The Lyceum

Parents often ask how to evaluate a successful summer experience. Each approach depends on the age and maturity of your child or teen.

Camp-aged Children
While your child may not be able to process and communicate how successful a camp experience was there are some typical benchmarks to look for.

1. Does s/he appear to be more self-sufficient?
2. Can s/he manage a schedule better?
3. Does s/he show signs of increased responsibility at home; e.g., making his/her bed; keeping personal belongings and space organized?
4. Is s/he more adept at making choices?
5. Has s/he made new friends?
6. Has your child developed any new interests or skills? (e.g., new sports, hobbies, even foods)
7. Have his/her sport, arts, or hobby skills improved?
8. Did s/he find a new passion?
9. Is s/he more cooperative with friends and family?
10. Is s/he excited to return next year?

An affirmative response to these questions is indicative of a positive summer experience. Be sure to encourage and develop your child’s new interests, skills, and friendships acquired during the summer.

A negative summer camp experience will have an adverse impact on a child’s self-esteem. Be alert for changes in mood, activity, sleeping and eating patterns, and if you note any, contact the Camp Director to discuss your observations.

Teens
While teens should have summer fun, their pre-college summers need to be productive ones. Engage your teen in these ten questions to evaluate his/her summer activities.

1. Did your teen achieve a set goal for the summer?
2. Did s/he step out of his/her comfort zone?
3. Did s/he help others through volunteering?
4. Did he/she improve academic or language skills?
5. Did his/her time management skills improve?
6. Did s/he experience the responsibility of working for a paycheck?
7. Did an internship spark a future career goal?
8. Did he/she pursue a passion or develop a new one?
9. Did his/her personal and social skills improve?
10. Did he/she experience diversity through a different culture or meeting teens not from their neighborhood?

Guest Post by Jill Tipograph, EverythingSummer.com
Jill Tipograph is the only independent summer planning expert, founder of EverythingSummer.com and the author of Your Everything Summer Guide & Planner.