Our Top Pick Of Summer Camps For Your Kiddos
Whether you’re staying in town this summer or just looking for ways to entertain the kiddos for a week or two then look no further Mamas, as we’ve got the low-down on some of the best summer camps in the city. From getting stuck into arts and crafts to playing football all day on air conditioned pitches, learning to dive to water play with a difference – camps these days are so amazing that we wish we could join!
Spread over 16 venues across Dubai & Abu Dhabi, this award winning “Multi-Activity Camp Program” is perfect for mamas with kiddos of different ages. The Multi Activity Camp (for ages 4-12 years) offers 16 plus sports and arts activities – an amazing mix of outdoor sports and indoor activities which will take their game to the next level, providing expert sports instruction for budding athletes all the while allowing parents to send kids in different age groups to one place. Also, they provide a door to door pick up option, making it easy on mamas during the morning rush hour. Sound good? We think so – this camp is all about getting kids away from the screen and burning some energy while having tonnes of fun at the same time. Their carefully selected team of European coaches encourage kiddos to thrive, learn and develop through a balance of sports, games and creative activities perfectly suited to age and ability. Oh and… ESM Holiday Camps (part of East Sports Management) won Gold at the 2017 Sports Industry Awards for Best Youth Organization or Academy so they’ll have your little champs going for gold in no time.
When: Weekly, 1st July – 30th August
Where: At venues across Dubai
Ages: 4 – 12 years
Times: 8.30am – 1.30pm
Cost: From AED 200 per day or from AED 420 per week (prices are venue specific)
How to Book: Email holidaycamp@esm.ae or call +971 43697817. You can also visit esmacademies.ae/holiday-camps
ESM are offering Sassy readers an additional 5% discount (over and above the current 50% discount) for online registration and payments made before 25 August, 2018. Use code SASSY5 at checkout to avail this additional discount.
This corker of a camp from FitRepublik where kids aged 5-14 will be able to enjoy activities and games beyond the norm. We’re talking everything from music, dance and arty stuff to waterplay in the pool’s ‘Wibit’ obstacle course, trampolining, parkour, graffiti, lip sync battles, shoe customization, jewellery making and SO much more (we’re actually rather envious of all the fun they’ll have!).
And the best bit about this camp is that kids will get to have a go at so many different activities and sports with plenty of encouragement but zero pressure (because we know how much they hate being told, right?!). Yup, the FitRepublik team know that giving children options and choices is hugely exciting so they’ve opened up their entire venue as well as the Dubai Sports City indoor dome to combine aquatics, fitness, sports, music and all the rest so that little campers can take part in everything they love the most plus try some new stuff too. Perfect.
When: Weekly, 8 July to 30 August
Where: Fit Republik Fitness Center, The Academies, Dubai Sports City
Ages: 5 to 14 years
Times: 9am-3.45 (drop-off starting at 8.30am and pick-up ending at 4.15pm)
Cost: Starting at 1,313 AED per week (full day). For full price details visit here.
How to Book: (+971) (0)4 556 1800 or e-mail juniors@fitrepublik.com
Early bird 20% discount if booked before June 14th.
The Bright Minds Summer Camp for 2-5 year olds is all about making sure that the summer holidays are full of exciting activities and inspiring games. With small group sizes of only 10 littles, you can rest assured that each child’s needs are always taken care of. The kiddos will be kept busy during the camp with heaps of fun activities including Bright Minds Whole Brain Training Classes and all-rounder programs like drama and movement classes, cooking classes, sensory games and art workshops to help them build imagination, plus much much more!
Located at the Children Oasis Nursery, this summer camp will keep the tinies busy while weaving in a healthy dose of developmental benefits and learning that’ll keep their minds active and stimulated.
When: 8 July – 23 Aug
Where: Children Oasis Nursery, Umm Suqeim
Ages: 2 – 5 years
Times: Sunday – Thursday, 9.30am – 12.15pm and 3.30pm – 5.15pm
Cost: AED 950 per week
How to book: Call + (971) (0) 56 688 0773 or email info@thebrightmindsinstitute.co
psst… they also continue to run classes in the afternoons for the younger ages if you’re looking to fill those hours too!
Get AED75 off a week of summer camp and/or a FREE trial class first time attendees in any of their afternoon classes!
Diverse Choreography Performing Arts School is hosting a super cool summer camp (think jazz, hip-hop, street jazz, singing, drama and musical theatre), to keep your kids on their toes (literally) this summer. Students aged 5 and over are invited to join and shake a leg or two.
Diverse doesn’t just teach performing arts but also focuses on enhancing childhood development, educating students with an innovative approach that builds on character development and self-expression while having fun. Not only will your kids learn amazing performance skills but also stay fit and learn how to work as a team. Oh and how’s this for cool – at the end of each week parents get to see theme based performances starring their very own little darlings (your own proud Broadway moment)!
When: 8 July – 2 August
Where: Diverse Choreography Performing Arts School, The Curve Building, Sheikh Zayed Road
Ages: 5 – 14 years
Timings: 9am – 3pm
Cost: AED 945 per week (inclusive of VAT)
How to book: email admin@diversechoreography.com
If you’re looking to give your children access to learn a number of different sports from qualified coaches this summer, then the Elite Sports camp is just what you need! Catering for children from 4-14 years old and offering over 6 different sports each day your children will not only be entertained and exercised (plus hopefully start sleeping past 5am!) but over the course of the camp also develop unique set of skills. From football, basketball, cricket, hockey… the list goes on. And with Elite being at so many different locations you’re sure to find somewhere convenient near you.
Elite isn’t just about teaching sports skills, they also help children to become team players, improve confidence and learn to listen to instructions (um, yes please!!).
For any working parent it’s so important that the children are not only having fun but are in safe hands and the Elite team do such an amazing job… some of the Sassy Mama’s couldn’t work without them! 🙂
When: 8 July – 30 August
Where: 6 convenient locations throughout Dubai – Horizon English School, Horizon International School, Ranches Primary School, Regent International School, Sunmarke School, Victory Heights Primary School
Age: 4 – 14 years
Times: 8.30am – 3.30pm
How much: Prices start at AED 672 per week when you book four or more weeks, AED840 for a week, AED220 for full day, AED165 for half day! Also, now they have a special sibling discount of 20%.
How to book: visit www.elitesports.ae
Got a little water baby at home? Enrol them in the week long Splash N Party camp this summer and let them expend that energy in a water-filled environment! Your little ones will partake in many fun-filled activities both indoor and out (so there’ll be plenty of time to stay cool inside and also enjoy the watery fun outside too!). From learning to cook to creating art projects, archery, table tennis, boxing plus plus burning off steam through playing water games, swimming plus loads more – they’ll even get to try their hand at robotics and take home their creations at the end of camp too – yippee! Splash N Party are also striving to help kids learn invaluable skills and values including how to work as a team, be mindful and respectful of others too. Perfect (we hope it rubs off on sibling relationships back home!). Oh and if you need an extra helping hand, for only AED 250 per week your little one can be safely collected and brought home each day in the Splash N Party bus.
When: Weekly, 1 July to 31 August
Where: Splash N Party, Al Safa 2, Jumeirah Dubai
Ages: 3 – 10 years
Times: Sunday – Thursday 9am – 2.30pm
Cost: AED599 per week including lunch
How to Book: (+971) (0)4 388 3008 or e-mail info@splashnparty.ae or visit www.splashnparty.ae
Now we’re big fans of the Falcon Kids’ Club (don’t believe us? Check out our beach club roundup), and we’re so happy that they’re hosting a summer camp! With themed weeks such as Island Paradise, Jungle Safari, Water World and Treasure Hunters plus loads more, this camp offers nine weeks of exciting and educational activities. Choc-full of arts and crafts, sports activities plus cooking classes and ice-cream parties, there’s no way your littles are getting bored over the holidays! The best thing about it all? This awesome kids club is designed with both an indoor and outdoor space, including a splash park to cool off in – perfect! Oh to be a kid again.
When: Weekly, 1 July – 30 August, Sunday – Thursday, 1-5pm
Where: Fairmont The Palm, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai
Ages: 3 years and up
Cost: AED 200 per day, AED 460 for 3 days and AED 650 for 5 days.
How to book: Email Palm.childrensactivities@
If, like ours, your kids refuse to leave OliOli every time you visit then here’s the chance for them to spend a few brilliant days at this amazing children’s museum over the summer! From a ‘Spectacular Space Camp’ where they can reach for the stars and get cosmically creative designing a Lunar Lander to safely get humans to the moon, build gigantic robotic arms to wear and program a droid to go on an interplanetary adventure to a ‘Superhero STEAM Academy’ that’s perfect for inventing their own powers, superhero persona, creating costumes, and even catching a villain, there are so many cool themed weeks on offer for kids aged four and up.
We particularly love the sound of the ‘Brilliant Bodies’ camp where children will get to make a working prototype of a skeleton, create a glowing brain, and get disgusting with a model of a digestive system (because we know how much they enjoy anything like that!) and the ‘Artful Antics’ Camp where the littles will be taken on an artistic journey through time, learning about how and why cave stories were painted while making their own creations, making moving art, mixed media projects and even painting with light!! We might just try to sneak in ourselves…
When: Weekly, 8 July to 30 August
Where: OliOli, Al Quoz
Ages: Separate camps for kids aged 4-5 years and 6-9 years
Times: 10am – 2pm
Cost:AED 990 per child/week; AED 250 per child/day; 10% sibling discount; 10% more discount if booking is for 2 or more weeks
How to Book: You can book the summer camp online at oliolisc.platinumlist.net.
If you’re looking for a way to keep your child active over the summer then look no further than Sands Fitness who will be offering CrossFit classes for children aged between 5 and 17 (that’s right, you can even drag your older teens out of their beds for this one)!
CrossFit is a strength and conditioning programme that helps children gain endurance, coordination and self confidence. We don’t know about you, but we could use a few of those things ourselves! Their youth classes are run by a certified CrossFit Kids Trainer.
The kids programme is for children aged 5-9 where the focus is on having fun while learning body awareness, coordination, teamwork and good sportsmanship.
The Preteens group, aged 10-12, begins to use light weights and gymnastic skills, and each class finishes with a group activity to create unity among participants (that unity might even extend to their siblings when they get home)!
The Teens programme is for those aged 13 -17 with continued focus on excellent technique with barbells and scaled gymnastics, working towards mastering their skills while building strength.
CrossFit is a safe, fun and effective way for children to develop a passion for fitness and a great way for children of all abilities to grow in confidence and improve their athleticism.
When: Kids – Monday 4:15-5:00pm, Saturday 12:15-1:00pm
Preteens & Teens – 4:00-5:00pm Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and 11:00am-12:00pm Saturday
Where : Sands Fitness G01 Daytona House, Motor City
How much: From 70 to 90aed/class, or 105 to 150aed/ week, term rates are also available.
How to Book: Visit www.sandsfitness.ae, Instagram @sands.fitness.kids or call 04 420 7997 for more details.
The Dance Project offers a wide variety of dance and gymnastics based classes for boys and girls aged from 5 to 16 and is suitable for those of all abilities as children are grouped by age and level.
Experienced dancers and gymnasts will be challenged by exciting choreography while beginners will be introduced to a wide range of activities, such as musical theatre, ballroom dancing, circus skills, hip hop and ballet. We’re wondering if it’s too late for us to take up hip hop?!
We love the balanced and supportive approach of the Dance Project which aims to enhance your child’s social, emotional and physical well being as well as their posture, strength, flexibility and stamina. Great news for parents but as far as the kids are concerned they’ll just be having fun!
The instructors are all highly qualified professionals and include an olympic gymnast, a contemporary and jazz coach and a choreographer with over 30 years experience. Your children will be in safe, inspiring hands and will get to show off their new skills to you at the end of the week!
When: 9am – 3.30 pm on 8th-12th July and 15th-19th July (more dates tbc)
Where: Kings School Al Barsha
How much: From 150aed/half day to 750/full day for a full week.
How to Book: Visit www.danceprojectuae.com, email info@danceproject.com or call on 0501489480
If your child has daredevil tendencies and loves to get wet then Du Dive has just the camp for you! The Summer programme provides a fast track introduction to the Olympic sport of springboard and highboard diving. You never know, you might just have the next Tom Daly on your hands!
Diving helps build strength, coordination and balance (and frankly just look quite cool)! Camps include work in the dry gym as well as the pool and incorporates elements of trampolining, gymnastics and yoga as well as games designed to help young divers progress quickly while having fun.
Du dives coaches are recruited from some of the top diving clubs in the UK and are truly passionate about their sport. Children are grouped by age and ability with beginners starting off jumping in from the poolside and gradually working up to the higher boards when they feel brave enough. Don’t worry Mamas you won’t have to watch!
When: Sunday – Thursday from 8th July – 30th August.
Where: Hamdan Sports Complex
How Much: 2 hour camp 600aed/week, 5 hour camp 1000aed/week. Monthly discounts available!
How to Book: Visit www.dudive.com email admin@dudive.com or call on 0556458478
If your child’s idea of fun is climbing, running and jumping then they will love Parkour! Also known as Free Running, Parkour is a way of moving through a space using the obstacles in your way to help you. The focus is on helping kids to develop a strong body and mind through their comprehensive curriculum based on the 4 elements of earth, water, fire and air.
Located at Hapi cafe in Al Serkal Avenue (so you can get your coffee fix Mama!), Parkour’s warehouse venue is super cool as is the fact that the qualified instructors can all do back flips!
Different camps are run for children of different ages (5-9 and 10-14 years) to ensure a safe and fun environment.
With a ratio of 6 children per coach and a maximum of 18 per camp you can be sure that your aspiring ninja will get the individual attention needed for them to grow in confidence and skill. Hopefully they’ll be so exhausted by the end of it that they won’t have any energy left to jump on the furniture at home!
When: Sunday – Thursday from 1st July – 30th August, 9am – 12pm (ages 5-9 years) and 1pm-4pm (ages 10- 16 years)
Where: Warehouse no. 42, Alserkal Avenue in A l Quoz
How much: 250/day or 1100/week with 10% off multiple week bookings and 10% sibling discount. Special offer for booking during Ramadan of 20% of multiple week bookings AND extra 10% for siblings.
How to Book: Visit www.parkour.ae, email info@parkour.ae or call 800 PARKOUR (800 727 5687)
Featured image courtesy of Kiddieversity
