Ah, to be a child at summer camp! Spice up your kiddo’s summer holiday with a unique international camp experience abroad. From elephant training in Thailand to snowboarding in Canada, team Little Steps has dipped into our sentinel of scouts to present our list of global summer camps. Browse through, pick a camp that fits your kid’s disposition but still challenges them, book it up, and enjoy them looking forward to their summer! Let your kids see that the world is truly their oyster, that they can make friends anywhere, and that working on your skills is as fun as it is useful!
Kids from 7 years old and up are in for a Shanghai surprise as they embark on Shanghai Mandarin Rocks Summer Camp. Students are immersed in Mandarin language, leisure, culture and travel programs from two to eight weeks in length. Opt for full residential study, day camp, or a customized family camp for families who wish to travel together.
LOCATION: Central Jing'an District, Shanghai, PRC, info@mandarinrocks.com, www.mandarinrocks.com/chinasummercamp
Les Elfes offers kids aged 6-17 an unforgettable holiday in the Swiss Alps! Campers from over 50 countries attend French, English, Spanish, or German classes in the morning, and in the afternoons, they choose from 40+ group activities and sports such as mountain biking, tennis, golf, rock climbing, paragliding, and wake boarding! There are social and arts clubs, plus amazing excursions to places like Bern, Lausanne, Geneva, Montreux, and Vevey!
LOCATION: Les Elfes International, Verbier, Switzerland, info@leselfes.com, www.leselfes.com
Les Elfes offers kids aged 6-17 an unforgettable holiday in the Swiss Alps! Campers from over 50 countries attend French, English, Spanish, or German classes in the morning, and in the afternoons, they choose from 40+ group activities and sports such as mountain biking, tennis, golf, rock climbing, paragliding, and wake boarding! There are social and arts clubs, plus amazing excursions to places like Bern, Lausanne, Geneva, Montreux, and Vevey!
LOCATION: Bali, Indonesia, info@greencampbali.com, greencampbali.com
Whistler Blackcomb’s Summer Glacier Camps offer weekend and week-long ski and snowboarding programs for teens and adults. Boasting Olympic-sized half-pipes, buff mogul lanes, the best terrain park features in the world, and multiple camps to select from, your powder-loving teen will have a blast! Choose from Freestyle, Moguls, or Race camps, and there's even an Action Sports Film + Photo camp!
LOCATION: Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada, Website, www.whistlerblackcomb.com/groups/school-and-youth-groups
Learn the basics of elephant care and training, how to ride, train and feed your friends. Mahout training courses range from one to seven days and are suitable for all ages. Families can also enjoy hiking trips to nearby waterfalls, visiting villages and bamboo river rafting. Courses longer than one day provide an optional home stay, where you can remain close to your own Dumbo.
LOCATION: Chiang Mai, Thailand, changsiamtraining@hotmail.com, Facebook Page
Learn the basics of elephant care and training, how to ride, train and feed your friends. Mahout training courses range from one to seven days and are suitable for all ages. Families can also enjoy hiking trips to nearby waterfalls, visiting villages and bamboo river rafting. Courses longer than one day provide an optional homestay, where you can remain close to your own Dumbo.
LOCATION: Chiang Mai, Thailand, changsiamtraining@hotmail.com, Facebook Page
camp experience for children and teens (5-17 years) from all over the world. They offer a multi-activity holiday with a complete program of language tuition, all in the heart of the Swiss Alps. Supervised excursions allow campers to experience first-hand Swiss and European culture. Popular trips include glacier day (husky dog sledding on the snow at 3000m) the chocolate and cheese factories of Gruyères, the Olympic museum in Lausanne, Geneva (Natural History Museum), and Montreux (Montreux jazz festival) in early July.
LOCATION: Switzerland, International Camp Suisse, www.campsuisse.com
Learn the secrets of riding the waves smoothly, featuring courses in surfing, kite surfing, wake boarding, wind surfing, stand up paddle, and body boarding. The Little Ripper Program includes methods developed especially for kids to ensure maximum safety and plenty of fun. Private lessons for kids under 13 provide hands-on instruction, working through manoeuvres, jumps and wave riding.
LOCATION: Bali, Indonesia, info@ripcurlschoolofsurf.com, ripcurlschoolofsurf.com
With 220+ countries represented, the Mandarin Learning Center is the #1 Mandarin learning choice for international students! Fitness courses, cultural activities, Mandarin immersion, and lifestyle education comprise sessions ranging from 2-4 weeks for children aged 7-15. Parents aren't left out – a host of activities are available, including yoga, Mandarin, and Chinese Culture. For accommodations, choose a home-stay or budget hotel.
LOCATION: Mandarin Learning Center at Chinese Culture University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC, mlc@sce.pccu.edu.tw, mlc.sce.pccu.edu.tw
Arguably the world’s best training academy for tennis players, IMG Academy's Bollettieri Summer Tennis Camp offers options for weekly or multi-week summer camps. Boasting trainers and alumni such as Margie Zesinger, Jose Lambert, Glenn Weiner to name a few, kids as young as 8 years old have the sweet opportunity to train with experts. Parents, get ready to retire!
LOCATION: Bradenton, Florida, USA, register@imgacademies.com, www.imgacademy.com
This is a great camp for kiddos who already have some knowledge of Chinese. It will help them to strengthen Mandarin-speaking proficiency and Chinese writing skills, authentically apply Chinese language skills in life, make friends, and get close to nature and most importantly have fun! Camp Taiwan's summer camp is the only authentic North American-style residential camp in Asia, and this year's they are taking you on a Tropical Island Adventure and to Whacky Olympics!
LOCATION: Taiwan, Taiwan Camp, camptaiwan.com
Swimmers aged 9-17 will receive concentrated instruction on all four strokes along with starts and turns at Stanford's Avery Aquatics Center located on the beautiful Stanford University campus. Campers will be placed in groups with other swimmers that have similar abilities and goals. Entrants train in Avery Aquatic Complex, training site of 2004 and 2008 US Olympic competitors, and reside in Stanford University campus housing.
LOCATION: Stanford University Campus, Palo Alto, California, USA, www.ussportscamps.com/swim/nike/stanford-swim-camp
EduTrip International, edutripchina.com
Altitude Camps, www.altitude-camps.com
RICH, richblcu.com
Summer Camps China, www.summercampschina.com
Reach Cambridge, www.reachcambridge.com
America's Best Summer Camps, americasbestsummercamps.com
Global Youth Village, globalvillage.org
My Camp International, www.mycamp.international
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