Kids Winter Camps 2021: Our Top Picks
Kids Winter Camps 2021: Our Top Picks
With schools on winter holiday, we know you want your young ones to get the most out of their free days. Winter camps are a perfect way to keep kids active, engaged, and entertained! From day camps to sleepaway adventures, winter camps offer a festive environment for children to learn, explore, and connect with others (after all, we are big fans of edutainment!). Luckily, we did the research for you.
We gathered a diverse list of activity-packed programs that are sure to create magical winter holiday memories. Do you have a snowboarding enthusiast or an aspiring programmer? A budding artist or an avid English language learner? We have programs for it all. This holiday season, give your children the gift of supporting their passions and check out our 2021 Winter Camp top picks!
NOTE: To make it easier for you, we organized our top picks into three categories: STEM Education Camps, Sleepaway Snowsports Camps, and Tokyo Day Camps. Camps that fit under more than one category are cross-listed.
STEM Education Camps
Tokyo Coding Club
Program Highlights
Tokyo Coding Club’s Winter Camps are held in Hakuba and Niseko, offering collaborative and creative programs that combine exciting snowsports and STEM learning 100% in English. STEM activities let children engage in programming, robotics, digital creativity, and custom tech. From Coding with Minecraft and Robotics with 3D Printing, to YouTube Vlogging and Cyber Security, this program is perfect for adventurous and tech-driven kids!
Ages and Availability
This program is open to elementary to high school students
The Hakuba Camp has two sessions between December 26 - January 6
The Niseko Camp has one session December 19 - December 22
Timing
Overnight program: 3 nights and 4 days
See website for info on schedule, pricing, payment, and registration
Coding Lab
Program Highlights
Coding Lab’s Winter Camps are held in Tokyo. Their programs’ dynamic, creative classes bring coding education to children from 4 to 18 years old, allowing kids to spark their coding skills or take them to the next level. Classes teach both technical and conceptual skills, creating a robust programming foundation for early learners. As children progress through stages of learning, they will use Python, a practical and popular language, to create games and mobile applications.
Ages and Availability
This program is open to children 4 to 18 years old
This program has 5-day courses beginning on December 13, 20, and 27
Timing
Daytime program: See registration for course timing
See website for info on schedule, pricing, payment, and registration
Sleepaway Snowsports Camps
Evergreen Outdoor Center - Winter Camps in Hakuba
Program Highlights
Evergreen Outdoor Center’s Winter Camps are held in Hakuba and offer a wide range of snowsports and outdoor activities, including skiing and snowboarding, for excellent experiential learning and life-lasting memories. This well-established outdoor education program ensures your children will enjoy feeling challenged in a fun learning environment with native English instructors and camp leaders.
Ages and Availability
This program is open to children ages 7 to 17 years old
This program is divided into two age groups (7 - 12 years old / 13 - 17 years old), both camps have four sessions between December 20 and April 1
Timing
Overnight program: 4 nights and 5 days
See website for info on pricing, payment, and registration
Canyons Kamoshika Camp
Program Highlights
Canyons Kamoshika Camp is held in Hakuba. Designed for all levels of skiers and snowboarders, this program focuses on giving a full experience on snow, helping campers build new skills, and creating a fun and supportive environment. Canyons is committed to providing a tailored experience by ensuring small camper to instructor ratios and level-matched groupings.
Ages and Availability
This program is open to children ages 8 - 17 years old
This program runs December 26 - 30
Timing
Overnight program: 4 nights and 5 days
See website for info on pricing, payment, and registration
Nanbo Discovery Camps
Program Highlights
Nanbo Discovery Winter Camps are held in Shiga Kogen, offering an English-language ski/snowboard adventure for children in a residential camp setting (with professional instructors!). This unique program allows families to participate together: children stay in a lodge with staff while families stay in ensuite rooms. During the daytime, most activities can be enjoyed as a family! As a bonus, the fees for parents and siblings are greatly reduced.
Ages and Availability
This program is intended for children ages 8 to 14 years old (younger campers may join if accompanied by a parent)
This program has five sessions between December 18 - March 30
Timing
Overnight program: 3 nights and 4 days
See brochure for info on timing, pricing, payment, and registration
Tokyo Coding Club
Program Highlights
Tokyo Coding Club’s Winter Camps are held in Hakuba and Niseko, offering collaborative and creative programs that combine exciting snowsports and STEM learning 100% in English. STEM activities let children engage in programming, robotics, digital creativity, and custom tech. From Coding with Minecraft and Robotics with 3D Printing, to YouTube Vlogging and Cyber Security, this program is perfect for adventurous and tech-driven kids!
Ages and Availability
This program is open to elementary to high school students
The Hakuba Camp has two sessions between December 26 - January 6
The Niseko Camp has one session December 19 - December 22
Timing
Overnight program: 3 nights and 4 days
See website for info on schedule, pricing, payment, and registration
English Adventure - Winter Holiday Ski Camp
Program Highlights
English Adventure’s Winter Holiday Ski Camp is held in Tsunan and offers both bilingual and English-only camp programs to cater across English learning levels! This ski-focused winter camp features a large, private ski slope located right next to its private lodge, ensuring optimal safety and time for winter fun. This program’s skill-dependent lessons are tailored to support and develop skiing skills from beginner to advanced.
Ages and Availability
NOTE: See websites for exact dates for each age group
Challenge Session (Bilingual): This program is open to children in Grades 1 - 9
Immersion Session (English): This program is open to children in Grades 1 - 9
Both programs have seven sessions between December 26 - January 6
Timing
Overnight program: 3 nights and 4 days / 4 nights and 5 days
See website for info on pricing, payment, and registration
Tokyo Day Camps
Ayla International School Winter Camp 2021
Program Highlights
Camp Ayla is held in Tokyo and offers a bilingual camp focused on creating a fun, safe, dual-language environment where kids can build self-confidence, make friends, and learn something new. Providing both traditional and recreational camp activities, this program includes art, cooking and dance camps, sports and academic activities. Kids can focus on a particular area of interest or enjoy a variety of activities! There are several weeks of classes, giving families flexibility and ample opportunity to sign up.
Ages and Availability
This program is open to children ages 3 - 6 years old
This program runs December 6 - January 7
Timing
This program offers five session options between 9:00 - 18:00
See website for info on pricing, payment, and registration
KSpace Tokyo Winter School 2021
Program Highlights
KSpace Tokyo Winter School 2021 is held in Tokyo and provides a wide range of engaging activities offering a full course of edutainment, from cooking and science, to literacy and dance. The range of attendance and pricing options provides optimal flexibility for families! For a special treat, parents can tune into newsletters and mini-movies created by KSpace during their children’s winter school experience and share in the fun.
Ages and Availability
This program is open to children ages 14 months to 8 years old
This program runs December 20 - 30
Timing
This program offers several session options between 8:00 - 19:00
See the brochure for exact session options
See brochure for info on pricing, payment, and registration
Coding Lab
Program Highlights
Coding Lab’s Winter Camps are held in Tokyo. Their programs’ dynamic, creative classes bring coding education to children from 4 to 18 years old, allowing kids to spark their coding skills or take them to the next level. Classes teach both technical and conceptual skills, creating a robust programming foundation for early learners. As children progress through stages of learning, they will use Python, a practical and popular language, to create games and mobile applications.
Ages and Availability
This program is open to children 4 to 18 years old
This program has 5-day courses beginning on December 13, 20, and 27
Timing
Daytime program: See registration for course timing
See website for info on schedule, pricing, payment, and registration
Don’t Forget a Babysitter!
Over the holiday break, remember to take advantage of CareFinder's amazing community of babysitters! Whether you need help for camp, or you simply need help keeping the kids engaged and entertained while school’s out, our sitters have you covered. We know that many camps don’t cater to younger children, but luckily many CareFinder sitters do - now is a great time to post a holiday job! You can find the best support for your family here.