectful to others. They can then bring that behavior of working well with others to class and find that making friends is much easier.
Brushing up your child’s etiquette is also a great way to help them expand their social circle during the school year. Being polite and friendly in every situation is the key attracting other children who value those actions as well. For example, teaching your kids to practice a warm smile, keeping their word to others, participating when their teacher’s ask for help, and giving genuine compliments are helpful places to start. Reminding your child to keep a positive attitude and having realistic expectations as well about their friendships is also very important. School has its ups and downs, so hearing out their fears and helping them build their confidence is essential.
The Final Word
Leaving summer camp can be difficult, but maintaining the relationships your child built from it doesn’t have to be. Your job is to help them hold on to the experiences they shared and continue to grow as an individual as they start school. With enough practice, they can learn how to maintain a close bond with their peers, develop their conversation skills, and form new friendships with others in their own community. They can then start the school year off on a good note, and make more memories to come!