Things To Do In Summer | Summer Ideas When Camps are Full

School is almost out and you start planning fun activities for the kids. Panic sets in as you realize all of the “cool” camps that your kids would LOVE are full! Take a deep breath, it will be okay. This will completely change how you plan things to do in summer, even if summer camps are full.

I’ve been there. School is coming to an end and the daycare wants to know what your plans are. Spring activities took over your life and you lost track of time. You thought you had lots of time until you started your google search for theme camps that your kids would LOVE.

They were either full or completely out of the budget.

Now what?!

Option 1: keep them in daycare with the kids they know already and pay for the weeks they are with you on vacation

Option 2: Plan ahead for next summer while trying to find this year’s back up plan.

Price compare and then decide what’s best for your family. Option 1 is self-explanatory so let’s talk about Option 2 for a moment.

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Option 2: Summer Ideas When Camps are Full

Theme camps are fantastic for inspiring kids and adding a bit of educational spin and/or physical fitness into the mix. I’m a firm believer that when kids are having fun learning they are more engaged and they understand the lesson easier.

Rock climbing camps
Lego camps
Video game programming camps
Sports camps
Theatre camps
Archaeologist camps
Sleepaway camps

The list of theme camps today is endless, and every parent is a local google search away from finding out what’s available. Recreation centers have theme camps and are generally reasonably priced. Sometimes they offer 1/2 day camps so that children can be rock stars in the morning and learn a mix of sports in the afternoon.

One of the downsides to “cool” theme camps is that they are either sold out really soon after registration opens or their education value brings a top-dollar cost. Either way, if you left the searches for the last minute and didn’t plan ahead, you may be out of luck for those this year.

Start Planning for Next Year Today

The good news is you can start planning for next year:

Create your own spreadsheet or use the Summer Planning form that you can download from our Resource Library. It will help you plan for next summer today.
fill in the form with camp names, website address, weeks running, ages, descriptions, registration start dates, and cost
Put the most interesting camp’s registration start dates in your Family Organizer so you are reminded in February or March to register.
Setup a summer camp fund plan in your budget so you can lessen the blow to your bank account next year.

Plan for This Year

There is a sense of urgency when you find that camps are filling up and you haven’t planned things to do this summer. Make a calendar plan for the summer, or you can download the Summer Planning Guide below.

Fill in the weeks or days that you and your partner are on vacation.

Find camps for the remaining weeks.
Use the Summer Planning form (signup today to get more ideas for simplifying your life and access to the resource library) to help plan options for this year.

One of the camps our kids always attended over the years were summer swim camps. It combined swim lessons, free swims, and fun activities for the kids. We loved using that as their yearly swim lesson. They had the benefit of learning to swim daily for a week instead of over several weeks, and we were able to cut down our after-school schedule during the rest of the year.

As the kids got older and were able to spend more time at home together, we would pick and choose the camps and limit them to more theme camps with higher education value. The rest of the summer was spent hanging with family and friends. They enjoyed the downtime from being in the car constantly and had fun reconnecting with friends they don’t get to see very often during the school year.

Other Things To Do In Summer

Here are some fun activities for the kids that you can add this summer:

water fights with SuperSoakers or Water Balloons.
outdoor pools (check for summer rate deals – some cities offer free admission)
explore your community parks: geocaching, bike rides, hikes
take a day trip to a nearby community and discover an ice cream shop
visit a nearby historical center
backyard BBQ with friends
search for local events happening in your community
check out special events in the mall: dance lessons, Lego mini-builds, computer programming mini-lessons
Do nothing days – let the kids play while you relax while you read your Kindle (bliss!)
Camping with friends and family.

Whatever you decide for the summer, don’t forget the sunscreen, water bottles, and hats. I recommend not filling the summer with constant activity. You need to recharge after a busy school year. The kids need to reconnect with some friends that they never get to see. Rest, relax and enjoy your summer.

Missing out on registration dates one summer completely changed how I plan for kid summer vacations. I had this vision of back to back camps and a summer full of planned activities. This planning mistake ended up teaching me that downtime for the kids is better. Allowing them free-time to relax is good for them.

When we didn’t need full-time care we picked one or two week-long camps: one cool camp that we could fit in our budget and a swim camp. The rest of the time was spent as a family or having much-needed home and friend time. I mentioned some of our fun things to do in the summer.

What fun activities do you do with the kids?