How To Have Summer Camp at Home

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When school gets out, are you the mom that goes into a panic over what to plan for your kids? Yeah, me too. But, this Summer Camp at Home plan will take away that panic. Promise.

Planning summer activities used to put me into a shame spiral, especially when I realized that we couldn’t afford to send our kids to summer camp. With 3 school aged kids running around the house, and a very tight budget, I knew I had to get creative.

Then, the light bulb went off at the top of my head. Summer camp at home.

How To Have Summer Camp at Home

Here’s the thing: creating a summer camp at home doesn’t have to be complicated. Kids love doing all the simple things in summer, from riding bikes to running through the sprinklers.

But, it does help them (and you) have peace of mind when there is a little bit of planning. Today, we’re going to plan the best summer camp (at home) your kids will ever attend.

Figure Out Your Timeline

There are usually 93 to 100 days of actual summer, depending on your local school system. How many weeks does your family actually need to plan for? Is it 6 or 8 weeks?

Are the kids going to grandma and grandpa’s house for a week this summer? Figure out how many actual weeks you need to keep them occupied and entertained. That will help you streamline your camp activities, and make this seem less overwhelming.

Plan Your Weekly Themes

Once you figure out how many weeks your summer vacation will actually entail, you can create weekly themes for your campers. My biggest secret weapon for this task? The dollar store!

There are so many things in the dollar store that will spark your creativity, and have you and your campers excited about each week. Every year, our kids attend Mom’s Dollar Store Day Camp, with themes like 4th of July and art school extravaganza. To learn more about Dollar Store Day Camp, check out these blog posts.

Implement!

Now it’s time for the fun part. Once you create your weekly themes, it’s time to actually do them. You can find supplies for each week’s theme at your local craft store, Amazon, and the dollar store (obviously).

You can buy all of your supplies at once, or make it a weekly trip alone or with your kids. It’s up to you!

One of my biggest tips for summer camp at home success is to write down the activitues for each week on a dry erase or chalkboard. The kids will get excited about what’s in store for them each week, and there’s a 90% chance you won’t hear the phrase “I’m bored” anytime during the summer.

Want to know how to plan a whole week of summer camp at home, with a bubbles theme? Yes, I said bubbles! Watch the video below:

Need help keeping the kids fed through these 3 hot months? Here’s a post sharing all the tips you need to feed kids frugally in the summer.

Would you ever plan a summer camp at home for your kids? Let us know your weekly themes in the comments.