Summer Camps Aren’t Just for Kids! | Summer Camps for Teens

Summer Camps Aren’t Just for Little Kids!

Is Summer Camp Right for Your Teen?

Whether or not summer camp played a role for your child growing up, it may be the perfect summer activity for your teen. Summer camps are perfect for teenagers who are interested in honing a specific interest, or for those who need a little extra prep time away from home before the start of college.

Summer camp can help teens develop and deepen their emotional intelligence and help them gain a better sense of communication and relationship skills that will assist them as they transition into adult life. On top of all of this, summer camp can provide teens with memories and experiences that are great material for future college essays!

Summer Camp Is Good For Helping Teens Prepare For College

If your child never went to summer camp, going as a teenager will be excellent practice for time spent away from home while they’re in college. Sleepaway camp for teens helps develop a sense of independent thinking and community. Going into college with this kind of emotional intelligence will make the transition into living away from home much easier.

For many kids, the experience of summer camp will be more useful and positive than spending a summer just doing SAT prep courses. At summer camp, your teen will learn valuable life skills that in many ways are far more important than an SAT score.

Establish Independence

As a teenager at summer camp, you have more privileges than younger campers. For example, most summer camps allow teens a later bedtime and different evening activities than younger campers.

With these increased privileges, campers will also have increased responsibility. They may have to make it breakfast on their own and they may have more agency over their daily activities.

Summer Camp Allows Teens to Take Risks in a Controlled Environment

Teens are often more ready to take chances and risks than younger kids. Taking these risks in a controlled environment will help to ensure that your child stays safe while still exploring their boundaries in a healthy way.

At sleepaway camp for teens, your child will have the opportunity to climb to new heights on the ropes course, try new tricks on water skis, or go on tons of new adventures in an environment that accounts for all of these risks.

Let Your Teen Hone in on their Interests

Summer camp is the perfect environment for your teen to explore specific interests before choosing a college. Camps like Pali Adventures offer a wide variety of specialties, so your teen can spend time doing movie makeup, writing music for a Rock Star performance, making Street Art, or participating in a teen only CIT (Counselor in Training) or Junior Counselor program.

Your Teen Will Meet a Diverse Group of Students

Pali Adventures draws campers from 42 states and just as many countries around the world, so your teen will be exposed to, interact with, and live in bunks with teens from a diverse range of backgrounds and interests. Meeting people from different backgrounds will expose your teen to new ways of thinking and help them cultivate empathy skills.

In addition to being positively influenced by other campers, your child will meet camp staff and counselors that serve as positive role models. Summer camps for teens allow your child to be among both other teens and the diverse counselors and adults who are there to mentor your child.

How Pali Works as a Sleepaway Camp for Teens

Pali separates kids into a few different age groups: younger kids ages 8-12, teens ages 13-16, and a CIT program that is for 15 and 16 year olds only. Cabins are separated into age groups for campers of all ages. Some of our specialties are separated into junior and senior groups.

Check out our blog post on the best ages for summer camp for more information.