With summer approaching, it's time to help your children decide what they'll want to do with
two whole months of free time. With rapid technological changes and the digital native
generation's dedication to their smartphones, overnight summer camp can be a bit of a
tough sell. While Millennials, Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers are certainly inclined to think that
the best thing for a child is to get away from their digital devices and embark on an epic
canoe trip, good luck convincing a twelve-year-old that camping sans Internet for two
weeks is a good idea.
Still, the problem remains: what to do with a child for two months if they refuse to be
completely parted from their friends and their digital devices. To let them simply lock
themselves in their rooms playing video games, watching cutie-pie videos and snap-chatting
all day would be disastrous, so finding a compromise that works for everyone is crucial.
Fortunately, if you live in a major Canadian town or city, there are most likely a large
number of day camps across a wide cross-section of activities, one of which your child will
surely take an interest in. Below, we'll list three popular camps in the city of Toronto that
provide tons of programming and an attentive, supportive staff of counselors. Finding the
appropriate venue for your kids to engage in activities that interest them that involves face
time and fostering a sense of community is very important – and at the end of the day, they
can come home to their precious video games. Local companies like PromoPays are often
enlisted to print team apparel that fosters a sense of communal pride amongst the campers
and provides a souvenir of a summer experience they won't soon forget.
Cherry Beach Soccer Club
This day camp located on Toronto's scenic Cherry Beach provides a great opportunity for
kids to hone their soccer skills while running around enough to really tire themselves out.
Hosting people between the ages of six and eighteen, the camp is co-ed and offers
advanced soccer lessons for ambitious athletes. Capture the flag and baseball are offered as
alternatives, giving your kids a chance to explore Toronto's unique Port Lands.
Impact Skate Camp
While skateparks can sometimes have a negative connotation as a place for teens to loiter
and get up to no good, Impact turns that cliché on its head by providing a safe, positive
environment for kids to improve their skateboarding skills in a fun, disciplined setting. The
camp runs out of East York and includes swimming and crafts in addition to skate culture.
U of T
The University of Toronto's summer camps are run through the Kinesiology department; the
counselors are typically bright young students who are energetic and encouraging. In
addition to pretty much any major sport you can think of, you can also sign your kids up to
learn how to play Quidditch or embark on a quest to master stop-motion animation!
The City of Toronto offers almost any kind of camp you can think of, including their popular
adventure camp, and they typically have something for everyone's budget. Just because
your kid refuses to subject themselves to overnight camp, fret not: there's still hope.