Best Santa Monica Summer Camps for Summer 2024
Live in Santa Monica? Have kids? If you answered yes, chances are you're on the lookout for the best summer camp and program opportunities for your children to enjoy summer. If doing all the research seems daunting, don't worry. We've done the heavy lifting for you!
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Compiled below (in alphabetical order) are what we consider to be some of the best camps located both in the city of Santa Monica itself and others that serve Santa Monica kids (but which may not be located exactly in the city of Santa Monica itself). Either way, Santa Monica kids have tons of fun program choices this summer. You can't go wrong picking any of the following camps. But please note, these aren't the only camps in Santa Monica. There are many others, so the following list is just a starting point to make your summer camp search a little easier. From beach and surf camps to more traditional day and overnight camps plus specialty summer programs and more, Santa Monica kids have a lot to look forward to this summer.
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Aloha Beach Camp
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Santa Monica kids have enjoyed attending Aloha Beach Camp's summer day camp program for the past 24 years. Campers ages 4 to 14 can learn to surf, jet ski, kayak, wakeboard and enjoy 100's of other summer beach and surf camp activities unavailable at other camps. Santa Monica families rave about the camp's 100% safety record, flexible single-day scheduling option, and enthusiastic camp counselors. You'll also love the Aloha Beach Camp's free transportation service with convenient pick-up and drop-off service at McKinley Elementary School and other Santa Monica locations. Aloha Beach Camp is also the only Accredited beach-focused day camp serving Santa Monica kids. This program fills up fast, so if you're interested in this program, visit them for an Open House to meet their staff in person or sign-up for the program today.
Camp Cosmo
Voted the "Most Loved New Business” of Santa Monica, Camp Cosmo is a small, creative camp for elementary-aged kids (K-6th grades, all genders welcome). Perfect for kids who don’t usually like camp, our cozy residential setting offers families an alternative to larger, industrial camps where some children can feel overwhelmed or lost in the crowd. At Cosmo, every camper has the freedom to play at their own pace, and to choose their activities each day. We love hearing their ideas and bringing them to life. Kids love our fully-stocked craft zone, slime lab, indoor fort, DIY face paint, aerial silks, and giant water blobs. Parents love our small numbers, great ratios, and experienced counselors. No two days are alike at Camp Cosmo, but there are always popsicles. Space is extremely limited - book today!
Coast Sports Camp
Kids love Coast Sports Camp and there are many reasons why, but one of the elements of this program we find so appealing is the wide variety of "free choice" activities it offers. Campers can enjoy as much or as little of a certain sport that interests them. If football's you child's game, he or she can enjoy all the football they want at Coast Sports Camp. Would your son or daughter rather spend time playing basketball? They can do that, too, as well as practically any other sport or sports that interest them (including trips to water parks!), and always under the watchful and supportive eyes of caring and nurturing coaches and camp staff. If your child's interested in a Santa Monica sports program this summer, this is the camp to consider!
Crystal Camp
Would your child's first choice of camps be at Hogwarts school of Wizardry? If only Harry Potter grew up and ran camps! Camp Crystal might be the next best thing. The camp will teach your child magical arts and a connection between their mind and the natural forces that surround us. They have a varied curriculum that includes sessions is Crystology, Elixirs and Potions, the Use of Magic Tools, Meditation and more! The courses are led by trained professionals in the areas of Magical Arts, Dance, Holistic Living among others. All children feel secretly wish they have a superpower. The real secret is that they DO and Camp Crystal will help them discover just what it is.
Dawn Barnes Karate Kamp
If you are looking for a summer camp program completely different from the common Santa Monica camp experience where your child can enjoy safe, fun and healthy physical activity while learning new skills and making new friends, make Dawn Barnes' "Karate Kamp" your choice. This out-of-the-ordinary summer camp is for kids who love (or who want to learn) karate with safe, fun and age-appropriate martial arts programs Santa Monica kids. Working parents will love the flexible scheduling options where you can send your child to camp for just one day all summer, or every day all summer instead! (The camp operates Mondays through Fridays).
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Fitness by the Sea
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Over 36,000 kids, ages 4-14, have been enjoying Fitness by the Sea Beach Camp in Santa Monica for more than 21 years. Why? Because they have incredible programs geared to fun, friendship, and personal growth all with caring counselors in the most beautiful location in Santa Monica. Here are some of the great things that Santa Monica families will enjoy: They have day-by-day scheduling and don’t lock parents into a set schedule of days, you pick the # of camp days when you want. For 21 years they have had a 100 % safety record so parents feel safe sending their kids to the beach. They offer over 200 different activities, making every day different and appealing to kids ages 4-14 of all levels of ocean experience, skills, and interests. Finally, they let campers choose what they want to do so there’s definitely “Something for Everyone” at Fitness by the Sea!
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Funky Divas and Dudes
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Santa Monica kids interested in an amazing performing arts camp this summer need look no further than Funky Divas and Dudes. Want to make a music video? Your child can do it here. Dance classes sound fun? This camp is the answer for your son or daughter. Your child will head off to camp in the morning excited for what each new day brings, and they will come home each evening signing and acting like movie and pop-stars, all-the-while increasing their physical strength and prowess, building self-esteem, social skills and self-confidence while learning the ins-and outs of performing arts and making new friends, too. That's what Funky Divas and Dudes is all about!
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Paint : Lab
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We spoke to several families who sent their kids to various Santa Monica art camps. Positive recommendations for Paint Lab came up time and again, so naturally we're including it here. At Paint Lab summer camp, your budding artist can enjoy weekday and weekend art camps for kids. Campers ages 6 to 12 are welcome. Camps are offered in increments of 3-hour sessions with half and full day options on weekends and weekdays to fit your family's busy lifestyle. A single fee covers everything your child needs for the day including art supplies, supervision, all the camp activities and full instruction from qualified staff. They even provide snacks in case your camper gets hungry. This camp requires advance registration (versus walk-in enrollment) due to its immense popularity among Santa Monica kids, so be sure to plan ahead.
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Santa Monica Music Camp
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Aspiring musicians, take note! Kids who love music -- and/or those who've always wanted to learn to play a musical instrument but didn't know where to start -- have a summer program designed just for them at the Santa Monica Music Camp. From playing the trumpet to learning the trombone to banging on the drums to mastering the violin and everything in between, Santa Monica music camp has it all. But the program isn't just limited to music. Another highlight of this program is that campers also enjoy traditional camp activities like sports and games for a well-rounded camp experience. No prior experience with music or musical instruments is required to attend the program, so sign up today and help your child discover the wonderful world of music while gaining lots of new knowledge and feelings of pride and accomplishment.
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Sports, Fun and Fitness Camp
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If you're looking for a Santa-Monica based camp where kids can just be themselves and enjoy the wonders of childhood, this is the camp for you. Camp owners Coach Rondell and Mrs. Tanae have put together an all-around fun program your child is sure to love. Serving campers from grades 2 through 8, Sports, Fun and Fitness offers a wide variety of activities and special events each day to ensure your child wants to return to camp time and again and never want to go home! Even though kids can be fickle, this program offers such a diverse range of activities and even the most discriminating campers will enjoy camp every day. There's always a wide variety of activities and events go on so campers never get bored.
Summer at Crossroads
From STEM and academic programs to surfing and swimming lessons -- not to mention drama and dance intensives and so much more -- Summer at Crossroads has something for everyone for campers ages kindergarten through grade 12. Modeled after Crossroads' popular academic-year curriculum, campers from all over the country and even the world attend this camp each summer to enjoy the wide variety of programs and activities available. As with most summer camps in the Santa Monica area, Summer at Crossroads has only limited number of available enrollment slots each year, so register soon to avoid disappointment later.
Tumbleweed Day Camp
There's a reason why Tumbleweed has a reputation for being one of the best local camps around. Founded in 1954, Though Tumbleweed is located in Brentwood -- directly adjacent to Santa Monica -- it wouldn't surprise us if more kids from Santa Monica attend this camp than from anywhere else L.A. If your child loves the traditional camp atmosphere, Tumbleweed Day Camp experience may be just what they're looking for. Activities range from swimming lessons to archery to sports and games and so much more. Free door-to-door transportation makes Tumbleweed a hit with Santa Monica families, too. Some families feel this camp's a bit on the pricey side, but once your son or daughter spends at day or two on Tumbleweed's beautiful 100 acre private rustic campsite and makes lots of new friends, we think you'll say it's worth the price.
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