Arranging a summer camp can get overwhelming, especially if you are conducting it for the first time. While pitching tents in a campsite and having bonfires to make s’mores is a great start, your summer camp must offer much more to get the kids excited.
Here is a list of fun activities you can conduct at your summer camp:
Field day
Give the kids a much-needed adrenaline rush by organizing a field day. A few exciting activities you can plan for field day include:
- Tug-of-war.
- Sack race.
- Relay race with eggs on spoons.
- Nature scavenger hunt, where kids have to look for and collect some things in nature.
These activities are great for getting the kids active and moving and for fostering a sense of collaboration between teammates in games.
Talent show
Appreciate the talents of your kids by conducting a talent show. You just need a stage, some props, and a seating area for the audience.
Give the kids ample time to decide on, and prepare, their act for the talent show. Allow as many kids to showcase their talents as possible.
Refrain from turning the talent show into a competition, as this might deter some kids from participating.
Make sure that the audience members appreciate every participant. Once a performance ends, lead the round of applause and cheers.
Cooking classes
Bring out the inner chef in your kids by conducting cooking classes. The kids will enjoy eating their labor of love more than any other meal and will be proud of their skills.
Follow simple recipes in the classes, such as ice cream sundaes, simple pizzas, milkshakes, lemonades, and tacos. Cupcake decoration is another fun idea for your cooking classes.
You can arrange a picnic for the kids at a park, where each brings their yummy creations from the cooking classes to share with their fellows.
Put up stalls in parks or other public places to sell these treats and give the proceeds to a local charity/NGO (e.g., an orphanage).
Field trips
Give your kids a much-needed change of environment with field trips to museums, zoos, factories, or tourist attractions. Field trips can be enjoyable educational experiences for the kids.
You can also arrange trips to amusement parks or bowling alleys to give the kids a break from their daily classes.
Arts and crafts
Inspire a creative spirit in your kids by holding art and crafts-making sessions. These can be fun and therapeutic experiences for the kids.
Some kids might discover their hidden talent and love for art in this process too.
Here are some exciting artsy activities you can hold in these sessions:
- Canvas painting
- Sculpture making
- Rock painting
- Making greeting cards for friends and family
- Making jewelry, such as bracelets and necklaces, from beads
The supplies for all of these activities are easily available at most stationary and art stores.
Dance sessions
Get your [kids’] groove on at your camp with dance and aerobics sessions!
Dancing is not only fun, but it’s also healthy. It can improve one’s cardiovascular health, muscle strength, and flexibility. It is also a great stress reliever, helping to release endorphins that elevate mood and reduce stress.
You can have weekly dance sessions where the kids can dance their hearts out and show off their moves in whatever way they like, or you can have proper dance classes to teach a certain dance form, like ballet, to your kids.
Water activities
Cool off the heat at your summer camp with water activities!
Summer camp can be the perfect place for kids to learn swimming. However, if your resources do not allow you to arrange swimming lessons, you can plan other fun activities such as:
- Water gun fight.
- Water balloon fight, where kids can fill up balloons with water and have a go at the members of their opponent teams.
- Trips to water parks.
- Boating in a nearby lake.
Sports and self-defense sessions
Playing sports is a surefire to get the kids’ blood pumping! Some thrilling sports that you can offer at your camp include:
- Volleyball.
- Soccer.
- Tennis.
- Basketball.
Encourage the children to play any of these sports during dedicated time slots every day. This will not only improve their physical and mental health but also teach them valuable life skills, such as discipline, time management, teamwork and collaboration, and sportsmanship.
If possible, arrange karate/taekwondo, first aid, and self-defense classes at your camp. The skills learned in these classes can help the kids successfully navigate life-threatening situations.
They will also help your summer camp stand out among others.
Promoting your summer camp
Once you have decided on the list of activities that you can hold at your summer camp, it’s time to let kids and their parents know about the exciting things you have in store for them.
Firstly, you need to have a strong social media presence. Here are a few effective ways to achieve this:
- Posts about the dates, duration, location, and activities of your summer camp on your social media accounts, and Facebook groups relevant to your target audience (i.e., kids and their parents).
- Paid ad campaigns on the social media platforms where your target audience is most active.
- Collaborations with influencers that your target audience follows. For kids, these can be sports/video game YouTubers, and for parents, lifestyle influencers.
Print marketing is also necessary to get the word out about your camp. Put up posters, and distribute flyers in public places that kids and/or their parents visit frequently (e.g., parks and schools).
With PosterMyWall, you can design eye-catching flyers yourself in no time. Browse through the summer camp flyer templates, select the one that you like, and customize it to reflect your summer camp’s details. Then download your design and get it printed.
We also suggest getting your summer camp’s ad printed in newspapers and magazines to reach more parents.
Final thoughts
Conducting a summer camp, that is not only fun but also beneficial for the health and social skills of kids, is no mean feat. You need careful planning, ample resources, and a solid marketing plan. Following the tips mentioned in our blog, you can be confident that your summer camp will turn out to be a huge success.