Photographs: Artem Kniaz via Unsplash
With summer holiday just around the corner, some families might already be thinking about fun activities and trips to do with their little ones. If you’re planning to stay in Shanghai, a great way to keep the kids laughing and learning when school’s out is to sign them up for summer camps. Luckily, Shanghai offers an abundance of choices. Parents can choose from a wide array of fun, whether it’s the arts, science, sports, or even coding. Keep those young ones moving, socializing, and learning at these great summer camps we’ve shortlisted for you.
Photographs: courtesy Tennisline
Get ready for your little one to embrace their inner Federer or Williams. One of Shanghai’s leading international tennis schools is organizing its famous summer camp again this year. What’s cool about Tennisline is that the academy closely monitors the progress of their young athletes ensuring they are on the right path when it comes to skills and competency development. They also adopt the official international curriculum, which tailors the program based on age groups (different teaching methods, ball size, rackets, and even court size).
At the end of day, whether your child is new to the sport or has some experience with a racket, they’ll be sure to have plenty of fun and meet new friends here, which is really what summer camps should be all about in the first place. Sign up now to secure a spot.
Tennisline Summer Camp
📍 568 Julu Lu
🗓 3 July – 25 August, 5 days/week (9am-11am)
🧒 4-12 years
💰 From 2,500 RMB/week
📞 WeChat ID: samtennisline
Photographs: courtesy Camp Greenwoods
Some kids yearn for the Western-style summer camp experience they see in movies – nights away from home, somewhere in the woods, lots of fun outdoor activities, a camp fire, and new friends. Such experience can be found here at Camp Greenwoods. Campers spend 7 days 40 km away from the bustling city center of Shanghai where they’ll get to try numerous sports and activities such as kayaking, climbing, archery, and ziplining as well as meet new peers. And no need for mom and dad to worry, Camp Greenwoods have been operating for over 7 years and have hosted more than 8000 campers, so they pretty much know what they are doing especially when it comes to the health and safety of kids. Once the week is over, your child will definitely come home a changed person.
Community Center Shanghai X Camp Greenwoods
📍 Sun Island Resort, Qingpu
🗓 25 June – 26 August (7 days, 6 nights)
🧒 Suitable for 7-13 years (standard camp), 13-15 (teen camp)
💰 From 9,800 RMB/week
📞 WeChat ID: CCSSummerCamp
Photographs: courtesy Swimland
A fun way to spend those scorching summer days in Shanghai is at the pool. Swimland, an Austswim accredited swim school, is offering intensive swimming classes during this summer holiday. For 2 weeks, kids will train with the same coach who helps accelerate their development and builds confidence in the water. The intensive classes are perfect for both beginners as well as seasoned swimmers looking to perfect their stroke technique. Swimming after all is not just a sport but a life skill every child should be equipped with.
2023 Summer Swimming
📍 Pudong Kerry Hotel, 1388 Huamu Lu (English classes only) & Shangri-La Qiantan, 551 Haiyang Xi Lu (English classes only)
🗓 3 July – 27 August, 2 days/week for 2 weeks
🧒 3-14 years
💰 From 1,500 RMB/2 weeks
📞 Swimland official WeChat account
Photographs: courtesy Rocket Brain
Calling all future builders and racers! An exciting camp organized by Rocket Brain, an innovative bilingual STEM education brand, is happening this summer. Over a period of 5 days, young campers will get to experience innovative technology at the TESLA factory, learn about the structure and the workings of a vehicle, and even get to design their own!
If your kid is not a big fan of cars, then why not check out Rocket Brain’s other fun camps such as their “Rock n Roll Robot Music Festival” (robotics and coding) and “Travel Around the World” (creative art and architectural design)? Unlike some of the other camps, Rocket Brain’s camps will only take place once (no repeats of the same topic). Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
2023 Bilingual STEM Summer Camp for Racers
📍 KR Space, 328 Huashan Lu
🗓 3 July – 7 July, 5 days/week (8:30am-5pm)
🧒 6-15 years
💰 From 9,980 RMB/week
📞 Rocket Brain official WeChat account
Photographs: courtesy Little Kickers
Start your rug rat’s football journey this summer at Little Kickers. The British football academy is organizing an exciting camp where kids will learn not only the basics such as dribbling, passing, and shooting, but also other essential football skills and knowledge such as teamwork, agility, and coordination. Each week comes with its own theme. For example, fans of La Liga might prefer Tiki Taka, which will focus more on quick passing and short-range combinations associated with Spanish football. Joga Bonita, meanwhile, focuses on Brazilian-style football with lots of fancy tricks and directional dribbling. Sign up before June 15 to take advantage of their early bird discount.
Little Kickers Summer Camp
📍 620 Hongsong Dong Lu & 2 Weifang Xi Lu
🗓 3 July – 11 August, 5 days/week (2 hours/day)
🧒 5-8 years
💰 From 2,000 RMB/week
📞 WeChat ID: lkshlovekids
Photographs: courtesy LMS
If you’ve never heard of LMS, you are truly missing out. As the only school of its kind in Shanghai that educates kids about the importance of health, their summer camp should definitely be on every parent’s radar. With this year’s summer camp theme being Sports Medicine, LMS plans to incorporate exciting sports activities (inspired by the Olympic Games) along with lessons on relevant medical aspects.
Kids are always active so it’s never too early for them to learn about things like sports injury prevention and treatment, exercise for health, as well as training and nutrition advice. Kids can choose from 4 different themes or join all 4 if they are up for it. LMS offer an early-bird discount too if booked before May 30.
Sports Medicine Camp
📍 Dulwich College, 266 Lanan Lu
🗓 3 July – 25 August, 5 days/week (9am-4pm)
🧒 6-9 years
💰 From 4,600 RMB/week
📞 WeChat ID: sammyagency
Photographs: courtesy Future Keys
If told that by the end of the summer, your child would be able to make iPhone apps like real developers, you’d probably think you were being April fooled in May. With the help of Future Keys, a S.T.E.A.M education academy, that scenario might just be possible. Future Keys’ 2023 coding camps are created for real programming and full of useful skills and knowledge a child needs to navigate the ever-changing technological landscape of today’s world. Choose from a variety of camps. Learn how to build great looking apps in the “Apple’s X Code & SwiftUI Development” camp or build a radio-controlled aircraft in another. There are even camps that take students into an international competition. Some camps require prior knowledge in coding so do consult the school before signing up.
Apple’s X Code & SwiftUI Development
📍 Room A718, Seoul Plaza, 1000 Hongquan Lu
🗓 3 July – 25 August, 5 days/week (9:30am-4pm)
🧒 11 years and older
💰 From 8,500 RMB/week
📞 WeChat ID: futurekeys
Photographs: courtesy Queen of Arts Studio
For those looking for an artistic adventure, Shanghai Summer Arts Camp might be the perfect place for you. Brought to you by the Queen of Arts Studio, this unique summer camp allows kids to learn, create, and celebrate their creativity from the comforts of their own home but still under the close guidance of an experienced facilitator. Each week will feature unique and exciting themes such as “Adventures in Mexico”, “Beautiful Botanicals”, and “The Mad Hatters Tea Party with Alice”. Throughout the week, students will get to create 3-4 pieces of artwork where they’ll practice a variety of skills such as painting, illustration, print-making, interior decoration, and crafts. All materials will be provided beforehand. Expect to have an array of creative delights to brighten up your interior space at the end of your child’s camp week!
Shanghai Summer Arts Camp
📍 Online
🗓 26 June – 25 August, 5 days/week (2h45m/day)
🧒 6 years and older
💰 From 2,200 RMB/week
📞 WeChat ID: CatherineAveline
Photographs: courtesy ActiveKidz Shanghai
Not sure what sport is a good fit for your child? Check out ActiveKidz Shanghai. This summer, they are organizing a variety of sports camps (recreational and competitive) such as football, volleyball, basketball, and baseball. Since 1999, ActiveKidz have been organizing sport camps for Shanghai’s youth and lots of parents swear by them. The football camp in particular is one of their most popular. Classes are divided by age groups and children will be in the great hands of highly qualified international coaches, who are there to make sure your child has the best possible summer experience. Sessions will cater to all skill levels so no need to worry if your child is just starting out his or her journey in a particular sport.
ActiveKidz 2023 Football Summer Camp
📍 AKS Childers Field, 1 Wanshan Lu (Puxi) & Modu Everbright Field, 75 Jinming Lu (Pudong)
🗓 12 June – 4 August, 5 days/week (1.5-3 hours/day depending on age group)
🧒 4-15 years
💰 From 1,500 RMB/week
📞 "ActiveKidz Shanghai" official WeChat account
