Day camps & overnight camps
Day camps run during working hours and send children home each evening — the most common and affordable option for younger children. Overnight (residential) camps house campers for a week or more and build independence, but cost more and suit older or more experienced campers.
Both come in traditional (a broad mix of outdoor, sports, arts, and social activities) and specialty forms focused on one theme.
Academic & enrichment programs
These keep skills sharp or explore a subject in depth — reading and math programs, STEM and coding, writing, robotics, and gifted-and-talented institutes. Some are remedial (catching up), some are enrichment (going further), and some award school credit.
Specialty camps (STEM, arts, sports, language)
Single-focus programs let a child go deep: computer and game-design camps, music/theater/visual-arts intensives, sports academies, and language-immersion programs. They are great for a committed interest, but check that the intensity matches your child's enthusiasm.
Pre-college & teen programs
For high-schoolers, pre-college summer programs offer a taste of university life on a college campus, sometimes for credit. See our dedicated pre-college guide. Teens can also pursue summer jobs, internships, and service or travel programs.
Special-needs & therapeutic programs
Inclusive and specialized camps serve children with disabilities, medical needs, or learning differences, with trained staff and appropriate ratios. Public schools may also provide Extended School Year (ESY) services for eligible students. See our special-needs guide.
Free & low-cost options
Libraries, parks-and-rec departments, museums, Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and school-district summer programs offer free or sliding-scale enrichment. Federally funded summer meal sites keep children fed. Cost should never be the reason a child has an empty summer — see paying for summer programs.