When summer approaches and families begin solidifying their plans for the season, ensure that you have your camp registration forms ready to go. With a thoughtfully designed form, registration is efficient and painless, increasing the likelihood that parents will complete their kids’ enrollments. But how do you provide the best and most convenient registration form possible?
To answer that question, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite tips and tricks for writing an awesome registration form:
- Keep Summer Camp Registration Forms Short And Simple
- Include Your Camp’s Information On Your Camp Registration Form
- Add Pricing Tiers And Options To Your Summer Camp Registration Form
- Offer Your Summer Camp Registration Form Online
- Sell Merchandise On Your Camp Registration Form
Plus, we’ve created a free summer camp registration form you can use as a template!
Providing a great camp experience starts before campers even arrive. A thoughtfully prepared summer camp registration form will not only increase sign-ups but also convey an air of professionalism that instills parent trust. With the right form, you’ll excite campers and reassure parents, starting the camp season off on the right foot. Let’s get started!
1. Keep Summer Camp Registration Forms Short And Simple
When drafting your summer camp registration forms, avoid including unnecessary fields. Doing so can increase your form abandonment rate, as few parents want to waste time answering questions that aren’t relevant to their child’s camp registration process.
Instead, give parents what they want and focus your registration form fields on the following topics:
- Camper information. This includes the camper’s age, birthday, gender, allergies, and relevant medical history. You can also ask if the child is a returning camper or if they have any special needs.
- Parent information. Since parents and guardians will be most campers’ emergency contacts, ask for their names and contact information.
- Camp programs. Create a form that lists your camp’s unique programs and let parents choose the activities their child will participate in. For example, if you offer a horseback riding program with limited spots, let parents select it during the registration process.
- Payment information. Wrap up your summer camp registration form with payment information so parents can successfully complete their enrollment.
By asking for only the necessary information, you’ll increase your forms’ completion rate. If, after using your form for a while, you realize you need to ask about another piece of crucial information, simply adjust your form. Just keep in mind that the shorter your form, the happier parents will be!
2. Include Your Camp’s Information On Your Camp Registration Form
At the top of your form, right around the title, include all relevant contact information that a curious or worried parent needs. This includes information like:
- An email address of a staff member who can answer registration-related questions.
- The phone number and working hours of the staff member.
- Your camp’s mailing address for mail-in registration forms.
- Your camp’s website address, where parents can find more information.
In addition to making your camp registration form more professional, providing this information puts parents at ease, as they can easily call or email your camp staff should any questions arise.
Including contact information on your form also increases the chances of parents completing it. If they come across a field they don’t know how to answer or have a question about, they can call your camp immediately instead of putting the form down and forgetting to pick it back up.
Another way to ensure that parents view your organization as professional and trustworthy is to make sure that your camp registration form is branded correctly. Your color scheme and logo should be consistent across your website, newsletter, registration forms, and anything else you might send to parents.
This is especially important for online forms, which parents might view as inherently less trustworthy. Make it clear that your form is connected to your camp to ensure parents feel comfortable sharing their personal information and payment details.
3. Add Pricing Tiers And Options To Your Summer Camp Registration Form
Although it would be easier for every single camper to pay the exact same amount for attending a camp session, that’s not a practical pricing system for many camps. However, scholarships and discounts ensure that all children can experience the joys of summer camp!
You might offer camp discounts for a range of reasons, including military service, multi-child registrations, returning campers, referrals, and more. Children can also earn scholarships by applying or having their parents send in proof of need. However, some parents may not know about your discounts or might not think they’re eligible for scholarships.
To prevent this issue from keeping kids from attending camp, include a short informational section on your camp registration form regarding scholarships and discounts. The most important informational tidbits to include are:
- Scholarship application deadlines.
- Common types of discounts and qualifications.
- A link or QR code leading parents to more detailed information.
Consider also including a field on your form that allows parents to apply a discount or scholarship to their application. Of course, your staff will need to review applications to ensure that parents include the right code or check the right box, but allowing parents to self-select for discounts saves both you and parents time and money.
By following this practice, parents can avoid paying upfront with money they might not have on hand, and your camp staff doesn’t have to worry about giving everyone refunds after scholarships or discounts are applied. It’s a win-win!
4. Offer Your Summer Camp Registration Form Online
All of the tips we’ve shared so far have been applicable to both online and offline registration forms. But when building the most attractive and effective camp registration form possible, you must plan for the future. As your camp grows, it’s going to be increasingly important to have an integrated software system that helps your camp collect and use data efficiently.
If possible, your camp should invest in online registration software.
With an online solution, parents everywhere can register their campers with ease. Your staff can also rest assured that they've received all of the applications and payments, instead of worrying about checks or registration forms getting lost in the mail.
Online registration is a best practice for camps everywhere for multiple reasons:
- Information from summer camp registration forms can automatically flow into your summer camp database software, ensuring that information never gets lost.
- Camps can easily create personalized and adaptable forms with different fields based on programs.
- Parents can send scans of important documents straight to your camp, instead of worrying about sensitive information getting lost in the mail.
- Using online forms instead of paper saves trees!
Offering online registration also makes it easier to register multiple children in a family, synchronize roommate requests, track the number of campers registered for a program or activity, and follow up with parents for payments or additional documentation.
An online registration form that integrates with or is part of your camp management software makes the registration process as convenient and secure as possible for both parents and administrative staffers.
5. Sell Merchandise On Your Camp Registration Form
Earn extra revenue by encouraging parents to purchase your camp’s merchandise for their kids right on your registration form. Allowing parents to order t-shirts on your forms has a variety of benefits, including:
- Increasing non-registration dues revenue for your camp
- Providing a rough estimate of how many t-shirts you’ll need to order for the summer
- Giving your campers a way to advertise your camp all year round
Merchandise orders help get kids excited to come to camp and pick up their cool new gear, and they make parents worry less about sending their kids to camp with money for a shirt or water bottle. Plus, your campers get gear to remember their awesome summer!
For extra creative fun, consider making a game out of it. Ask campers to preorder certain colors, or create different t-shirts for different cabins or age groups. Then hold fun cross-camp games like hide and seek, tag, or a kickball tournament!
Camp t-shirts and other gear can build community within your camp, so make sure that parents can purchase anything their kids might want or need right from the registration form.
Summer Camp Registration Form Template
Now that you know how to maximize your summer camp registration’s potential, it’s time to start putting one together! Fortunately, you don’t need to start from scratch thanks to our free summer camp registration form template.
Use this document as a starting point for your camp. For instance, you might keep basic sections about camper information the same, but add your unique branding and details about your specific activities and programs.
Download and edit this template to create a summer camp registration form that’s perfect for your community of parents of campers!
Additional Summer Camp Registration Forms
Our flexible summer camp registration form template can be tailored for any type of camp. To help you adapt the form to your camp’s unique needs, use these tips for how to create a few common types of registration forms:
Sports Camp Registration Form
If your camp is based around a particular sport or involves numerous physical activities, your registration form should capture information about campers’ physical health. In addition to basic contact information, include these sections:
- Medical information. While all registration forms should ask for basic medical information, you may need more extensive details for campers participating in strenuous physical activity. In addition to allergies, you might ask about medical conditions or concerns relevant to your sport. For example, a football camp might ask about heart conditions or previous head injuries.
- Sport-specific information. Ask campers for details about their experience with your specific sport. A boxing camp might ask for campers’ height and weight to organize them into weight classes, while a football camp should ask what positions the camper usually plays.
- Waiver agreement. When starting a summer camp, you should meet with a lawyer to discuss your camp’s insurance and waiver needs. Compared to low-physical activity camps, sports camps will need more extensive waivers that cover the variety of risks campers may experience at your camp.
Day Camp Registration Form
Day camps and overnight camps have different needs. This means that day camps might have truncated registration forms that only include the basics, like:
- Camper information. Gather basic information about campers, such as their name, age, medical information, and any other details relevant to your day camp. For example, you might also ask campers what school they attend.
- Parent contact information. Even though camp only lasts a few hours each day, you should still have contact information for each child’s parent or guardian. This ensures you can reach out to them with routine camp updates and get in touch quickly in the event of an emergency.
- Ability level. While day camps can have campers of all ages, many host young children. If this applies to your camp, you might ask questions related to specific activities, such as whether campers can swim.
Summer Camp Special Activities Form
If your camp offers activities with limited spaces or extra fees, ensure your registration form includes details about these programs. Provide the following information for each special activity you offer:
- Activity description. To help campers and their parents decide what activities are right for them, include detailed descriptions of your programs, where they fit into your camp schedule, and how many activities a camper can sign up for.
- Any requirements. Some activities may be restricted to campers who already have certain skills or meet certain requirements. For example, a rock climbing program might require campers to be above a specific height, or an advanced horseback riding activity might only be open to campers who have already taken your camp’s beginner course.
- Enrollment details. Explain exactly what campers and their parents must do to secure a spot in one of your special activities. For example, if an activity has limited space, you might emphasize that enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis to encourage interested families to submit their registration forms quickly.
Summer Camp Merchandise Order Form
Registration forms are also an opportunity to sell vital camp gear and optional branded merchandise. Even if your camp is only planning to order matching t-shirts, make sure you collect the following information on your registration form:
- Items for purchase. Create a catalog of all the items parents can buy ahead of the camp season. If this list includes necessary gear, like a tent or sleeping bag, emphasize that campers can either purchase these items from your camp or bring them from home.
- Clothing sizes. For t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other apparel, make sure you gather campers’ clothing sizes. This might also apply to other types of gear, such as gloves, boots, and helmets.
- Shipping information. When it comes to gear and merchandise campers will use at camp, you can either ship everything to your camp and hand it out to campers on arrival day, or you can ship items directly to campers. If you’re selling extra merchandise that’s not for camp use, like mugs and calendars, you will likely want to ship all purchases to campers’ homes.
Summer Camp Registration Form for Campers
Usually, parents and guardians will be the ones filling out camp registration forms. However, you might include a section of your form specifically for campers to fill out with their parents or by themselves. These sections will focus on campers’ interests to help you learn more about them, provide information for camp counselors, and create a more positive experience for everyone.
You might ask campers optional questions about their:
- Hobbies. Ask campers about their hobbies and interests. These can be related to your camp’s activities or open-ended. For example, if you have programming related to sports, music, and arts and crafts, you might ask campers which of those activities they’re most interested in.
- Likes and dislikes. Help camp counselors connect with their campers and identify potential bunkmates by asking questions about their favorite things. You might ask campers about their favorite movie, song, color, subject in school, or something related to your camp. For example, a baseball camp might ask campers what their favorite professional team is.
- Camp goals. Ask campers why they’re attending camp this year and if there’s anything they want to accomplish. Make this an open-ended question where campers can provide as much or as little detail as possible. For example, at a sports camp, one camper might want to improve their abilities by a specific metric, while another might just want to have fun.
Additional Resources
Summer camp registration forms are your first impression with parents, so be thoughtful and intentional about creating yours! If you follow these tips, you’re sure to encourage campers to register and assure parents that their kids will have a great time this summer.
For more fun camp tips and tricks, check out some of our other favorite resources:
- How To Increase Summer Camp Enrollment: A Complete Guide — Having a great summer camp registration form will boost registrations, but there are other ways to increase enrollment rates. This complete guide will give you the top strategies.
- Best Camp Management Software in 2025: A Buyer’s Guide — If you’re looking to streamline registration and camp operations, look no further than this guide to the top camp management software solutions.
- The Camp Director’s Tech Handbook: Answering The Top 3 FAQs — Technology can dramatically improve your camp’s ability to connect with campers and their parents. Discover how to leverage software to maximize your camp experience with these tips.
