My 4 year old learned to swim at Headfirst camp last year. I think a camp that has swimming lessons every day and just sticking to it is ideal.

Why are you concerned he'll hate any choices? Perhaps my kid is easygoing, but she likes all camps well enough. We picked a couple for variety, but not because of any concern that she'd "hate" any of them.

Thanks PPs above who mentions that the last two weeks of July is hot (better pick a camp indoors) & carline procedures for pick up/drop offs. I didn't think of that. Yes, I would do the drop off & pick up.

The reasons that I plan to pick 3 camps (each camp stays for continuous 2-3 weeks, not every week is different one) because I have no clues which one my kid would like. I don't want to risk a possibility that he hates the ONLY 1 camp I pick for him for the full summer, and I cannot risk the chances to wait to sign up in summer. Everyone tells me to sign up early in the year because every camps fill up fast.

He was in low-key traditional summer camp for the previous years, so I want to add a little bit excitement to this summer since he is older now. I am not ready for him to try outdoor camp yet because he is not sporty at all. To me, #1 is safety, #2 is fun, #3 is learning.

Thank you.

At that age, my kid did better with one or two camps the whole summer. Now as a rising fourth grader, we’ve signed up for 4 different camps—2 wks sleepaway, 3 wks of previously “main” camp within walking distance, 2 wks language camp, 1 wk sports camp.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I sign my kids up for one camp for eight weeks. A different camp each week seems ridiculously complicated and annoying.

yup this.

Same. Camp is childcare not vacation I save my money for vacation and in the process, my sanity. But this is OPs first.

If you are doing drop off and pickup, keep in mind that with each new camp you’re going to have to read the paperwork on Sunday nights to figure out what he should bring and what the carline procedures are and then think about your route to/from work. It gets tiring to change up the routine each week. Plus doing all the paperwork and med forms for each camp. Some variety is nice but don’t change it up every week.

Elementary school kids -- one "main" camp that does lots of different things (sports, swimming, field trips), one two-week tech camp (TIC), one week out of town vacation. Keep it relatively simple...

It's a tradeoff

2 years ago my 4yo was at one camp the whole summer and seemed to love it.

Last year same 5yo said he didn't want to go back (which surprised us) and instead just do as much sports as possible. Couldn't find a true full-day multi-sport camp that was logistically realistic for us, so he bounced around between 4 different camps over the summer (two single-week, two multi-week) to maximize the sports exposure depending on their program offering that week that we could sign up for. One of the 4 camps was a robot/lego-focused camp (FunBotLab), which I knew he was into... so we sent him there on weeks when there wasn't a good "all sports" option for him I could find. He also had one week of theatre camp because I thought he'd enjoy that as well.

This year same 6yo has stated he wants to do Baseball again (@ Potomac, a 1-week camp) and other than that just do FunBot. Complained that last year was too much making new friends at each camp, so wants more consistency so he can have more reliable camp friendships week-to-week over the summer, and that FunBot was his favorite last year.

I think my key takeaway is there's a tradeoff between breadth and depth (including relationships with staff and other kids), that the right answer depends on your kid, that your kids preferences will evolve year-to-year, and so just do the best you can. In general for extracurriculars (activities during school-year as well as summer camp options) we try to let our kids be invested in these decisions as much as possible, and ask them to commit to seeing a program through for some reasonable period of time. It helps them understand the impact of their choices and build a bit more grit to stick with things that aren't quite the way they imagined, and there also seems to be less "...but I don't want to do X!" battles if they had a hand in choosing X in the first place.

Agree with what others have said. What works for my family, might not work for yours.

With that said, we have used summer as a way to supplement their education/activities. Every week is different. We have tried art camp, dance camp, soccer camp, general sports camp, tennis camp, stem camp, nature camp, social studies camp, drama camp, etc. We try new activities, and sign up for camps offered by favorite year round activities. We like a variety, a chance to try new things, a chance to further develop certain skills, etc. We have two kids, so we try to keep them in the same camp. This means, one week you spend doing your sibling's favorite activity, and the next week they do yours. Other factors we strongly consider are price, location, and hours.

My kid goes to one camp that is a 5 or 6 week block, and then we fill in the additional weeks.

As PP said, there are a lot of different philosophies on camp. That age can have trouble with transitions so going to a different camp every week may be tough.

For cooking camps, check out Tiny Chefs. https://tinychefs.com/kids-cooking-camps/

There are a bunch of different philosophies on camp. Some like the same cam every week.

I preferred to mix it up, really think about the kid, and think about what's possible in summer that isn't possible during the school year. Add in cost considerations, commute, etc to narrow it down.

There are some camps that offer variety within the camp structure - like if are in DC, Headfirst can give you some options within their schedule.

I looked for quieter, arts/music during the two weeks that are typically the heat of the summer - the last two weeks of July - ti give a break from sports for a bit. I also looked at nature camps, too.

If you say where you are located people can give you advice on cooking. That's one I never found a good fit.

I think when they are young, doing a bunch of different types is good. As they get older, they will let you know their preferences. Therefore, I would say add a drama or art one to the mix, especially because they are usually indoor based and all the outdoor ones can get hot in the summer, so it nice to have a week or two indoor camp to look forward to. I would also make sure you have a traditional one, which might be what your multi-interest ones are. That is - one like Sandy Spring, Barrie Camp, etc.

Anonymous wrote:I sign my kids up for one camp for eight weeks. A different camp each week seems ridiculously complicated and annoying.

yup this.

I sign my kids up for one camp for eight weeks. A different camp each week seems ridiculously complicated and annoying.

First time planning for summer camps. For 5 year old, I am planning to sign up 2 weeks of multi-sports camp (including swimming), 2 weeks of gymnastic camp & 3 weeks of multi-interest camps (including field trips & swimming). We will do 1 week of vacation plus the rests are grandparents day. He is active, non-swimmer, & he is not good at any sports (but he love sports). All camps are from 8am-9am till 3pm-6pm. Should I add some art camp (he is not good, but he likes drawing) or drama camp (I don't think he knows what drama is) to replace 1 sport camp because all I plan to sign up are mostly sport related? I am afraid it is too many sport overloaded. How do you all plan for summer camps for your kid (specific your kid age), all sports or a combination of something (art/music/etc)?

I wish I can find a cooking dessert camp for him at 5 year old because he is interested in baking.