With summer quickly approaching, parks and recreation organizations have to hold an interesting set of programs and activities, if they want to keep locals engaged. 

There are the traditional activities, lessons and drop-in classes that are always available but it’s important for parks and recreation organizations to keep their programming fresh. One thing to keep in mind is that a number of parents will need help looking after their children, so day-long camps are always a good idea.

Need summer camp ideas? There are so many fun ways to keep things interesting for campers! Here are a few ideas for summer camps: 

Sport Camps

Tennis, volleyball and soccer camp options are offered almost everywhere but not many people switch it up. Try having leadership, dodgeball, water polo and other not so well-known camp options that could be very different, fun, and educational for the youth in your area. Sports and games are a great way to teach children collaborating as part of a team; not to mention a good way to engage them to stay active while they're out of PE class in school. Test the waters first but putting registration for camp up early, in case you aren’t able to reach the numbers you’re looking for and have to reconfigure your programming.

Outdoor Games

Engage kids with both indoor and outdoor activities that are different from the norm. Water balloon, dodgeball, water gun play fights, lawn bowling, and a scavenger hunt can be geared towards kids and more. All of these are incredibly fun and hosted the right way, will teach kids friendly competition between one another. If your area is more heavily forested, bird watching or other activities involving local fauna or flora can be a great option, especially when there is wildlife or scenic elements unique to your area.

Sports Days

Have a sports day filled with fun activities, games, and prizes at your camp! Play California kickball, capture the flag, tug of war and more. Have a youth version, as well as an adult version. These can be so much fun for adults to play, not only for nostalgia, but to get some fun, accessible competitiveness out. Broadening your demographics to include more age groups can lead to some great steps forward in your organization’s programming. There are tons of sports options available that campers are sure to enjoy.

Field Days & Tours

Getting an outside education is all part of the camp experience for many kids. At your camp, host field days outside with tours—whether they're educational or fun—around local parks. Not only will it be fun and educational, it will bring more awareness to your parks and boost attendance. While it helps to bring in community members that aren’t familiar with your organization, it also helps regular attendees, brand ambassadors and employees learn about program, areas and historical facts that they aren’t already aware of.

Celebrate With A Party

Host a party at your local community centre as a fun way to kick off, or close camp for the year. Not only will this attract a lot of people to your facilities and programs, it will provide a fun and memorable experience, helping to create community in your city. Host arts and crafts, make friendship bracelets, tie dye t-shirts, and generally celebrate the time you've all spent together making fun memories at camp. Make it all ages and do your best to make it interesting and lively. During these events, you can incorporate a number of the recommendations for activities and use it to showcase the programs you’ve created. Celebrate camp with ice cream and other fun summer treats.

Looking for even more helpful advice to make your summer camp exciting and engaging for your kids? Grab your free copy of The All-Inclusive Guide to Running a Summer Camp and get started with actionable strategies for your recreation center's summer season.

Want more fun summer camp activities & ideas? Check out our post with 25 summer camp ideas sure to help your campers have the time of their lives at summer camp! With so many summer camp ideas available, you'll need time on your hands to complete them all with your campers.

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