Summer camp is often an anticipated and joyful time of year for children and teens, but for some campers, it can also be a time when grief shows up in unexpected ways. 

The shift away from school routines and schedules, decreased access to their familiar support system, more downtime, and other accompanying changes can create instability in a camper’s ability to cope with big thoughts and feelings. This can occur even if the loss happened months or years earlier.  

As camps prepare for the summer season, it is helpful to proactively prepare for the ways in which grief may show up at camp and ensure that camp staff are prepared to respond with care and compassion. Drawing from 25 years of experience supporting camps nationwide through our Eluna programs, here are five practical focus areas for camps to revisit as they prepare for a successful summer season. 

1. Connection and Belonging

An intentional focus on connection and belonging fosters emotional safety and helps reduce the isolation many campers experience after a loss. Grief can often make campers feel different from peers or disconnected from trusted adults, which may interrupt key developmental tasks, like identity formation, that are shaped through relationships and community.

• Encourage staff to ensure each camper feels seen, known, and valued — especially during moments when grief may surface unexpectedly. Learning names, celebrating small wins, and sharing meaningful moments help build trust and a sense of group identity that reassures campers they are not alone in their experience.
• Staff can model curiosity, kindness, and inclusion while using language that reflects diverse families, identities, losses, and lived experiences. This normalizes grief as part of life and communicates that all forms of loss and expression are welcome and respected within the community.
• Empower campers in decisions about if, when, and how they may want to talk about their loss and their person. Youth who are grieving experience a lot of change and have to deal with others bringing up their story without consent. Making a plan ahead of time with the camper can help increase their sense of control as they connect with others at camp. Ask if and how they want help talking about their loss with their peers and adults at camp. This could be especially helpful for returning campers who experienced a death since the previous program year or whose grief has evolved over time.

Each touchpoint of connection helps campers feel less alone and more able to show up as their authentic self. 

2. Preparing the Adult Support Team with Grief Basics

Grief often shows up through behavior, not words. Providing staff with a shared foundation of grief knowledge helps normalize camper experiences and builds confidence in responding with care.

• Understand how grief can look different across developmental stages.
• Recognize common grief responses. This printable worksheet explores a variety of ways that children and teens may experience and express their grief.

• Release the pressure for camp staff to "fix it" and emphasize the importance of listening with compassionate curiosity.
• Follow the camper’s lead and honor what, when, and how much they want to share about their loss.
• Support staff in being aware of and caring for their personal grief history and practicing self-care.
• Know when and how to seek additional support for a camper, including Eluna’s free and confidential personalized support available in Spanish and English.

Increased awareness and basic understanding will empower staff to respond well when grief shows up at camp.

3. Emotional Readiness

While camps routinely plan for physical safety, emotional safety deserves equal attention.

Before camp, take time to:

• Collaborate with campers and their families to identify what support helps (quiet time, check-ins, flexibility during activities), strengthening their sense of agency and control.
• Practice and role play how to respond to a variety of grief responses or grief bursts. View and print this Postcard Pointer for tips on what to say and what to avoid when supporting grieving youth.
• Review and inform staff on policy and procedures for responding to emotional distress. Clarifying who, what, when, and how staff can request additional support for questions, concerns, and needs.

These preparations help staff respond thoughtfully when grief impacts a camper’s experience.

4. Thoughtful Use of Pre‑camp Information

Partner with parents/caregivers to create a successful camp experience. Be sure to:

• Gather information about camper history — paying special attention to potential activators and taking cues on what has helped in the past — a stuffy, fidgets, alone time, etc.
• Be intentional about staffing, group placement, and putting necessary accommodations in place.
• Be mindful of the importance of maintaining appropriate levels of confidentiality.

Not everyone needs to know everything. And staff should allow the camper to lead the conversation and share at their comfort level.

5. Daily Experiences and Transitions

Children tend to thrive when life feels steady and predictable. Changes, transitions, and uncertainty can bring grief reactions to the surface. Camps can support campers by creating daily rhythms and routines — especially during moments when grief is more likely to emerge, such as bedtime, when the day quiets and thoughts can feel louder.

• Sharing the schedule for the day to help create a sense of safety and preparation for what is coming next.
• Providing additional adult presence and support during transitions like bedtime, meals, arrivals, and departures.
• Empowering caregivers with some conversation starters on the way home from camp, such as Eluna’s Caring for Your Camper After Camp resource. 

These moments, when handled with care, can help grieving campers feel grounded, even during emotional goodbyes.

A Resource for Camps Supporting Grieving Campers

For camps seeking additional tools to support children and teens experiencing grief, Eluna offers free camps and resources grounded in decades of experience serving children, teens, and families impacted by grief or addiction. While not intended to replace existing policies or accreditation frameworks, these tools and support programs can complement staff training and pre‑season preparation. Learn more and connect with Eluna!

Written by Bethany Gardner, MA, Camp Erin — Sarah Behm Guillén, PPS, MBA, Eluna Resource Center — Kelly Petersohn, LCSW, Camp Erin Online

Photo courtesy of The Kellogg PEAK Initiative / Lake Valley Camp in Milwaukee, Wisconsin