Your Guide to the Best Kids Summer Camps in Dallas

Camp offers kids the chance to get out of the house for a week in the summer, meet new friends, and learn various interesting things from sports and coding to robotics and creative arts. Just being able to make decisions without help from mom and dad is a huge confidence builder for kids. If your children want to try camp, use our guide. Here are the best youth summer camps in Dallas.

KidzToPros

Image via Flickr by Auburn Alumni Association

KidzToPros is a STEM, arts, and sports program that offers summer camps to Dallas kids ages 4 to 14. It’s a tremendous opportunity for children to develop critical skills like coding and game design, performing arts, and structural engineering while learning the values of teamwork and sportsmanship.

Kids will enjoy a mid-morning snack and lunch to fuel the many activities this organization packs into camp. Every day includes 30 minutes of outdoor play to burn off some steam and get ready for the afternoon’s activities. They’ll wrap up around 4 p.m. with a skills and projects showcase. Then they’ll say goodbye to their new friends for the day.

Passionate, professional instructors and top-tier counselors provide a fun, creative, and safe environment where kids can thrive. Camps are held at local schools, depending on your zip code, such as Imogene Gideon Elementary School on Mansfield Web Road in Arlington and Frisco’s Legacy Christian Academy on Frisco Drive.

Color Me Empowered

Summertime is perfect for exploration, discovery, and learning at Color Me Empowered on West Clarendon Drive. Kristen Rice founded this outstanding non-profit in 2008 with a mission to empower at-risk children and to use public art to improve neglected communities.

By engaging our community’s children in the creative arts, we can bring about positive changes. That’s why Rice and her team work tirelessly to improve the quality of its summer camp programming. Your kids can learn clay techniques like pinch pots, or they can build a pinhole camera. Register now for programs that start in June, like:

• Ceramics (June 10 through June 14).
• Comic Book (June 13 through June 17).
• Printmaking (June 20 through June 24).
• Ceramic Glazing (June 27 through July 1).
• Animation (July 11 through July 15).
• Photography (July 18 through July 22).
• Drawing and Painting (July 25 through July 29).

Kamp Hollywood

Do you have a little shooting star? Then, celebrate Kamp Hollywood’s 20th year with summer camp. Its 2022 season runs from July 25 through July 29. Directors designed the program for kids ages 8 to 17, and this is not your typical kid’s summer camp. They’ll get off the couch and get in front of a movie camera with weekly and daily classes. Installment payment plans and scholarships are available for families that need assistance.

Your kids will connect with experienced art teachers who lead innovative classes that will provide them with opportunities for hands-on training in acting and movie production. Your budding director will make a movie using the camp’s professional production equipment, then wrap the week with a red carpet screening. Kamp Hollywood’s seven-day program includes:

• Acting.
• Screenwriting.
• Stunt training.
• Improv.
• Pitches.
• Location scouting.
• Auditions.
• Casting.
• Script reading.
• Rehearsals.

Contemporary Ballet Dallas

If you have an aspiring ballerina in the family, discover Contemporary Ballet Dallas on East Mockingbird Lane. This premier dance studio provides campers with summer programs, including camps, classes, and intensive workshops. Cultivate your little one’s interest in the performing arts with this exciting program. Instructors will help campers develop a lifelong love of dance while instilling an appreciation of the rigorous mental and physical challenges it takes to succeed in this graceful sport.

The five-day summer hip hop boot camp starts on July 11, 2022, for beginners and advanced dancers ages 9 to 19 years. Your kids will audition for the chance to learn from professional guest instructors like Quinton Winston and Avery Alexander. Contemporary Ballet also offers day clinics like Tap Ensemble and youth company seasonal productions. Even Little dancers as young as 18 months can start learning new moves with its Parent and Me weekly sessions.

Dallas Museum of Art

The Dallas Museum of Art opened its doors in 1903. Today, it’s one of the largest institutions of its kind in the country. Most residents know that it’s home to world-class exhibits that encompass 24,000 pieces spanning 5,000 years of history. But, did you also know that it also offers youth programs, like The Summer Art Camp: Globetrotters.

The summer session starts on June 13, 2022, and ends on June 17, 2022. Teacher, Toni Crook, will lead your 6 to 8-year-olds through a series of engaging lessons. Your kids will explore the world without ever leaving the institution. Daily itineraries include visiting the Museum’s galleries, where they’ll get the chance to investigate art and culture from countries like Asia, South America, and Europe. Artists will return to the classroom to capture each adventure through painting, drawing, sculpting, or collage.

The YMCA

There’s more to summer than delicious barbeque and pool parties. So go ahead and register your child for a fun activity at your local YMCA. This outstanding non-profit has a long reputation for delivering quality programs to our community and beyond.

Whether your family is looking for a day, overnight, or specialty camp, the Y has an opportunity for you. Kids can explore nature, discover talents, and try activities while making lasting memories. They can sail on Possum Kingdom Lake with Camp Grady Spruce or try out adventure activities like climbing, canoeing, and zip-lining. Kids 6 to 13 can head to Lake Lewisville for Camp on the Lake’s water sports, crafts, and archery classes.

There you go! Help your kids make a big splash this summer with camp. The Hand and Wrist Institute put together this list of the best places to enjoy the break. Did you like our picks? Did we miss a favorite summer camp destination of yours — one Texas locals love? If we did, let us know! Drop us a line so we can add your suggestions to our list. You can also contact us if you have pains or concerns regarding upper extremities, and learn more about how we can help.

Dr. John Knight

Dr. Knight is a renowned hand, wrist and upper extremity surgeon with over 25 years of experience. Dr. Knight is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and Fellowship trained. Dr Knight has appeared on CNN, The Doctors TV, Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, Oxygen network and more.