5 year old son cries?

Question

My son went to YMCA day camp last summer when he was 4. It was a little too young, but his older sister and cousin were there and we thought he would be fine and have loads of fun. But he cried constantly, even during fun activities like a waterpark! Eventually, the camp pretty much asked us to remove him from camp, which we did. Spent the summer juggling him around.

Now that summer is almost here, I dont know what to do with him during the day. I dont want to hire a nanny, I already had bad luck. I dont want to send him to someone's house, because there is really nobody that I know and trust. I want him to be somewhere that has outdoor summer fun. Do I try YMCA camp again? I could send him to a camp at his school, except they rarely take the kids outside.

By the way, he is fine going to school although he used to cry a lot. And now he is playing T-ball and he cries and refuses to participate because he says he is "nervous".

What is his deal? And what do I do for camp?

Answer 1

try the ymca again this year. hes old maybe he will adjust better.

Answer 2

lots of hugs to remove his insecurity...

Answer 3

Is his older sister going again this year? It would be good to try again.. My daughter was 4 and was totally not ready for the ymca last year but is totally ready now..Also you could start by having one of his playmates or friends go also..This will ease his mind alot.. Also you may want to try boy scoutes too. It will be much harder on you if you don't get him in somewhere so he can learn to be without you and on his own. Also there are alot of church based youth groups that are once or twice a week that may help ease him into the camp type atmosphere. If you can get him to do a few of those 2 or 3 hour dailey youth classes he may adjust easier to the ymca after that.. But usually one year they are not ready and the next year they are.. If I were you I would try again and let him know from the beginning that you will not allow him to stay home with you this summer..Good luck.

Answer 4

Get your older daughter to get him excited about it, obviously he a year older now do they do brouchers about this place if so get him looking at them planning what activites he wants to do.

Also tell him you will do a star chart 5 days of no crying at camp and he can have a treat.

We dont have camps in england but my 5yr old attends a hoilday club he used to cry but after the star chart he loves it now

Answer 5

Oh my it sounds like my six yr old last summer!  It is the same story T ball and all.  There were days I had to restrain him to get hs T ball uniform on lol.  I would try the Y camp again.  Take him to visit a day and meet his teachers, and go through what a day might look like.  You could make a sticker chart and each day he makes it through without crying he gets a sticker and then after a week he can get a special dessert or hot wheels car (99cents for one)You can slowly ween this away stretching it to every two weeks after the first 3 weeks then go on extending it or keeping it at 3 weeks for the rest of the summer.  He is young and that sticker might just be what gets him through.  I also noticed my nervous son does better with art and clay classes than the T ball, less focus directly on him.  Maybe music or art would be a better extra curricular for his personality.  Good Luck!  I know my stress level was through the roof last year, but we made it through.