What would your 8 - 11 year old’s perfect day at camp look like?

[MaddyMumsnet]

This is something that comes up quite a bit at MNHQ - lots of us have kids who have either been on school residentials or have them coming up, and it always sparks the same conversation about what actually makes them a great experience.

If your 8–11 year old could design their perfect day at camp, what would it look like? Is it all about the activities, or more about making friends, building confidence, trying something new and getting a taste of independence? 😄

And if your child has already done a camp or residential, what did they come home talking about most? Was there anything that surprised you about how they handled being away from home?

We’re really interested to hear what genuinely makes these experiences work (or not) for this age group - whether that’s adventurous activities, supportive staff, friendships, confidence-building or simply helping children feel comfortable away from home for the first time.

We’ll also be picking one Mumsnetter at random to receive a £200 VEX voucher as a thank you for taking part (T&C’s apply). To enter the prize draw, please post on the thread by Wednesday 15 July 2026.

PGL Kids’ Camps are designed to help children grow in confidence, try new experiences and make lasting friendships through adventure filled residential stays across the UK during the school holidays. Discover last minute availability and special offers for this summer here.

My DCs both love anything involving heights, because they are insane. Both love climbing and abseiling, this was the best part of their residential trips, although dc2 went to one with a massive swing that was also apparently amazing. The actual staying overnight was the real challenge for mine.

I have asked my son. He says on school camp he enjoyed the confidence showing that he could do some activities easily without being scared. On a non-school activity camps he loves making new friends and ALL of the activities.

My Son wants a full breakfast then lots of fun adventures like kayaks and zip lines. He said lots of xboxes to chill afterwards and delivery pizza for dinner.

I asked my 11 year old what he was most looking forward to at residential, and he said - all the things 😂. I think it is that - so many activities that the often haven’t tried before

We tried a variety of summer camp options, but the ones that worked best were those where the staff recognised that my son was neurodivergent and actively supported him. At one camp, a staff member got the other kids to do silent cheering (wave your hands, jump in the air - that sort of thing)because the noise of all the cheering was distressing for DS. To have staff that understood how to support neurodivergency was a lifesaver - it meant that DS could enjoy the day, and I felt confident that he was going to enjoy the camp. The climbing, kayaking etc was easy for him - having someone cheer him on was more of a problem!

Definitely the quieter crafty activities. My child’s school does a residential in year 4, she will be going next year. The things she is most excited about are candle making and knitting classes!

It's about the confidence, independence and time with her friends for my DD. We do a lot of outdoorsy things as a family, so as much as she loves the archery/kayaking/swimming or whatever the activity is, that's stuff she'd get to do anyway. It's the toasting marshmallows over a fire with her friends, telling ghost stories in their bunk at night and hanging out with them all day that she absolutely loves.

Making a pizza and arty crafts all day for one.
A fire / cooking sausages and nerf day for a boy.
One likes sport at the school camp with friends / people that they already know not a bunch of randoms.
Cookery course has been popular and they made an afternoon tea for the parents to enjoy 🤩 which was my favourite as it was quite sweet!

On my son’s residential he enjoyed trying lots of new activities and learned resilience when he didn’t find them all easy to start with.

We have a sporty one. He likes the independence. Immersing himself in the sport(s). Try new things. Being able to stay in a room with chosen friends. He also likes to know 'the plan'...they have a big board with timings on. He got a kit and equipment list a few weeks before. He loved ticking it off - even things like 4 pairs of socks etc.
What do parents like? One well organised, and safe with clear info.

My 11yo has done a few camps with school and Scouts and he loves trying everything, but particularly likes water activities like canoeing and paddle boarding, climbing activities, archery, trekking (as long as there is something interesting to do at the destination!), building campfires and cooking on them, toasting marshmallows. He also says he likes spending time with friends and getting to know other kids that he doesn’t usually chat to so much. I think maybe it’s the camaraderie of the shared fun experiences that he loves.

Covid took so much from my DC's -so social skills and making new friends is such a good skill - being able to do this would make life easier when transitioning through life.

My sons perfect camp day would be packed with sports, games and adventures from morning to night! I think he would love playing football with new friends, - its a universal language for boys. trying exciting activities like climbing or archery, and having fun team challenges. One part would be making new friends, learning new skills and feeling proud when he tries something out of his comfort zone. Staying away from home might feel a bit strange at first, but having lots of fun and friendly people around would make it an unforgetable experience.

If my daughter could design her perfect camp day, it would definitely include plenty of crafts, dancing, cooking and active outdoor activities. She loves being busy and trying different things, but she's also the type of child who likes to know exactly what is expected before starting something new. Clear explanations, demonstrations and supportive staff who take the time to talk children through activities would make a huge difference to her confidence.
One of my biggest considerations would be friendships. She can find it difficult to make friends initially, so I'd want staff to be proactive in helping children mix, feel included and find common interests. The less structured times can often be the hardest, so attentive staff who are keeping an eye on group dynamics and making sure everyone feels involved are really important.
For me, what makes a residential successful isn't just the activities themselves but helping children build confidence, independence and friendships in a safe and supportive environment. If she came home talking about new friends she'd made and things she'd achieved that she hadn't thought she could do, I'd consider that a huge success.

My DC really enjoyed the food (!) and the range of activities. He didn't do anything he hadn't done before with family but he loved doing the activities with friends and sharing the experience with them. It creates great memories, especially important for a residential at the end of primary school when the kids may be going to different schools.

Possibly a boring one, experienced capable staff. A lot of these type of things I've experienced have been run by 'fun' people who aren't necessarily good at discipline. My DC are sensitive/suspected SEN and spending all day with over excited kids running around yelling and misbehaving is too much for them. They do much better with calm structure than fun and excitement.

My kids loved multi sports camps where they could do lots of different sports - but where there was also a quiet or crafty option if they wanted to sit out.

They liked fun but firm staff as there always seemed to be a few little horrors attending who were mean to other kids - they appreciated when that was dealt with swiftly.

And water fights and ice cream when it was hot - that was a massive hit!

Definitely trying new activities which in turn gives them new confidence and independence. Mine loved the climbing type activities, archery, lots of outdoors time and even getting on with some chores.

My boys love anything involving sports. My youngest came home from his pgl residential last year and raved about the fun sports races they did one afternoon. He also really enjoyed the high ropes stuff they did and the singing round the camp fire in the evening. So his perfect day would be breakfast, followed by water sports in the morning, sports races in the afternoon and campfire marshmallows and singing in the evening after dinner.

My DC are older now, but DS1 came back talking about the relentless enthusiasm of his friend. They were white water rafting, it was pissing down, everyone was miserable except for 1 friend who kept yelling "This is amazing!" while everyone else told him to shut up.

Probably making new friends and more of them. DD is so shy and she knows and wants to get out of her comfort zone and just trying new things. She's starting to be a lot more adventurous but still not where she wants to be.

For my youngest who is now a bit older, it's definitely about the activities but also friends to do them with that makes it so much more fun. Not just any activites though but a range of them and different ones to build on his experiences.

My son has been on numerous residential’s and scout camps and loves the activities such as den building, bridge making across streams, outdoor cooking and just sitting round camp fires telling stories and singing. He loved being outdoors and sleeping in a tent and getting away from screen time.
The fact that they are with their peers and have to work as a team on activities is a great bonding experience.

Would include loads of fun activities and making loads of new friends to do those activities with.

Mine loved trying new activities and the freedom to be with friends

Both of them were upset by

• constant repetition of meals for their allergies while their friends had a full range of options
• food "treats" that they were excluded from because allergies werent planned for carefully

I met with school twice and spoke to the caterers. I offered to send safe alternatives for anything they couldn't provide. Still both times (different providers) said all the right things on the phone but didn't think through the inclusion side of things at all. So my Children were never hungry but were constantly feeling left out watching their friends tuck into foods for which no safe alternative was offered.