55 Free Summer Camps and Classes!

June 12, 2020
Written by:
Joy Capps
Field Trips, Homeschool Resources, Summer and Travel, Summer Fun

The summer of 2020 may not end up being like any summer you are used to but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be packed full of fun, learning, and summer activities! With the advantages of technology, your child can still experience new things this summer, meet new people, and learn, right from the comfort of your home! The list below includes topics and interests that will surely catch your child’s eye. The problem may be narrowing down the list to fit it into your summer plans. Some of the summer camps for kids do have a fee but there are other free summer camps listed below too!

  1. Camp Wonderopolis– Camp Wonderopolis is the free online summer-learning destination that’s full of fun summer activities, interactive STEM and literacy-building topics boosted by Maker experiments!
  2. The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami– From June to August, kids ages 6 through 13 can enjoy mixed media, painting, drawing, and textile art classes via Zoom through The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami. Families in the area can even pick up art supplies curbside before class.
  3. Camp Supernow– Kids ages 5 to 11 can join a virtual “cabin” at Camp Supernow where they’ll be paired with a counselor and other campers from across the country for an hour of crafts and activities on Zoom. 
  4. Varsity Tutors– Need something to keep your K-12 kids busy this summer? Help them make the most of their break with interactive camps taught by expert instructors.
  5. Happy Camper Live– From sports and arts and crafts to photography and magic, Happy Camper Live will give your kiddo a real camp feel at home with summer activities—there’s even a virtual campfire! 
  6. PBS Kids– The PBS Kids for Parents site offers up free age-by-age tips, crafts, games, and activities to get you through summer. 
  7. DIY Summer Day Camp– Kids at any skill level can use the DIY’s app to enjoy virtual classes like, “Photography,” Become a Music Star,” “Build Anything With Lego,” and “Drawing Bootcamp.” 
  8.  iD Tech– If you’ve got an older kid at home who’s super tech-savvy, then iD Tech’s virtual classes might be right up their alley. 
  9. K12 Inc. Summer Camp– Your high school student might be over the days of typical summer camp, but there are still free summer camp opportunities for them to get off the couch and be a little more selective with their screen time. 
  10. Reading Rockets– Reading Rockets’ “Start with a Book” program is free and sort of an online book club for kids ages 6 and up. 
  11. Code Ninjas– is offering week-long virtual summer day camps covering a variety of topics including coding, robotics, and game building.
  12. Met Opera Global Summer Camp– The new Met Opera Global Summer Camp is a free, eight-week online summer camp for kids to get the chance to explore music in a new way for kids in third through twelfth grade. 
  13. Boy Scouts of America– will host virtual camps, some of which can include non-Scouts. 
  14. The San Diego Zoo– is reaching millions of families around the world right now as part of SDZG’s #WereHereTogether campaign, which offers free online learning resources for kids and provides even more ways to learn about the world around us!
  15. United States Tennis Association Virtual Camp– (USTA) has an entire program for kids on its Net Generation platform, including live workout follow-alongs, math problems and coloring pages to keep them active mentally and physically. 
  16. Peanuts Virtual Art Camp– Peanuts Worldwide and Paige Braddock, Chief Creative Officer of Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, have launched a series of short, lighthearted instructional videos, entitled “How to Draw Peanuts Characters,” on the Snoopy YouTube channel. 
  17. Act One Theatre Camp– The Glendale Arts and the Alex Theatre in Glendale, Calif., will host Act One Theatre Camp online. 
  18. Super Soccer Stars– offers virtual classes and training sessions for youth soccer players (even  toddlers!) 
  19. Camp Hullabaloo– Hullabaloo Book Company offers Camp Hullabaloo: Each week, children will receive a brand new book and a list of kid and family-friendly activities including simple crafts that correspond to that week’s theme, and more ideas and activities will be offered weekly via email and on Instagram.
  20. Sew a Softie– will have tutorials online to sew a new softie each day. Kids can also join to be Sew a Softie ambassadors and teach parents and/or friends how to sew softies. Cute!
  21. Healthy Teens– offers virtual programs for summer camp, with programs including books and writing, crafts and art, computer programming, games and Legos, theater, photography and wellness.
  22. Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA) offers free summer Virtual Art Camps for ages 6 through 9 and 10 through 13.
  23. Baketivity Bake-A-Camp – provides campers baking box featuring four themed Baketivity kits. Each week’s kit, including pre-packaged and measured dry ingredients, hands-on instructions, science tips and guides, will take them through progressively advanced recipes and techniques as they explore one topic, theme or cuisine throughout the month.
  24.  Chess NYC-These Special Camps are run by New York City’s #1 Provider of excellence in lessons, classes, games, gamesmanship, and Chess Mentorship. From beginners to highly advanced play (and everything in between), you may enjoy the same support and fun that Chess NYC students do in Schools, Parks, and our own local “brick and mortar.”
  25. Jam With Jamie– offers free daily music classes on Facebook Live and their website. Founder Jamie Kolnick also offers families private Zooms to celebrate birthdays and other milestones.
  26.  SeriousFun Children’s Network, the global network of camps and programs serving seriously ill campers and their families, and founded by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, have created innovative new ways provide the same, life-changing camp experience virtually—and as always, free of charge.
  27. Woof Wag Dogs offers virtual free summer camp for kids and teens to learn positive ways to train their dogs.
  28. If you want some academic and extracurricular activities for your kids this summer, Teachers Who Tutor runs virtual summer camps for kids in grades K through 12 with programs ranging from fundamentals to electives.
  29. Best Buy’s Geek Squad Academy, a camp program designed to get youth excited about STEM education, has launched a new, virtual set of tools for kids ages 9-18 eager to develop their tech skills, including classes for binary numbers systems, Godot game engines, mobile photography, and website creation. 
  30. Camp Whatever It Takes (WIT) focuses heavily on empowering teens to make a difference, develop as leaders and even launch businesses.
  31. The Babysitting Company offers services that include everything from virtual field trips, yoga, dance, arts and crafts, online games, and more to keep kids occupied this summer.
  32. MarcoPolo World School is a digital learning platform with a STEAM curriculum that inspires children to become explorers and lifelong learners. It offers children ages 3-7 over 500 premium video lessons and 3,000 interactive learning activities.
  33. Yellowbrick is an online education platform focused on “Passion Industries.” They partner with major universities and media brands to create programs around fashion, sneakers, music, sports and more for teens and older kids.
  34. Little Tikes Camp [email protected] offers new activities through social media and email Monday through Friday. And better yet, these summer activities are all accessible for you at your own speed on Little Tikes social media and email. Parents will also be able to support one another and get chances to earn “badges” and win sweet Little Tikes prizes.
  35. KiDS NEED MoRE is a Long Island, N.Y.-based non-profit organization for families battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. KiDS NEED MoRE is offering Virtual Camp now and in the summer at no cost for children dealing with illnesses or affected by COVID-19.
  36. Wyzant offers virtual tutors in all academic areas, as well as in programs like coding and guitar, to keep your kids occupied and learning this summer.
  37. Smart Buddies Virtual Summer “Camp-In-A-Box” is a two-week online program that gives kids ages 7 to 11 the opportunity to learn, play, socialize and make lifelong new pals. Kids attend daily Zoom classes with counselors and fellow campers and learn coding to use with their Smart Buddies robots.
  38. Outschool offers an enormous assortment of virtual summer camp activities for kids and teens who have a range of interests
  39. Got a future doctor on your hands? Little Medical School offers virtual summer camps for kids and teens interested in becoming a doctor, veterinarian, pediatrician, sports physician, or EMT someday.
  40. Challenge Island’s Home Island– Now you can experience the wonder and magic of Challenge Island’s® award-winning STEAM camps from the safety of home. 
  41. Experience Camps for Grieving Children are free one-week camps for boys and girls who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling or primary caregiver.
  42. CEO Of My Life- LeKiesha French offers immersive STEAM-based entrepreneurship experiences with her CEO of My Life program, which partners with Georgia Tech.
  43. FirstSkor is running youth camps this summer to help develop games through content creation and streaming, as well as to help kids learn to code.
  44. Lucie B Jump N’ Fun N’ Girl Power Pow will host a virtual jump rope camp.
  45. Made with Code from Google is a free program for kids 12 and up that lets them learn how to create GIFs, make emojis and compose music.
  46. Connected Camps offer week-long Minecraft-based camps for kids ages 8 to 13 that teach skills like coding, game design and engineering, with some programs just for girls as well.
  47. iD Tech offers structured virtual tech summer camps for kids ages 7 to 19 to learn about various tech skills, including Python, Java, Minecraft, Roblox, Unity, Adobe, 3D modeling and more, and kids will get individualized attention—there’s a cap of just five students (“campers”) per instructor.
  48. Happy Camper Live brings a 360-degree virtual summer camp experience, summer activities, with hundreds of activities; experts and counselors; an original web series; a community service portal with outreach to children’s hospitals and inner city schools and more.
  49. KiwiCo‘s Camp KiwiCo will deliver four different weeks of hands-on activities, programming, and content.
  50. UBTECH’s Camp:ASPIRE is a virtual program that uses real, hands-on robotics, including servo motors, sensors, and other parts, to teach fundamentals of STEM robotics, including coding the robots’ movements, in the safety and comfort of home. 
  51. Full STEM Ahead Plus, from Boolean Girl (a nonprofit hosted by Virginia Tech and partner of Girl Scouts), is a summer program in which experienced instructors teach girls how to code. 
  52. Camp Lessonface is an online summer camp for kids program aimed to help keep young musicians engaged and inspired over the summer months. The camp will feature two-week online, intensive programs for kids of all ages
  53. ActivityHero. Serving as a clearinghouse for in-person activities as well as online classes and camps, this site lists a wide range of things to do for all ages, interests, and budgets. You’ll find both single-day sessions and more in-depth “camp-like” experiences.
  54. Camp Kinda offers themed activities like “Histories Mysteries,” for kids to complete at their own pace. Each week until Sept. 1, kids get a new week’s worth of online, offline, and even outdoor activities designed to take about three to four hours per day.

 

#ACTIVITIES FOR HOMESCHOOLERS, #SUMMER ACTIVITIES, #SUMMER BREAK, #SUMMER FUN, #SUMMER LEARNING, #TEEN SUMMER CAMPS