With summer fast approaching, it’s time to hop to it and get the kids all scheduled and sorted with camps, classes and other fun things to keep them busy (and, if we’re being honest here, keep you sane). So we’ve put together a darn near definitive look at some of the best summer programmes out there for children in Hong Kong. So whether it’s kung fu or ballet, intensive Mandarin or musical theatre, painting or public speaking, it’s all here, mama.
CREATIVE PROGRAMMES
*ANASTASSIA’S ART HOUSE
www.arthouse-hk.com
Happy Valley Academy: 11 Yuk Sau Street, Happy Valley, Hong Kong | Contact: (852) 2838 0040
Repulse Bay Academy: Shop G107B, The Repulse Bay Shopping Arcade, 109 Repulse Bay Road, HK | Contact: (852) 2816 6465
Sai Kung Academy: G/F, 9 Hoi Pong Street, Sai Kung, Hong Kong | Contact:(852) 2719 5533
This summer Anastassia’s art camps feature a variety of educational and creative activities – each with a Fairy Tale theme aimed at encouraging your child’s creative thinking by exploring the imaginative world of fairy tales through art.
*BABY CENTRAL
www.babycentral.com.hk
7th Floor, BT Centre, 23 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen
Contact: (852) 2553 8000 | [email protected]
Baby Central is hosting a number of summer “Art Club” workshops at their showroom starting July 5. Register for one of the 1-hour workshops, or book multiple classes.
*FAUST INTERNATIONAL
www.faustworld.com
5/F, Nan Dao Commercial Building, 359 & 361 Queen’s Road Centra,l Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2547 9114 | [email protected]
Faust is offering week-long theatre and creative writing courses that not only develops your child’s creative skills but encourages teamwork and self-confidence. We love that to keep parents in the loop of all the fun they send home mid-week reports – and you’ll not want to miss the open session on the final day. There is also a special programme for the little, little guys – with a session for kids aged 3 and nearly 3.
*KATTERWALL
www.katterwall.com
Room 806, Arion Commercial Centre, 2-12 Queen’s Road West, Sheung Wan
Contact: (852) 2575 3931 | [email protected]
Have a little Von Trapp under your roof? Then Katterwall – where it’s all about singing (and performing!) may be just the thing. They’re offering a number of themed summer singing camps for kiddos 5-18 years old, including an ocean-themed camp for little ones with songs from The Little Mermaid, Lilo and Stitch, and Popeye. Mini sports fans can go for gold at the Olympic-themed camp where all the songs will be about sports, Olympic themes and – of course – some national anthems. And for those older kids looking for some rigorous musical theatre training, they’ve got a two-week intensive course covering singing, dancing and acting. (Psst: They also offer adult summer classes….)
*KIDS GALLERY
www.kidsgallery.com
Central: 21/F Coda Plaza, 51 Garden Road | Contact: (852) 2501 4842| [email protected]
Kowloon:28 Cumberland Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon| Contact: (852) 2337 1001 |[email protected]
Kids Gallery has a whole host of workshops for your little ones with oodles of creative classes to choose from – film courses, dance classes, art, singing…the list goes on. We love that they have things for kids has young as 14 months (baby ballet!), and have a lots of schedule options – weekly half-day camps, weekly 1-hour workshops, and half-day one-off “Art Stop” camps which are great options to fill afternoons here and there. Check out their summer class booklet here.
*LITTLE KINGDOM
www.littlekingdom.com.hk
Unit 1301, Eton Tower, 8 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2890-1701 | [email protected]
Little Kingdom offers loads of summer workshops and camps ranging from Ballet, performing arts to arts and crafts and communication skills and more for kids as young as 16 months to as old as 8, many with different themes each week that are centred on some of your child’s all-time favourites like Kung Fu Panda, Dr Seuss and more.
*LITTLE PICASSO STUDIO
www.littlepicasso.hk
Studio 10, 21/F, Oceanic Industrial Centre, 2 Lee Lok Street, Ap Lei Chau
Contact: (852) 3521 1046 / Mobile: (852) 9523 2878 (Lindy Moran) | [email protected]
Little Picasso’s summer programme immerses your child in fun and creative activities with art projects covering the whole gamut include painting, drawing, as well building recycled sculpture and clay works. Camps are led by professional artists and teachers and run during the mornings every week of July and August – you can sign up for one week or many since each week is totally new and different.
*HONG KONG YWCA
www.ywca.org.hk
1, MacDonnell Road, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 3476 1300 | [email protected]
The Hong Kong YWCA on MacDonnell Road has a mega summer lineup where you can build your own summer camp schedule covering art, dance, sports, creative writing, Mandarin for Munchkins…you name it. Check out their complete summer brochure here.
EDUCATIONAL CAMPS + WORKSHOPS
*BRITISH TUTORS
www.britishtutors.com/pages/hongkong.html
Contact: (852) 8191 2252 | [email protected]
British Tutor’s summer programme offers courses and workshops in a wide range of subjects such as debating, ancient history, poetry and creative writing, with offerings for children ages 3 -16. Among the varied classes are courses on Shakespeare’s MacBeth, an intro course in the language and culture of Ancient Greece, poetry for children as young as 5, and a debating course for older students. See their full offerings here. They can also arrange for a summertime tutor to come and create a tailored course for your children and their friends in your home.
*CHILDREN’S TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP
www.ctworkshop.com.hk/en-icamp.php
Unit B, 1/F, 151-153 Wong Nai Chung Road, Happy Valley , Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2591 0100 | [email protected]
Children’s Technology Workshop hosts a variety of educational “icamps” covering all sorts of topics including architecture, engineering, energy, robotics, digital photography and art animation.
*ESF MID-IB REVIEW COURSE
www.esf.org.hk/ibrevision/index.asp
West Island School, 250 Victoria Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2819 1962 | [email protected]
ESF’s Mid-IB Review Courses are designed for students who have completed Year 12 and are looking forward to Year 13. The courses offer not only an intensive review of the major aspects of the syllabus, focusing help where it is most needed, but also cover time and stress management, university entrance applications, personal statements, preparing a resume and interview skills. For more details check out their Course Schedule here.
*HK KIDZ/HONG KONG INSTITUTE OF LANGUAGES
www.hklanguages.com
3/F, 5/F & 6/F Wellington Plaza, 56-58 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2877 6160 | [email protected]
HK Kidz at the HK Institute of Languages caterings to kids 1 ½ – 12 years old, with instruction in English, French, German, Spanish, Mandarin for absolute beginners to special “mother tongue” support classes for kids who need a tad bit of help in one of the languages their parents speak at home.
*MANDARIN FOR MUNCHKINS
www.mandarinformunchkins.com
Unit A, 14/F, Carfield Commercial Building, 75 – 77 Wyndham Street, Central
Contact: (852) 2486 9062 | [email protected]
Mandarin for Munchkins makes learning fun through games, songs and storytelling, but they are also serious about teaching the language – their goal is not just to enable your children to sing a few songs in Mandarin, but to ensure that they are able to understand and communicate in the language. They have camps at various locations in Central, Sheung Wan and Discovery Bay.
*MANDARIN TOWN
www.mandarintown.com.hk
10/F, Shop C,D,E, Coda Plaza, 51 Garden Road , Central, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2868 2217| [email protected]
Don’t let the kids forget what they’ve been taught at school just because it is the summer holidays. Mandarin Town has a choice of great summer Chinese language camps to keep them busy, entertained and learning right through the vacation. Each camp is five days long and are separated into 2 – 4 years old and 4 – 6 years old groups.
*PINNACLE TEEN FINANCE WORKSHOP
Hong Kong YWCA, 1, MacDonnell Road, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 3476 1300 | [email protected]
Want Junior to understand the value of money, in addition to the basic fundamentals of economics like supply and demand? Pinnacle’s interactive summer finance workshop for teens 13-16 years old will offer that and then some. This interactive course pushes kids to think and question as they learn about important topics like “What are interest rates” and “How to banks work.”
www.theopenclassroom.com.hk
11/F, King’s Commercial Center, 25 King’s Road, Tin Hau, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2541 1336
The Open Classroom (formerly L.E.A.P.), engages kids with fun, interesting topics in their 5-day workshops that are designed to build skills in public-speaking, creativity and teamwork. Their programmes for older kids are all about experiential learning with guest speakers from all walks of life (a bee keeper, a magician….). They also offer summer SAT and SSAT prep classes, intensive writing programmes, and leadership courses for tween and teens – including one led by Ivy League grads aimed to prep students for university and beyond. See their full summer overview here.
*SUPERCAMP
www.proactive-learning.com/supercamp.html
Suite 802, Double Building, 22 Stanley St., Central, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2736 9898 | [email protected]
SuperCamp is all about “quantum learning” and its summer programmes involve a mix of academic skills (including speed reading and creative writing), life skills (including problem solving, how to communicate, and sustaining relationships) and physical skills which includes daily sports.
*SYLVAN LEARNING
www.tutoring.sylvanlearning.com
207-208, 2/F, One Island South, No.2 Heung Yip Road, Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2873 0662 | [email protected]
Sylvan Learning offers summertime writing workshops that cover the writing process from outline to first draft to the finished product, with special attention placed on nailing grammar, spelling, vocab and punctuation.
*QUEST STUDY SKILLS
www.queststudyskills.com
Contact: (852) 3796 3526 | [email protected]
Quest offers summer courses in July and August to help secondary students get higher grades by learning ‘smart’ study habits, take control of school life and get organised.
*HONG KONG YWCA
www.ywca.org.hk
1, MacDonnell Road, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 3476 1300 | [email protected]
The Hong Kong YWCA on MacDonnell Road has a mega summer lineup where you can build your own summer camp schedule covering art, dance, sports, creative writing, Mandarin for Munchkins…you name it. Check out their complete summer brochure here.
*THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE AT MATILDA
www.cdchk.org
41 Mount Kellett Road, The Peak, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2849-2983| [email protected] or [email protected]
The Child Development Centre at Matilda offers summer camp programmes run by qualified special education teachers that are designed for children ages from 18 months to 6 years with special needs. Camps are held in Wanchai and at Matilda and are focused on anything from speech therapy to social skills. They offer a wide variety of group classes, as well as individual speech and occupational therapy and individual education services for your child’s specific needs. Another unique offer is a primary prep course for little ones ages 4-6 with lessons built around important prerequisites for primary school, as well as building increased independence in the classroom. See an overview of their offerings here.
*WORLD IN MOTION
www.worldinmotion.com.hk
Contact: (852) 9663-3757| [email protected]
World in Motion serves children with special needs, providing after school, Saturday, and holiday programs, as well as workshops and social gatherings for parents. Their summer programme is open to children ages 4 to 12 with autism, communication or sensory issues, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other learning differences. Activities are specially-designed to facilitate the development of social skills through hands-on, engaging creative and multi-sensory experiences.
SPORTS + OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
*BRAZILIAN SOCCER CAMPS
www.bss.com.hk
6B Hing Wah Commercial Bldg, 450-4 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 23859677
For soccer stars ages 5-13 years old, check out Brazilian Soccer Schools and their camps in Pokfulam, Kowloon, Sai Kung and Tung Chung.
*DAGIS SUMMER CAMP
www.dagishk.org
Contact: (852) 6971 7350| [email protected]
Inspired by the Swedish early childhood education program, Dagis HK is one of the only outdoor activity camps in Hong Kong. Providing a relaxed environment for children where the focus is on play and exploration, they promote curiosity, independence and creativity – and we like that they have a special focus on treating girls and boys equally. Sessions take place – rain or shine! – at the Chung Hom Kok Playground and Beach or in Clearwater Bay based out of Garden House pre-school.
*ESF SUMMER SPORTS CAMP
www.esf.org.hk
Various locations: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon & New Territories
Contact: (852) 2711 1280 | [email protected]
ESF has one of the most comprehensive summer sports camps around. They offer programmes for kids ages 3-12 at various locations virtually all over Hong Kong. From football camps to trampoline clinics, and from full day sports camps (in English…or Spanish!) to Kung Fu, they’ve got a wide range of choices. See their schedule here.
*FLEX STUDIO
www.flexhk.com
1st Floor Regency Centre (Phase II), 43 Wong Chuk Hang Rd, Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2813 2212| [email protected]
FlexKids and Elite Personal Training are joining forces to offer two one-week fitness, Pilates and yoga camps at Flex and EPT’s fab Wong Chuk Hang studios. Kids and tweens get their heart rates up and build muscle strength with the coaches at EPT, and then head down to Flex for stretching, breathing, alignment and yoga games. Added bonus: snacks and lunch are catered by Shamrock. Also at Flex this summer: Twinkle Dance Company will be hosting intensive dance workshops for budding hip-hoppers and little ballerinas.
*KUNG FU TRAINING CAMP AT NGONG PING 360
www.np360.com.hk
11 Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung, Lantau, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 3666 0606 | [email protected]
Sign up mini martial arts masters for this Kung Fu mentor and protégé programme which lets kids not only go through Shaolin martial arts training and Zen meditation, but also experience the cable car journey and acultural excursion to Tai O. Participants passing their training assessment will be awarded with certificates from The Hong Kong Shaolin Wushu Culture Centre.
*PARKVIEW SUMMER CAMP
Contact: The Spa & Resort at (852) 2812 3945 | [email protected]
Parkview’s large summer programme is not just for residents! They offer loads of camps for kids from 2 years and up. Their multi sports camps let kids train in a number of sports in one camp – tennis, mini-rubgy, soccer, hockey, swimming and basketball. The also have specialised camps in art and dance, rock climbing, and soccer. And kids can attend in a full week or just select days.
*PLAY BASEBALL + SOFTBALL
www.321play.com.hk
1/F Kras Asia Industrial Building, 79 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong
Contact: (852) 2342 9830 | [email protected]
Calling all baseball lovers ages 7 to 12 years old! Put your skills to the test with PLAY’s 5-day camp in July. Kids will enjoy both indoor and outdoor activities and professional coaches are there to cover tactics and strategies.
*TINY TOTS SOCCER CAMPS
www.tinytots.com.hk
Room 402, 4th Floor, Hing Tai Commercial Building, 114 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 34887724 | [email protected]
For your budding soccer enthusiast, Tiny Tots has classes for pre-schoolers and kindergarteners (18 months – 5 years old) and locations around Hong Kong including Midlevels, Discovery Bay, and the Stanley Ho Sports Centre in Sandy Bay. You can check out their schedule at each location here.
*TREASURE ISLAND
www.treasureislandhk.com
Pui O Beach, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 2546 3543 | [email protected]
Have a water baby on your hands? Surf Camp, open to children ages 5 – 13, is a fun day camp at scenic Pui O beach where the kiddos get to hang ten while learning about the environment and ocean awareness. And for older kiddies with a sense of adventure comes the very aptly named Adventure Explorers Camp. Campers ages 11-15 get to surf, sail, rock climb, hike, kayak, mountain bike – and do an overnight camping trip. Learn more here.
*HONG KONG YWCA
www.ywca.org.hk
1, MacDonnell Road, Hong Kong
Contact: (852) 3476 1300 | [email protected]
The Hong Kong YWCA on MacDonnell Road has a mega summer lineup where you can build your own summer camp schedule covering art, dance, sports, creative writing, Mandarin for Munchkins…you name it. Check out their complete summer brochure here.