Life in a children's camp is a new reality. The events and conditions that a child encounters in the camp are not always clear to him, the child is not always ready to cope with them, even if there is a supportive counselor nearby. My observations while working with the children of the Terra Nostra children's camp showed that the most difficult thing to overcome for children in the camp is to learn to live alone, without parents, and also to learn to cope with boredom. As it turned out, for many children, being bored and planning activities for themselves on their own is unusual and even alarming. 1. Attachment Younger children at first want to go home to their mother - this is natural, this is the work of healthy attachment. At this age, there is still a need for the support of a significant adult (mom or dad). The child does not immediately begin to understand that nothing terrible will happen without his mother, that he has the necessary skills to solve some problems, that his counselor can be the very adult who will understand and support him. It takes some time to adapt, 3-5 days for the child to get used to the environment, routine, counselor, find friends, interesting activities, learn to do something independently. At the beginning of the shift, the child, missing his mother and realizing that he will have to do without her for some time, may experience unpleasant sensations (fear, anxiety, helplessness, aggression). Until he finds the strength and skills to cope with different situations, he can cry, swear with children, counselors, and get angry at the camp. Yes, this is not constructive, but it is not always easy for a child to understand the cause of his conditions and find a solution. What can parents do to help their child overcome these difficulties of adaptation? Be prepared for such situations and emotions of the child at the beginning of the shift: he may be dissatisfied with the counselors, campers and you - because it is difficult to identify the cause of a negative state, and emotions require a way out. Just know that the counselor understands this feature of childhood and at first is busy establishing contact with children, getting to know their characteristics, supporting them and teaching them how to cope with difficulties . Also keep in mind that there is a psychologist in the camp who will insure the counselors and help them in unusual situations. If we see that it is especially difficult for a child, then we decide that he should not suffer further, and we will ask you to take him home without waiting for a crisis. If you doubt whether your child will cope, agree with him that this trip to the camp will be a test, be prepared to fulfill the promise and pick up the child earlier. Short winter, autumn or spring shifts are suitable for such tests. Agree to visit the child and keep promises. Help the child realize the “non-infinity” of the shift: agree on some pleasant things that you will do together after he returns home. Perhaps these days one of his friends has a birthday or an interesting meeting. Think in advance about what your child can learn to spend time at camp on his own: it could be the ability to dress quickly, or the skill of politely asking for help, or making introductions, or ... to love buckwheat, etc. New skills will give the child self-confidence and will be appreciated by the camp counselors. Do not hide from the child that children's camp is not only joy and fun, but also some difficulties. Forewarned is forearmed. When talking about difficulties, talk about ways to overcome them: ask for help from counselors, just talk to a counselor or psychologist. Tell us about some characteristics of the child that, in your opinion, may be the reason for his bad mood. For example, a child eats little or is embarrassed to ask for something, or is afraid of something (the dark). Tell us anything alarming that you learn from your child, even if you doubt the truth of his words. Our task is first of all to respond to the “alarm signal”, no matter whether it is false or not.2. Boredom Absolutely all children in the camp are faced with a change of environment. Familiar surroundings?