If you grew up in the U.S., it can feel like summer camp is practically a requirement of childhood—canoes, color war, theater shows, maybe even that one kid who learned to juggle and wouldn’t stop. Movies and TV lean into it hard, and now there’s a whole ecosystem of STEM camps, sports camps, travel camps, coding camps… it’s a lot.
But here’s the funny thing: going to camp has never actually been a universal American experience. Many kids miss out, even though the media doesn’t lead us to believe that.
So why does it feel like Americans are obsessed with summer camp—and why does it still matter for our kids?
Let’s break it down.
Where the obsession started (and why it stuck)
Summer camp in the U.S. began in the late 19th century, started by urban middle-class reformers who worried that kids—especially boys—weren’t getting enough fresh air and “manly” outdoor experience. Over time, camps expanded to include girls, working-class children, and a huge range of ethnic and religious communities, with the rise of movements like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Camp Fire Girls.
Fast forward: camp is now a multi-billion-dollar industry. And it’s evolved over time. More specialty camps (basketball, computer, dance, theater), shorter sessions, and programs designed to fit around increasingly complicated family schedules.
Even if not every kid goes, camp sits at the intersection of:
- American nostalgia
- Our anxiety about “doing enough” for our kids
- The practical reality that school is closed for 10+ weeks, and most jobs are not
No wonder it looms large.
Why parents love camp: control, experimentation, and sanity
During the school year, most of your child’s day is dictated by the system: school schedule, bus times, homework, teams, clubs. Summer is one of the only times parents can actively design what kids are doing, day by day.
That’s where the obsession turns practical:
1. Summer is the one time parents actually control the schedule
When school’s out, there’s a giant vacuum: no bell schedule, no automatic structure. Camp is one of the main tools families use to:
- Fill the childcare gap
- Keep kids active and social
- Choose which experiences their kids have (nature? sports? art? STEM?)
Camps have always doubled as childcare, and that’s been “a boon for parents who could relax knowing that their kids were away,” especially when juggling complicated arrangements in summer.
In other words, camp helps parents solve both a logistical problem and an emotional one: “What are my kids doing all day, and is it good for them?”
2. Camps let kids test-drive new identities and interests
One of the under-appreciated reasons Americans love camps is how low-risk and high-variety they are.
It’s much easier (and cheaper) to:
- Try one week of theater camp than commit to a full-year drama program
- Sign up for coding or robotics camp than buy all the gear and wing it yourself
- Let a child sample tennis, sailing, circus, ceramics, or improv without turning it into a “this is your new sport now” decision
Kids can try something for five days, decide “this is my whole personality now” or “meh, not for me,” and move on. That experimental zone is much harder to create during the school year.
Why camp can accelerate skills in a way school usually can’t
The other big reason parents (and kids) fall in love with camp: depth.
A typical school experience might give your child:
- A 30–45 minute lesson on a new topic once or twice a week for a short unit
- Constant context-switching (math, then reading, then science, then recess)
- Limited time for sustained practice or play in any one area
Compare that to:
- A week of camp = roughly 30–40 hours of focused time on a theme
- Even a general camp lets kids repeat the same activity multiple days in a row (swim, climbing, art, etc.)
- A specialty camp (coding, robotics, surfing, ceramics) gives enough time for kids to actually get into flow
That concentrated exposure makes a huge difference in how well skills and interests stick.
If your kid gets 3 hours of ceramics at school all year vs. 20 hours in a single week at camp …you’ll often see a dramatic jump in comfort, competence, and enthusiasm in the camp setting. It’s not that camp is “better” than school; it’s that camp is allowed to be single-minded in a way school rarely can.
And that’s a big part of why specialty camps have exploded; rather than just concerned about kids getting outdoors, parents have become increasingly interested in exposing their children to different kinds of topics and activities.
So…is the obsession healthy?
Like anything in American parenting, camp can tilt into overkill:
- Over-specialized programs chosen to pad a future college resume
- Expensive weeks stacked back-to-back until kids are exhausted
- Pressure for children to “make the most” of every minute
But at its core, the American summer camp obsession isn’t just about status. It’s about:
- Childcare + sanity for parents
- Depth and focus that school can’t always offer
- A chance to experiment with identities and passions
- A shared cultural script about childhood and independence
If we hold that lightly—letting camps be tools, not trophies—there’s a lot to love.
How to use this as a parent (without losing your mind)
A few grounding questions as you scroll camp websites and spreadsheets:
- What do I actually want my kid to get out of this week: friendship? nature? a new skill? a break from screens?
- Does this camp give enough focus time on that thing to matter?
- Do we have down weeks, too, or is every moment scheduled?
Americans are obsessed with summer camps for lots of reasons—history, childcare, nostalgia, opportunity. That obsession doesn’t have to run you, though. You can use camps as a targeted tool: a week here, a specialty there, enough structure to keep your kids and your sanity afloat, without turning summer into a second, more expensive school year.
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