The night before first overnight camp is its own small ceremony. The kid is excited, nervous, asking weird questions, deeply quiet, then asking weird questions again.
A few things that help.
Pack with them, not for them. They will know where their stuff is at camp if they helped put it there. Pack early enough in the day that there’s no last-minute panic at 9pm. Use the camp’s packing list. Add a flashlight even if it isn’t on the list.
Put one familiar small thing in their bag. A pillowcase from home, a small stuffed animal, a book they love, a deck of cards. Something that smells or feels like home. Don’t make a big production of it. Just put it in.
Have the homesickness conversation now, not at drop-off. “If you feel homesick, what’s your plan?” Walk through it. Tell a counselor. Write a letter. Get involved in the next activity. Let them tell you their plan back. Then drop the topic. Don’t bring it up at drop-off.
Eat dinner together with no phone. This is the small ritual. Tomorrow they’re with strangers and friends and counselors all eating dinner together. Tonight, family.
Do not tell them they’re going to have a great time. They might, they might not. Telling them they will sets up a comparison they have to make every time something doesn’t go well. Better: “Some parts will be great. Some parts will be hard. Both are part of camp.”
Set the post-camp pickup expectation now. “We’ll be at pickup on the seventh at noon.” Saying it makes it real. Knowing the end date is part of how kids handle the time apart.
The night before is also yours. They’re growing up, and you’re not going to be there for a week. That’s worth a quiet hour by yourself after the kid is in bed.