Misty Laenger and her family just moved to Boise from Texas. They are looking for activities for their 9-year-old son this summer, which brought them to the Boise with Kids (BWK) Summer Activities and Camps fair held at TRICA Preschool of the Arts in April.
Laenger said that in the Houston area, there were so many summer options that it could lead to “analysis paralysis.” I resonated with this, as my oldest is now six years old and I’m just entering the overwhelming summer camp and activity world.
If you, like me and Misty, are wondering about summer opportunities for kids, this article can get you started.
A note on timeline: The time to enroll varies by summer camp. Parks and Recreation programs in Idaho tend to start sign-ups in the spring. For example, Boise’s registration opened at 7 am on March 30th. Day camps tend to fill up more quickly. Currently, most daycamps in Boise have waitlists, while other activities still have availability.
Nicole Pratt, program director for outdoor education and retreats at the YMCA, said some of their summer camps opened for registration in December of 2025 and filled that month. Other indoor and outdoor camps and activities still have openings.
Other camps vary on timelines and availability. Some have openings all summer long, while others are more competitive. For example, the Discovery Center of Idaho has several summer camps, and two of them have sold out for Summer 2026 (one is a Minecraft camp, and as a mom of a six-year-old, I can tell you that tracks).
Options Throughout Idaho
City Parks and Recreation Programs
A good first stop to look for summer programs is your local city parks and recreation website. City camps range from full-day weekly themed camps to sports, outdoor, and specialty classes.
As an example, here is Moscow’s list of their activities and pricing, with options like full-day camps for $25 per day, an outdoor sculpture half-day camp for $125 per week, or activities like flag football and swimming.
School Districts
Your local school district might host summer programs from academic enrichment to STEM, art, and music camps. Here is a link to the Boise School District’s kindergarten preparation courses and summer boost programs based on academic need.
Boys and Girls Clubs
Throughout the state, Boys and Girls Clubs offer summer programming to K-12 students. In Ada County, where there are eight clubs, summer programs cost $50 per week and run from 7am-6pm. Teens are free, and other financial assistance is available.
YMCAs
Located in Treasure Valley and Idaho Falls, YMCAs offer summer programming, including sports camps, full-day camps, and overnight camps at Horsethief Reservoir in Cascade. For instance, full-day camps at the Idaho Falls YMCA cost $160 per week for members. Financial assistance is available.
Universities
If you live near a university, you can check its offerings for summer programming. For example, Boise State Unviersity (BSU) hosts a number of sports camps, with full-day, two-week sessions costing $565, and half-day, two-week sessions costing $310. The University of Idaho (U of I) hosts an “Ignite Their Future” summer camp series with STEM-themed camps for middle and high school students.
Churches
Some churches offer summer camps, like Vacation Bible School (VBS). You do not always need to be a member of these churches to participate in their summer programs.
Local Businesses
Other local businesses like gyms, museums, nature centers, and creative centers may also run summer camps. If you have a favorite place to take your kids during the school year, you can always check and see if they run a summer camp.
Treasure Valley Programming
For specific Treasure Valley summer camps, Boise With Kids has a search engine that lets you filter by category, age, and time.
Prices range for these camps, but they generally run between $200 and $500 for week-long, half-day camps. Select camps offer scholarships.
Totally Boise also has a page dedicated to summer camps.
Marquita Buckley, Maddie Mccarraher and Ibby Buckley from Aerial Flair pose at the Boise with Kids Summer Activities and Camps Fair
Tips for “Analysis Paralysis”
When I expressed my overwhelm with all the options and pricing, Laenger said, “I do like the option of a class here, a class here, and then you can hone in on what [your child] likes.”
For example, Encore Creative Center in Eagle offers over 40 group classes, and you pay based on the number of classes per week. “So say they’re in a watercolor class and hear the drums going on, they can try that,” explained Sierra Smith, who works in summer camps at Encore.
A one-hour weekly class is $98 per month for four mix-and-match class sessions.
If you’re looking for free ways to experiment, local libraries often have weekly programming in music, STEM, acting, and more throughout the summer. These can be good ways to “try out” something before committing to a full camp.
It also helps to ask parents with older kids about their favorite summer programs. It especially helps if they have navigated getting into more competitive camps and have registration tips.
If you don’t know other parents who have done summer camps, Facebook pages like Boise With Kids can be helpful places to ask questions.
And of course, you can always call the center you are thinking about doing a program with and ask questions.
Homeschooling Options
Several groups at the BWK Summer Activities and Camps Fair mentioned new homeschooling options.
Luther Heights, a bible camp with both faith-based and non-faith-based camps, just added “Homeschool Weeks” to their camp schedule, where they invite “homeschool co-ops, pods, forest schools, and family learning groups” to their camp at Alturas Lake in Stanley, Idaho.
Encore said their classes support a flexible model for homeschoolers, and they just opened a new micro school option as well.
Options like these might be fueled in part by the new financing available to homeschoolers, who could qualify for up to $5,000 per student for education expenses under House Bill 93, passed in 2025.
