Top Port Moody camps for 2024/2025

You can also find a full list of all our Vancouver summer camps.

The benefits of sending kids to a camp in Port Moody

Friendship opportunities and social skills development.  Camp encourages kids and teens to interact in a safe, structured setting. There are fresh opportunities for new friendships. Kids meet others from different socioeconomic backgrounds, cultures, and also ages. The setting is easygoing, and kids feel freer than they do in school. Camps with specializations let kids who share interests and passions meet other kids from the same city who share those. And camp activities implicitly give them opportunities to learn about compromise, communication, and more. Learn more about how camps help kids improve social skills.

Learn independence and responsibility, gain confidence, and develop leadership. Camp is an integral part of kids’ growth in emotional intelligence. It helps kids mature faster. At camp, kids must take responsibility for their own stuff. They’re given challenges—and they beat them—in a setting that’s supportive and structured. (And no parent intervenes on their behalf.) The non-competitive setting encourages kids to naturally develop self-esteem. They set goals and accomplish them, learning about themselves from the best teachers—peers. 

Learn more about how how kids develop independence, resilience, responsibility, and courage. While all camps develop leadership skills, there are also camps focused on leadership growth. 

Grow creatively. Kids and teens find many different ways to express themselves at camp. There are craft activities, chances to act, make music, dance, and more. School doesn’t always offer enough of that, right? For some kids, camp has been an absolutely critical path to self-discovery in this area. Ask Rick Mercer, for just one example of many.  

Learn during summer. Camps focus on subjects as varied as science and math to coding and ESL. Kids can encounter subject focuses not always available at their school. They feel less pressure than in a school setting and the fun of learning gets emphasized. Hands-on activities foster kids’ cognitive development in unique ways. Many camps have equipment, tools, activities, and expert instruction you won’t find anywhere else. 

Appreciate nature and the outdoors more fully. Almost every summer camp has activities outside. We’ll tell you that there are none better for this than overnight summer camps, but there are also local daytime eco camps. Some camp activities or settings immerse kids in nature. They’re away from screens, outside, and breathing in the fresh air. 

How to find the best Port Moody camp for your child(ren)

When you’re researching Port Moody camps, use the links above, and as you do so consider five key areas

Instructors and counsellors

Ask how much experience the counsellor/instructors have working with kids. 

• What are their qualifications and training? 
• Do leaders all have vulnerable sector checks?
• How do they ensure that all the kids are involved and participating? 
• What is the ratio of counsellors to kids?

The camp schedule:

Ask if you can see a schedule of the entire camp session. 

• Do activities match your child’s interests? 
• Is the schedule weighted to your liking? 
• When is the pickup and drop off every day, and how does this match your availability?

Camp groupings and management

Be sure you understand camp groupings and session sizes. 

• How are kids grouped together, and how big are the groups? 
• Can you contact your child’s group leader directly? 
• What is the camp’s policy with regard to  bullying? 
• How do they handle discipline and how do they manage disruptive kids?

Food and drink

Ask about their policies with regard to allergies, special diets, and any diet considerations you might have (example: vegetarianism).

• If your child has  allergies, how will they be affected? 
• Do campers need to bring their own snacks?
• How do they ensure that kids are properly hydrated, especially on hot days?

Cost and financial aid:

Compare the cost of the camps you are interested in. 

• Are there any additional materials, supplies, equipment  you will need to provide? 
• Are there discounts or any other forms of financial aid available?