Camp Beaumont or similar 4 year old, too young?

[Dolly5678]

Has anyone sent their DC to Camp Beaumont or similar over the school holidays? I am considering 2 weeks for my very energetic 4 year old but it is rather young for a camp (obviously not residential!) However they cater from 3 years old and my DS is adventurous and likes trying new things. Would love to hear from any parents who have tried summer/holiday camps that this age.

As you say it’s not residential, it’s just a school holiday club. Very normal for people to use them with 3/4YOs- what else are you supposed to do if you work, they’re at school/school nursery and you don’t have family help. They’ll group the kids by age and do age appropriate stuff with them- he won’t be rock climbing with a bunch of 10YOs or anything! My advice is to ask around at school/nursery for what other people are doing. Mine love it when they can go with friends.

I agree, it's the same as nursery, just holiday time, I would not worry.

I have no idea what Camp Beaumont is, but mine was attending the regular holiday club with the big kids outside of term time from 3 years old 8:30-430 every day.

Thanks all, think I’ve read too many judgmental threads on here saying 4 is too young for a holiday camp! You’re right though, it’s all age appropriate stuff. Have no family help nearby so I’m thinking of ways to make the loooong summer hols a bit more manageable.

Mine have done loads of holiday clubs

Camp Beaumont is a very full on active club though. Unless your child has bags and bags of energy they might find 2 weeks of that quite exhausting. (Actually the club near us which is similar will only take 4 yr olds for half days for this reason). Ideally I think you would mix it up with some arts and crafts or drama type or just “holiday childcare” clubs which are less knackering.

Oh yeah we did send DD to a week of Activ Camp once when she was 5 and she was utterly horrid afterwards as so exhausted! Have avoided that one ever since. Also the location was a massive PITA so not upset it didn’t work out! Now we do a mix of sports, art and musical theatre, and those are all 9-3 so it’s not as long a day.

DD started doing holiday camps from age 4, she was fine, although it was a mix of different camps, and we didn't do a multi sports one. Mostly 9-3. She'd done 2 terms of reception by then which made a big difference to her independence, previously she had gone to a gentle preschool with a short day so I wouldn't have sent her at that stage. Other classmates had been doing them from age 3 as their parents needed the childcare, and they'd been in full day nurseries from babies so were used to a busier environment.

That’s helpful thank you. He’s pretty energetic but I don’t want him totally overwhelmed and exhausted. Going to check out some different clubs before I make a decision. Beaumont is walking distance to us so would be ideal but only if it suits DS.

DS hasn’t started in reception yet and is currently at a small gentle pre school doing 9-3. He copes with this fine but a camp environment could be quite different although hours are similar.

Actually having looked at the programme for 3-4 year olds it does look quite gentle and he’d be on the older end of the group so he might well be fine. At age 5-7 it looks like it gets much more sporty/physical but (many) kids do have more stamina by then.