3 Tips for Organizing Youth Camps Using Wristbands

Summer is fast approaching, which means it’s almost time for children and teenagers to enjoy their summer break.  Camp coordinators are starting to plan their itineraries to allow for an influx of adolescents during this busy season.  From day camps to residential summer camp programs and retreats, youth participate in many fun activities and field trips, like swimming, hiking, and trips to water parks, amusement parks, and zoos.  Wristbands are a highly-visible and economical identification method to help organize and classify kids while at camp.  Below are some fun and useful ways to utilize camp wristbands.

Categorize Various Swimming Levels

Many camps have pools at their facility or bring children to pools at a local recreation center, and may benefit from implementing a color-coding wristband system to categorize children by their swimming ability and help keep them safe from drowning. We suggest purchasing brightly-colored vinyl or plastic wristbands because they are water-resistant, non-transferable, and comfortable for extended wear.  For example, use red, yellow, and green wristbands to signify children of different swimming levels.  This will help improve safety by aiding lifeguards in visually identifying children to ensure they stay within the permitted areas of the pool.  The highly visible colors show well under water, so if inexperienced swimmers wander into the deep end of the pool, staff are visually alerted.  Since vinyl and plastic wristbands are durable and feature one-time locking snaps, they can be worn for well over a week, and will not fall off unless cut off.  This identification method can also be expanded to various other activities as well, such as horseback riding.

Alert Staff to Allergy/Dietary Needs

Wristbands easily and discreetly help staff identify youth with special allergy or dietary needs.   Since camp counselors have many kids to keep track of during the day, sometimes things can get a bit hectic.  Although allergies and dietary restrictions are usually written in a child’s file, having a clear visual identifier like a wristband adds peace of mind and an extra layer or protection, as well as improves staff efficiency.  Speedi-Band® Tyvek® nut and lactose allergy wristbands help camp staff when planning and serving meals, and bee sting allergy wristbands help identify and protect children in case of an emergency.  You can also incorporate different color or pattern wristbands to represent different needs, and many wristbands can be written on if you want to add additional information like an emergency contact number, in case of an emergency or if a child gets separated from the group.

Help Youth Remember Their Experience

Summer camps can leave a positive lasting impression on a child, so what better way to have them remember their camp experiences than with custom wristbands.  When designing your custom wristbands, you may want to customize them with your camp’s name, year, logo, or colors so that kids can take their wristband home as a keepsake to reminisce and share with their friends and family about all the fun they had.  Consider glow-in-the-dark wristbands for illuminating night time activities. To customize the ultimate wristband please read our article for 7 helpful tips for designing your custom wristbands.

For additional information on the benefits of camp wristbands and ideas for how your camp can utilize them, be sure to check out three ways wristbands can improve child safety at your camp.