I know summer is a few months away, a whole season away actually, but hear me out, it’s never too early to make plans. Especially when it comes to your children’s activities, the earliest you plan those, the best. It can get pretty stressful waiting until the last minute sometimes. If you are planning on staying in the city over the summer, I have a full list of really fun camps and summer programs to check out for your children!
Sur La Table
This is one of the coolest summer programs I’ve heard about! They are have a kids and teens summer series where they are offering classes on baking, cooking and owning your own restaurant! They offer both 4 and 5 day programs, which is great because it’s short, but it does get the kids out of the house for awhile. The summer program runs from June-August and classes are anywhere from 2-2.5 hours. What’s really cool is that they do offer online participation, so you can take it online if you are out of town or just not comfortable going in person- it’s all up to you. This is also a great opportunity for your kids to learn how to cook and bake, if they haven’t learned much yet. If you have some creative kiddos, this is definitely worth checking out!
Photography: Sur La Table
Asphalt Green
A great, active camp option is at Asphalt Green! They have a few locations throughout the city and they are more of a sports camp vibe. Offering programs that include aquatics, sports and day camps, this is a great way to keep your kids active in the summer. I think camps are such a fun way to meet new friends that your kids maybe don’t go to school with. It’s always fun to meet more people here!
Photography: Asphalt Green
NY Aquarium Kids Camp
Another really unique summer opportunity is the go to camp at the New York Aquarium! It’s in-person from 9-3 Monday-Friday, so this is a great day camp option. It’s a really informative program where your kids will learn about aquatic life, meet with aquarium designers to learn how designing works, make art projects and so much more! They even have a cool shark week! This program also offers camps that are at the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and the Queens Zoo, so depending on where you reside in New York, you can choose a zoo if it’s closer and more accessible to you than the aquarium! Registration is now open!
Photography: Julie Larsen Maher WCS C/O New York Aquarium
Play On! Studios
Theatre lovers- here is your summer program! Play On! Studios is now open for summer camp registration. They offer programs for children aged Kindergarten-9th grade. They are a theater day camp located on the Upper West Side. This is a super unique program as they offer sessions week by week, so at the end of each week, campers will be putting on a new show! Here they will receive a script and learn all about sets and costumes, which is a great opportunity to learn more about theater. How adorable is that?! Sessions begin June 20th and end September 2nd.
Photography: Play On! Studios!
Camp Corlear
If you have children ages 3-11 looking for summer day camp programs, look no further! This is a great program with super fun art and music activities, a whole yard to play outside in, planting, sculpting, weekly themes and so much more! They offer both half and full day options.
Chelsea Piers Camps
Chelsea Piers has a ton of great summer camps going on this year, and really unique ones at that! I think this is a great option for kids who want to focus on a specific activity this summer. For example, they offer basketball, Ice Skating, Soccer, Golf, Hockey, Gymnastics, Urban Adventure and Ninja Parkour summer camps. Yes, you read that right: Ninja and Parkour. How cool is that?! I think it’s really fun for kids to get to focus on their passions in the summer, because they spend so much time learning during the year, that they deserve to have fun and do what they love during the summer!
Photography: Chelsea Piers Camps
Children’s Garden Classes
The Brooklyn Botanical Garden is offering an adorable summer program where kids can learn all about plants and harvesting. I think this is such a unique program and it can not only teach kids about plants and flowers, but responsibility, as well. They are responsible for feeding their plants and harvesting them, so it’s all educational. They have classes for children aged 2-13, so there is so much opportunity here for everyone!
Mo Math Summer Camp
Calling all math lovers, this one is for you! The National Math Museum is running a summer camp program for children in first grade-ninth grade, there are different levels for each age chunk, so it is tailored to age. They offer one week sessions June-September, so if you’re going out of town at all, you can definitely just sign up for one week! It’s all day long, with extended day options, if needed. There are different themes each week and they teach parts of math that are not taught in school, such as how puzzles can be simplified through colorful pictures- they really bring math to life.
City Sail
This sailing camp takes place on the Hudson River and they are guaranteed to teach your kids all about sailing, which is so fun. What other camp does that?! It’s really hands on and gets them outside, and it’s great because they get to be on the water. Kids ages 9-17 are welcome to sign up! You are free to sign up for as many weeks as you want, so you can do a week trial and if your kids loves it, extend!
Photography: City Sail Program
Bloomingdale School of Music
If you have a child who is interested in music, I have found the perfect program for them! BSM is offering a week long program in July for music exploration, as well as a few weeks dedicated to guitar, piano and a strings intensive. No instrument is excluded here! Again, it’s a great opportunity to sign up for a week long program your child enjoys, especially if you are headed out of town.
Photography: Bloomingdale School of Music
Play:GroundNYC
This is a nonprofit organization that gives children a place to play freely in the city. They believe in age-mix playing, so everyone can meet and make friends! The program is running 11 weeks this summer, and just like many other programs, you can sign up for however many weeks you’d like. What is great is that they offer scholarships, if needed, and they have a girls week!
Photography: Play:GroundNYC
Mill Basin Day Camp
This hands-on camp offers 5 different programs that include: Pioneers (ages 3-5), Adventures, Stars, Explorers and Teen Quest. I love to find camp options for teens, because I feel like there aren’t that many these days! They have really innovative programs there and it goes through 9th grade, so there are options for virtually every age! It’s a great mix between sports and the arts, so it’s pretty balanced and super fun!
Photography: Mill Basin Day Camp
Ballet Academy East
In August, The Ballet Academy East will be offering a 2 week intensive for kids aged 9-19. The classes will be taught by the BAE Artistic Director! This does require an audition, but it is a great program to look into for any aspiring dancer!
Photography: Ballet Academy East
New York City offers such unique summer opportunities for children, I think it’s great to take advantage of these programs, even if you can only attend a week! Let me know which programs you’ve tried out!
For more summer activities, visit here!
17 thoughts on “New York City Summer Camps to Know About”
I never would have thought that NYC would have summer camps. That’s very cool!
Summer camps are a great idea! My kids have gone to many of them and they plan to again this summer.
Wow, New York City is a place that offers unique summer opportunities for kids. Great to know these campsites!
Wow, there are so many fun and productive summer camps to choose from. I wish I can see New York someday and check some of these out.
Wow love that the Aquarium has a summer camp. That is so cool and would be an amazing experience for any child.
How cool are these?! We never had the opportunity to attend summer camps here, they just aren’t a thing!
So many good places to visit in NY! I wish I can go back to NY the soonest and hopefully, we can bring my niece so we can schedule some of these places to visit.
So much fun to have when going to NYC. These ideas even for children can be good. Thank you for sharing!
Wow! There are some amazing camps now! We had some good ones when my kids were growing up but now there is a huge selection of ones to choose from!
Those are some great summer camps. I think my kid would love them when he gets to that age.
Beautifully executed. Starting to end I couldn’t stop myself and went on reading it. Pics are very attractive
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It’s been along time since I have had to look into summer camps. I have such fond memories and hope that everyone can have the experience.
There are many summer fun activities for kids. It is great because kids have something to keep them busy with.
Nnniiiccceeeeee….”Ground NYC” has me in my feels! New York City has always made an impression on me that it’s all built-up without a single patch of grass to play on.
Summer camps are the best for kids! Good to know that in New York there are also such activities.
Sounds great with the summer activities. I will let my daughter try some of them.
Summer camps are absolutely the best for me and had plenty of amazing memories formed there. Those are all amazing and sound like a fun place for the kids to be in.