You’re looking through camp literature, checking out camp Facebook pages and camp websites and find yourself debating whether to send your child to a shorter session camp next summer or a full season seven week camp.  What’s really the difference?  Will my children feel like they had less of an experience of they attend a three or four week session camp?  Is seven weeks too long for my eight year old?  These are questions that prospective camp parents find themselves asking every fall.  Here a few clarifications of the differences to help answer your questions:

What is really the difference between a session camp and a full summer camp?  The long and short of this answer is time.  Session camps are basically shorter versions of traditional full summer camps.  They offer the same activities and programs as full summer camps, albeit abbreviated.  This means that your children will experience the same things at a session camp as they would a full summer camp, only in shorter durations.  This is not to say, however, that there are not differences between full season and session camps:

Traditional Full Season Summer Camps

Traditional seven week programs offer a great solution for keeping children active during their entire summer break.  Because they have more time, full summer camps are able to emphasize tradition and sense of community.  Children also have more time to make friends, get to know their counselors, and enjoy an environment that allows them to be themselves 24/7.  If your children need time to adjust to a new setting, a full summer session may be the best fit.  It’s typical for young campers, particularly those new to camping, to take some time to adjust to their summer camp surroundings.  However, some require more time than others.  These children may feel rushed to enjoy themselves if sent to a shorter session camp.  At a full summer camp, they will have plenty of time to acclimate themselves to their new surroundings, settle in, and enjoy themselves. If you want your children to be grounded in tradition and able to maximize their summer camp experience, then a traditional full season camp is likely the best fit.

Session Camps

Session camps, like their full summer counterparts, are also steeped in tradition and community.  If you choose to send your children to a shorter session camp, they will not miss out on these vital elements of summer camp.  However, when considering what you want your children to bring away from their summer camp experience, it’s important to understand and accept that three weeks are shorter than seven.  Session camps are shorter to provide those children who, for whatever reason, might not otherwise get to experience summer camp. Session camps are ideal for families who still want to take a vacation over the summer or have other commitments, such as sports leagues or other extracurricular activities.  By attending session camp, they still get to be campers.  Another advantage of session camps is that they often attract a slightly more diverse group of campers than their full season counterparts.  Many international families opt for session camps simply because their school schedules do not permit them to attend traditional full season summer camps.  Because of their abbreviated lengths and more global camper communities, many session camps take a somewhat progressive approach to camping.

Whether you choose a full season camp or a session camp, your children will have a rewarding, international experience that emphasizes tradition, community, friends, and fun.