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 eldest is turning 9 this year and she's quite shy. She's coming into her element though recently and has started to gain enough confidence to put herself forward and make new friends. I know she'd love to make more and would love any camping trip where that was possible.

My 8 year old niece would love to have more friends that like the same things she's into. She struggles with communication so any activities which open up the chance at communicating but also having fun would be perfect for her.

My 8 year old really enjoyed doing things he’d not tried before. He came back really excited about kayaking which I probably wouldn’t have considered either him before.

My now teens enjoyed camps with:
Swimming
Camp fires and outdoor cooking
Space to chill out
No expectations to win/achieve anything
A holiday club soft archery kit started a long passion for actual archery in my nearly 18 year old.

Good food and a variety of activities.

Sharing rooms / transport / activities with friends
The food (lots of anything & everything!)
The independence of being away from parents for a chunk of time

He would actually prefer not having an activity-packed time, but time to relax and unwind. I appreciate this would not be quite seen as value for money though

My daughter is 10 and she said trying something new like paddleboarding and archery and things she doesnt do at home

My DD is 12, she’s been on 2 residential with school a 3 day Brownie camp and holiday club at the Outdoor pursuits centre every Easter and summer since she was 5 (except during lockdown).

She likes to be able to pick from a selection of activities, it doesn’t have to be a wide variety she just likes being able to have some decision making input into what she’ll do it also gives her options if she’s feeling tired in the afternoon to do a craft rather than joining the other group who are doing a sport. She prefers the land activities like bushcraft, target shooting, climbing to the water activities like kayaking, raft building, river trip so will usually opt to stay dry.

Shes usually a bit nervous in the morning about whether she’ll make any friends or if she’ll know anyone so always asks to go to the additional breakfast club which gives her the opportunity to start a bit slower and more quietly rather than jumping straight into the activities and forced team working.

Shes quite introverted so having the option for some downtime is really important for her, she always packs a book and we make sure the staff know that if she seems like she’s getting overwhelmed then she would benefit from 15 minutes with a cold drink sat under a tree somewhere just being quiet.

Lots of team sports- tag rugby, rounders and football, good food - pasta and potato’s, and clear skies for star gazing and learning about constellations and planets.

My DD was a shy child lacking in confidence so I was a bit worried before she went on her first residential. Turns out she absolutely loved it. The mix of fun activities like a climbing wall, that pushed her beyond her limits and the friendship building evening things like fire side stories and marshmallows etc. It was pretty simple but challenging and good fun.

My DD is 11 and autistic, she struggles with sports so would like a mix of crafts, bushcraft, camp fires, den building but with lots of down time and no expectation to join in.

They want tasty food, snacks and treats not everything healthy with vegetables all the time! They want exciting activities like Go Ape, wall climbing, hiking and forest school style activities like camping and "activities the scouts do".

making new friends, camping out together, eating BBQ, taking part in water sports, archery, assault courses & being part of the wider group & all the buzz that these things create:)

My child enjoyed having fun and finding her own independence going somewhere without her family. We are a small family and my daughter hadn’t really gone anywhere without her immediate family and hadn’t stayed overnight anywhere. She took some home comforts and so didn’t miss home, and she enjoyed the activities and being entertained a lot, and joined in with everything. I liked the updates and photos that we as parents were sent. My daughter came back very tired but happy and had lots of exciting g stories to share with us, and it was a successful trip.

Both my children have camped from a very early age both with Guiding and Scouting, and they’ve loved it as it’s grown their confidence, allowed them to learn new skills, as well as spending time with their peers. My children are confident trying new things and I believe that camping has helped them with this. Being away from home and home
comforts is always hard but it’s great for a short period of time. Highly recommend!

Both DD and DS loved school residentials and both came back noticably more confident. The residential centre had a huge tower for abseiling in the grounds and this was the one thing they both talked about most, and felt most proud about. There were obviously other benefits they gained from the experiences and I am very pleased they were able to participate - something my other DS was unable to do due to lockdown.

My daughters perfect day: You wake up, gonto campfire in your pyjamas, have pancakes. Get dressed, go rockclimbing, then go to a river and swim or go on rafts. Then back to campfire and make own pizzas. Then do some crate stacking. For dinner you have some chippy takeaway. Then you get changed in pyjamas and can play field games near the campfire.

My son age 10 has been on lots of scout camps, he loves all the activities like archery, water sports climbing walls and being able to run around quite freely with his friends. He doesn't do well with competive activities in this sort of setting as he cant cope with rules not being followed properly ( he's in a cricket team and is fine in this official setting its just where leaders are lax with the rules or people get extra goes or push in)

Time with friends, fun activities, but also space to get away from it all if needed. On a school camp at a PGL centre my son was completely overwhelmed by being in a dorm into which they'd packed as many triple bunks as would fit, so there were about 20 boys in there with very little space. It was just too much for him.

My DS is autistic and hasn’t been included in school residential camps but he’s been able to attend a farm a couple of times in the summer and do work there without me. It’s expensive but he loves it so much, anything with animals is great for us.

My 10 year old DC loves camps/residentials because it means spending time with friends, be they old or new. On camp there's always someone to play with or chat with. The shared experiences really help them bond a friendship.
Good food is also really important. It's fuel for the day. Huge brownie points if they get to choose what they eat from a selection.
The staff/instructors at the camp are obviously massively important. Mine love to find out about who is leading the group. If a staff member/instructor shares an anecdote with them they're always keen to hear it. Friendly and encouraging staff/instructors make all the difference. For my children it makes them want to do well at their activities.
They've made some brilliant memories from these trips in amazing venues.