Summer Programs for Kids Near Richmond & Henrico in Virginia

Henrico PAL Summer Camp

• Each summer, Henrico County's Police Athletic League (PAL) hosts a summer camp program. The camp day begins and ends at Harvie Elementary School in northeast Richmond, approximately 15 miles from the Henrico neighborhood of the city. Campers must be Henrico County residents to attend the program and be between six and 12 years old by the start of the camp.

  The PAL summer program runs from late June through mid-August and meets five days per week. Many of the activities revolve around sports and include soccer lessons, baseball, karate, roller-skating and bowling. Every Thursday, campers take a field trip to an area or event of interest in the city of Richmond, such as a local spectator sporting event or nearby Pocahontas State Park.

  Registration for the camp typically begins in May. Students are enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis, and the camps often become filled to capacity. You can register your child for the program online.

YMCA of Greater Richmond

• The YMCA of Greater Richmond hosts an annual summer day-camp in 14 different locations in the city of Richmond. The nearest branch to Henrico is the Tuckahoe Family YMCA, which is less than six miles away. The camps are open to students entering kindergarten through fifth grade.

  Each week, the day camps at the YMCA of Greater Richmond have a different theme with games, activities and crafts planned around that unit. Past themes include Hawaiian Week, Rodeo Round-up, Carnival Week and Animal Safari. In addition to events related to the theme, campers participate in a variety of traditional summer camp activities like swimming, archery, music and ecology lessons. The specific activities and events vary at each YMCA location.

  The camps offered through the YMCA of Greater Richmond facilities allow parents to register children by the week. Campers can attend just one, five-day session or attend each week. The number of weeks the programs last also varies from location to location.

Music Tales Performing Arts Camp

• Richmond's Music That's Mine music lesson program offers its Music Tales Performing Arts Camp each summer. The location for the camp is at Discovery United Methodist Church on Gayton Road in Richmond, about seven miles west of Henrico. The camp is offered in two age-group levels: one for students age six to 12 years and one exclusively for preteens and teens age 10 to 14 years.

  Music and theater arts are the theme of Music Tales Performing Arts Camp. During the week-long camp experience, children rehearse and produce their own music review. At the end of the week, a performance is held for parents. Acting and musical games are also included in the daily activities.

  Registration for the Music Tales Performing Arts Camp typically begins in late January. Sign-ups are first-come, first-served with a limited amount of space available.