They adjusted to what couldn't be changed by keeping busy. The kids who had the hardest time handling homesickness, went into freefall and gave up all control, believing they couldn't change anything about their situation or their feelings. Thurber says that coping strategies are best summed up by this ten year old . You can try to make the best of this week and have the best time you can or you can just sit there and have a worse time and have it go by slowly. Young children, however, have to learn just how much they can and cannot control, so Thurber recommends that children and parents practice separation well before camp begins.
Children can start gradually with an overnight away and then weekends.
When your child returns, Thurber suggests that you can talk with him about how he felt. Try not to have any significant telephone contact with your child while you are separated for this brief time. If your child comes home and says that he was homesick, you can talk about how he handled it, what worked in coping with homesickness and what didn't. Parents of only children will also have to make themselves feel comfortable about being separated from their child. You may find the silence unbearable at first.