Summer camp is a rite of passage for many kids.
But an Aug. 15 Wall Street Journal article reports that younger children, some as young as 4 years old, are heading off to sleep-away summer camp. UAB child psychologist Vivian Friedman, Ph.D., says sending children to camp too soon can cause them to become emotionally withdrawn or even angry. Children are not typically ready for the autonomy of summer camp before the age of 8, and age 10 is even more realistic. Most young children will feel homesick. They will feel abandoned or sent away rather than feeling that they have been sent to have a good time.