It’s a big leap from day camps to overnight summer camp, but there are special benefits to staying over night at camp too.

5 Benefits of Overnight Summer Camp

Making good friends at flashlight time

That critical time after lights out when bunkmates are still awake in the cabin and the stupid jokes fly is one of the most memorable of any sleepaway camp experience. The friends made in the dim light of a flashlight are firm ones.

>> Three unique YMCA Overnight Summer Camps

Learn to sort it out

A week is a long time to spend in close proximity to other people, and learning to deal with it is a lesson in itself. Bunkmate snores? Cabinmates aren’t morning people? New friend whines on every hike? Finding a way to rub along together is an important life skill, especially when you can’t escape every night back home.

No tech time

Many studies have shown that time in nature makes us calmer and happier, and this definitely applies to kids too. Considering they spend much of their winters indoors at school, a good week spent primarily outside is a good start. Most camps require kids leave their phones, iPads, and gaming devices at home, so they’re getting a break from tech as well as a dose of nature.

Build resilience

Sure homesickness is going to be a bit of a thing, but getting through it can be a big milestone too. Kids find they can eat that meal they always refuse at home, make it through the homesickness they thought would go on forever, climb that rope wall that looked impossible – using their own inner resources.

Parents get recharge time!

This may seem selfish, but summer can be pretty full-on when the schedule is out the window but you still need to get things done. A week of not making meals for the entire family, of re-connecting with your partner, of watching an entire television show, or finding your book where you left it is pretty previous.

And when the kids come home, filled to the brim with stories to tell you, you will be refreshed and ready to hear every detail.

Looking for an overnight camp for your child? We’ve got 8 sleep away camps within easy distance of Vancouver.