What makes kids' camps better or worse?

Have you ever picked up your kid from camp or an activity and thought, “That…was not worth what we just paid?” If so, you’re in the right place.

On paper, camps can all look similar: cute photos, fun blurbs, maybe a mascot. But in reality, some camps are amazing, and some are…fine at best. The difference usually isn’t just the price or the brand name; it’s a mix of logistics, structure, staffing, and how they use the hours your kid is there.

Here’s a mom's guide to what makes camps better or worse, so you can evaluate them before you sign up, and again after your child attends.

1. Hours & Extended Care: Does It Actually Work for Your Day?

A camp can be incredible for your kid, but a nightmare for your life if the schedule doesn’t fit.

Things to look at:

• Core hours:
  
  • Many camps run 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. or somewhere in that range.
  • For working parents, that can mean awkward midafternoon pickups or scrambling for coverage for an additional hour or two.
• Extended care:
  
  • Better camps are very clear: “Before care from 8:00 a.m., after care until 5:30 p.m.”
  • Some offer early drop-off but no late pick-up, or vice versa.

Camps score higher on our list when extended care exists, is clearly explained, and has real activities (not just kids staring at a wall in the gym), and their “day” is long enough that you’re not spending more time commuting than your child spends enjoying camp.

2. What Are They Actually Doing All Day?

This is where the “good camp vs. meh camp” divide often lives.

Look out for “filler”

Even great camps have downtime. But watching TV during lunch every day, coloring for an hour because staff are unprepared (I HATE THIS!), or too many “free play” blocks with no supervision or structure can be signs that the camp is stretching to fill the schedule.

This is especially frustrating when it’s a specialty camp (tennis, coding, dance, etc.) and your kid spends more time watching movies than doing the thing you signed up for.

Better camps:

• Build in short, intentional downtime (quiet reading, chilled games, kid-led play)
• Clearly schedule core specialty time each day (“2 blocks of focused tennis instruction,” “daily coding lab”)
• Use rainy days creatively instead of defaulting to screens

3. Is Lunch Included—or Another Thing You Have to Manage?

Lunch seems small…until you’re packing it every night at 10 p.m. Questions to ask:

• Is lunch included?
  
  • Some camps include a hot lunch and snacks (huge for busy weeks).
  • Others are strictly BYO everything.
• If included, what’s the quality?
  
  • Is it pizza and hot dogs every day or a more balanced menu?
• Snack policy:
  
  • Do they provide snacks?
  • Are there nut-free rules or allergy accommodations?

Camps are easier when you know exactly what you’re responsible for, and they clearly communicate food policies and options! 

For many families, lunch isn’t a deal-breaker, but it’s part of the “is this camp worth it?” equation, especially if mornings are already chaos.

4. One-Off or “Camp Home Base”? Variety Matters

Great campers think about the whole summer, not just one week. Ask:

• Do they offer different themes or tracks to entertain kids for months?
  
  • e.g., general camp, sports weeks, art/drama weeks, STEM weeks, nature weeks
• Can your child return for multiple sessions without getting bored?
  
  • Is Week 2 just a copy-paste of Week 1?

When a camp offers varied themes or tracks, it can become your “camp home base,” a place your child feels comfortable returning to for multiple weeks with new experiences each time. Even if you can’t find a single camp that covers all these tracks, use it as a general rule of thumb when registering across all summer camps. 

5. Age Range: Who Is Your Child Actually With?

A camp that lumps ages 5–12 together is sending up a small red flag. That age gap is too drastic to ensure that everyone is being kept busy and fulfilled. 

Things to look at:

• Groupings within the camp:
  
  • Are kids grouped by age or grade (e.g., 5–6, 7–8, 9–11) in reasonable numbers?
  • Do they rotate activities with their age group?
• Content and expectations:
  
  • Is a rising kindergartener doing the same activities as a 5th grader?
  • Are older kids bored, or younger kids overwhelmed?

Stronger camps will have narrower age bands within the program and adjust activities and expectations to match developmental levels. And this should be explained clearly in their materials! 

6. Who’s Running the Show? Staff Quality Counts

This one is big. Ask (or look for clues):

• Who are the facilitators?
  
  • Teachers? College students? High school CITs? Subject-matter pros? Usually, if facilitators are qualified, they’ll make that publicly known. 
• Staff-to-camper ratio?
  
  • Lower ratios generally mean more attention and safety.
• Training & background checks:
  
  • Do they mention staff training, safety protocols, and return staff?

Camps score higher for our findings when leadership groups are run by adults with training or experience (teachers, coaches, seasoned instructors), supported by students or young volunteers, rather than the other way around.

It’s also a green flag when you see the same counselors returning year after year.

7. How Do You Even Know All This?

Here’s the honest part: even with our help, a lot of this is hard to know until your kid actually goes.

You can:

• Read the website
• Skim the brochure
• Ask questions
• Stalk a few parent reviews
• Use the MomBrains Camp Finder

…but some things only show up after you’ve experienced the camp:

• Were drop-off and pickup smooth and kind or chaotic and grumpy? Did that change depending on the day or week? 
• Was “extended day” just kids watching TV in a cafeteria?
• Did your child feel safe and known, or lost in the shuffle?
• Did the specialty camp actually focus on the specialty, or did it feel too general and wishy-washy?

That’s why post-attendance evaluation is so valuable, not just for you, but for other parents too.

Ask your child and yourself:

• What were 3 things they loved?
• What felt off or was not worth the money/time?
• Would you do it again? For a full week? Several weeks? Not at all?

Bottom Line: What Makes Camps Better or Worse?

Better camps:

• Have clear, family-friendly hours (with real extended care)
• Focus on thoughtful activity planning instead of defaulting to screens
• Are upfront about lunch, snacks, and food logistics
• Offer age-appropriate groupings and varied program options
• Staff with trained, caring adults (supported by students, not led by them)
• Communicate clearly, before and during camp

Worse camps:

• Expect you to magically guess schedules, food rules, and staffing
• Run kids of wildly different ages through the same one-size-fits-all day
• Rely heavily on filler (movies, endless coloring) in what’s supposed to be a specialty experience
• Leave you feeling more stressed than supported

You don’t need perfection. You just need enough information to decide: “Is this camp worth our time, money, and energy?”

Our hope, both with guides like this and with the MomBrains camp finder, is that more and more, the answer can be a confident yes, instead of a tired shrug.