Kitchener camps for 2026

The Variety of Camps in Kitchener, Ontario

Kitchener is home to many unique, exciting camp experiences, where kids and teens develop skills and experience personal growth. In our list of camps above, you’ll find day camps in Kitchener focused on topics in sports, arts, adventure, and more. Also listed above are after-school or virtual programs with the same focuses.

Kitchener day camps are an affordable, fun way for kids and teens to participate in a traditional summer camp experience. Filled with unique activities like acting, mountain biking, or public speaking, day camps are an ideal way for kids to develop new, lifelong skills, and learn more about themselves. 

Sports camps are perfect for active kids who enjoy the adrenaline and energy of athletics. In a fun, safe environment, kids and teens may follow a specialised curriculum with specific focuses on individual sports, or a multi-activity curricula which plunges kids and teens into a variety of sports activities. Arts camps and programs similarly challenge Kitchener youth by encouraging them to express themselves through visual art and performing arts activities. 

Traditional camps in Kitchener encourage kids and teens to learn more about themselves as they switch between activities. For example, your child might release energy in the morning through sports activities, while the afternoon covers creative activities like drawing or painting. Lessons in leadership, empowerment, and social justice are often gained at traditional camps, as kids and teens connect deeper with themselves, their values, and others. 

Day camps’ best feature, though, is the social aspect. Your child mixes with fellow, like-minded campers throughout the day and creates special friendships as a result. At all camps in Kitchener, girls and boys better themselves as individuals, friends, leaders, and students. 

How to find the best Kitchener camp for your son or daughter

Every February, Our Kids Media hosts Ontario and Quebec’s number one resource for summer camps. The Toronto Summer Camp Expo (just a one hour drive) helps families discover unique day and overnight camps available to them for the summer. As a way to speak directly to camp leaders and directors, families gain a clearer understanding of each camps’ values and how they are run. The expo is also an ideal way to commit to an early planning schedule, as it provides families enough time to consider all their options, purchase camp items, and apply for camp financial aid.

If you can’t make it to the expo, your summer camp search can still be conducted from home. It’s recommended that you initiate your search 2-3 months before camp season, even for off-season camps that run during fall or winter. For March Break camps, start your search in January.

The first step of your search should be creating a list of essential camp elements that satisfy the needs of both yourself and your prospective camper. This includes your ideal location(s), age range, price range, accommodations, etc. Though this can be a fixed list, try to be as flexible as possible to broaden your options. 

Finally, with your shortlist of options, speak directly with camp counsellors and directors (if not at the expo, then at camp open house events) to confirm and clarify any information. Account for all concerns like special needs support or dietary accommodations, and ask for testimonials.

Related pages