Family Camps: an Overview of Benefits and Issues of Camps and Programs for Families

One form of family leisure in which many families choose to participate is attending a family camp. Recent increases in family camps (both formation and attendance) and reasons for attending family camps are reviewed. This article addresses types of family camps, and philosophies and foundations of family camps and structures and activities are discussed. Benefits (both immediate and long-term) of family camp attendance are presented, and concerns associated with this type of camp are mentioned. The authors give a call for theoretical-based family camp programs and research and provide specific recommendations for programs and future research.