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Your kid probably knows this better than I do, but I’ll admit it: I play mobile games sometimes.

You know that moment when you download a new one and before you can actually play, there’s all this…stuff?

Login screens.

Username creation.

Permission requests.

Impossible-to-skip tutorials.

And you’re just thinking: “Can I please start having fun?”

Some games get you playing in seconds. Others make you wait through five minutes of setup before anything interesting happens.

There’s a term for this in gaming: TTF. Time to Fun.

I heard it on a podcast recently and immediately thought: this is exactly what we think about at camp.

Because it turns out, getting to fun quickly is the best way to have a great time the whole summer.

Where TTF Shows Up

Ali always says, “Camp starts on the bus!”

The excitement of seeing old friends, meeting new people, it’s real. AND there are a lot of logistics.

Checking in, bags underneath, where do I sit?

But last summer at the Boston pickup, one of our dads arrived early and hired Ben & Jerry’s to cater the send-off.

Balloons everywhere. Cherry Garcia & Americone Dream for everyone. Music blasting.

Kids arrived and immediately something fun was happening.

That’s zero Time to Fun.

This summer, we’re extremely focused on minimizing Time to Fun at every transition.

Do kids sit and wait for instructions before getting going with some action? Or are there soccer balls already scattered on the field, art supplies already laid out, the game already starting?

​Sylvia had it right a couple of weeks ago. Camp is fun. And we’re in it together.

Teaching still happens. Structure is still there. But fun starts first.

What’s the first thing kids experience when they arrive somewhere? It sets the tone for everything else.

Why First Moments Matter for A Summer

At a one-week camp, maybe you can recover from a slow start.

At K&E, kids are here for 6.5 weeks.

It’s thousands of individual moments. Each activity period, each meal, each evening program, each morning wake-up.

If Time to Fun is consistently fast, momentum builds.

Kids arrive at soccer and immediately start playing? Then soccer is awesome.

They walk into A&C, and supplies are ready? Then the project is going to be, well, awesome.

This compounds over weeks.

It’s not just about day one, though that matters too. It’s about every single transition throughout the summer.

When kids consistently experience quick TTF, a few things happen:

They stop hesitating. They know fun is right there.

They trust the environment. They’re not anxious about what comes next.

This is what we are training staff on. Not “be fun all the time” which is kinda (but not totally!) impossible and a bit exhausting.

But “Set things up so fun is immediately accessible.”

Balls on the field. Supplies ready. Music playing. The game already going.

Kid’s brain learns: this place moves and I’m part of it.

Why We’re Saying This Out Loud

This might sound obvious. Like, of course, camp should be fun immediately. Of course, kids shouldn’t be waiting around.

But I’m telling you, it takes real intention.

It’s easy to default to logistics first. It’s what most places do

Get everyone sorted, then start the fun part. It feels efficient. It feels organized.

But it’s backwards.

Our focus this summer is → “What’s the Time to Fun when kids arrive at your activity?”

Just asking the question changes how they think about setup.

Takes energy and commitment to design moments this way. It’s easier to have kids wait while you get organized. But that’s not what we’re building.

Fun first, then instruction.

Still have high expectations. Still getting coached and challenged.

But they’re engaged from the jump.

Time to Fun = Zero.

Then it’s Time For Fun.

And that’s a great summer.

Summer Matters.

Jack

P.S. Registration for Summer 2026 is cooking.

Want a zero TTF Summer for your kid? Let’s talk.

​Schedule a time to see if camp is a good fit for your family.

Or start summer here!

114 Eagle Pond Rd, Wilmot, NH 03287
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