When Camp Feels Far From Home: Dealing With Homesickness
For many chidren, sleepaway camp is often the first extended time away from home. That can feel both very exciting and also extremely scary. Homesickness at camp is pretty common and can be a very normal response to a change like that, and at Adirondack Camp, we expect it, plan for it and support campers through it. What we see every summer is reassuring: with time, care, and the right environment, ADK stops feeling like “away.” It becomes a second home.
Homesickness At Camp Is Normal, and Temporary
Missing home doesn’t necessarily mean a child isn’t ready for camp. Almost everyone experiences some level of homesickness (campers and staff included) especially in the early days. It often shows up during quieter transitions in the day like between activities, at rest hour, or around bedtime. At Adirondack Camp, we never dismiss these feelings. We normalize them, talk about them openly, and gently keep campers engaged and supported while they adjust and it passes.
How Summer Camp Staff Are Trained to Handle Homesickness
Your campers are in exceptionally safe and capable hands here at ADK. Homesickness is focused on during our staff training before campers arrive. Staff are trained to recognize both obvious and subtle signs of homesickness, respond with empathy, keep campers positively engaged during the hardest moments of the day, and encourage peer support within cabins and activity groups. If a camper is having a particularly tough time, there is always a clear, thoughtful plan in place, cabin counselors will work closely with their line head and our MESH (Mental, Social, Emotional Health) Coordinator, and they will help to decide next steps. Parents are kept in the loop the whole time - same as when any issue comes up at camp - and a unified approach is created to support the camper the best way possible. Very rarely a camper will return home, however this is the exception, not the rule. More often, after the early days, campers will begin to find their feet.
How Camp Starts to Feel Like Home
We think session length is incredibly important here. Our shortest session is two weeks, but for campers aged 10 and older, we strongly recommend four weeks. Why? Because homesickness doesn’t usually disappear overnight, it fades as confidence, routine, and belonging take its place. The first week and second week is adjustment and settling in. But by weeks three and four, something shifts. Campers stop counting days and start counting memories. ADK becomes familiar, comfortable, and safe. They find their people. They find their rhythm. They begin set and achieve goals and take control over their camp life, and that’s when the real growth happens. By staying for the four week session, campers are able to more fully take advantage of our program which has a compounding impact on their personal growth. Read more about why four weeks here.
Read Next:
