We have just come back from half-term holidays and it is already time to start planning summer activities! Summer holidays are long at London schools, especially in the private sector, so it is important to plan ahead and find enriching activities for July and August. London offers great opportunities for school aged children in a wide range of areas. Summer camps can be very neighbourhood specific, so you need to ask around what other classmates are doing. Some schools organise their own holiday activities as well. Here’s is an overview of summer camps and activities that we can recommend or have been recommended by other London parents across London:
Sports
The Richmond Gymnastics Association runs professional summer camps for children from Reception age upwards. The camps run on a weekly basis from 9am to 1pm. Darius Knight offers table tennis summer camps for pupils at Newton Prep, Thomas’s and Knightsbridge School, among a few others. We are also big fans of Love Swimming fast track courses held at the luxurious Dolphin Square gym in Pimlico.
Drama and Dance
Perform run drama courses from children 4+ to boost their confidence via fun and games. Theatrebugs run drama camps for kids aged 3 – 7, ending in their own performance at the end of the week. Stagecoach is a well established drama programme for kids. While they run term time activities for children aged as young as four, their holiday camps are for children from 8 to 18 only.
London Children’s Ballet offer summer school for children aged 9 – 12 and 12 – 16. The English National Ballet School offers courses for children aged 11 – 14 and 15 – 19. The Kensington Ballet School runs summer courses for little ballerinas each year.
Technology
For the serious techies, FunTech Camps in North London offer a variety of summer camps ranging from JavaCoding to Minecraft in several North London locations and Richmond. Firetechcamp offer technology and coding classes (including Robotics) for children aged 7 – 18 located at Imperial College in South Kensington. Mad Science camps are geared to younger children from 4 upwards and introduce children to the excitement of exploration and experiments. Camps are offered across London. Mini-Engineers run exciting themed LEGO camps in Central London for children between 5 – 11.
Academic
Chelsea Young Writers run acclaimed creative writing workshops run by established children’s authors targeted at age group 7 – 13. If you are looking for serious academics, Leaders are Readers in Harrow offer Reading and Maths as well as 4+ / 7+ / 11+ prep summer camps. I hear children progress very fast here and can attend as young as 3.5, but look at the schedule to decide if you think your child will be up for it during their holidays!
If you’re looking for full day activity camps, Camp Beaumont offers summer camps at King’s College Wimbledon, Mill Hill and Colfe’s among others, while Supercamps runs a Central London camp at St Nicholas Prep School in South Kensington.
Other activities
Of course, you may not actually be looking at camps or childcare and just need inspiration for what to do with your children during the holidays. Here are some of our top things to do with your child this London for the perfect “staycation” in London
- book a Westend show like “Three Little Pigs”, “Mathilda” or “the Gruffalo”
- spend a day outside of London on a farm. Our favourites are Bucklebury farm in Berkshire and Bocketts Farm in Surrey
- a day on the Princess Diana Memorial Playground (come early to beat the crowds!) and/or Battersea Park Zoo
- a creepy crawlies session at the Chelsea Physic Garden or any of their other family activities
- take a ride on the London Eye
- visit the Museum of London Docklands
- spend a day in Greenwich exploring Greenwich Park, Cutty Sark, the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory…
- what are you planning to do in London this summer?
This is quite informative! Thank you very much.