Sporty camps
There’s nothing better than a week of sports and games if you’re looking to wear ‘em out totally which is, let’s face it, the whole point:
Armed Forces Officer’s Club: A great choice for sporty types, kids get to enjoy martial arts, bowling and exciting field trips.
Jun19-Jul21, Sun-Thu 9am-3pm. Near the Grand Mosque. Ages 5-13. Dhs 1000/week. (02 441 5900; www.afoc.mil.ae)
Australian International Swim Schools: Keep cool in the pool with these fab, five-day intensive swimming programmes. Perfect for kids who love the water and want to improve their strokes, each child will receive an AISS certificate listing the skills they’ve mastered.
Jul 3-Aug22; Sun-Thu, 8.30am-noon or 3pm-5pm. The British International School. Ages 2-1/2 and above. Dhs 350/400 (BISAD members), Dhs375/425 (non members). (bisad@aiss.ae; 050 883 8091).
Haddins Active: Ideal for bouncing bundles of energy, these daily or weekly camps focus on the importance of leading an active lifestyle. Loads of physical fitness fun, including circuit training, ice skating, combat club and ball games, combine with healthy cooking classes and yoga to give your kids a positive attitude to healthy living (and tire them out before bedtime).
Jun26-Sep8, Sun-Thu 8am-3pm, Haddins Gym at Zayed Sports City. Ages 4-14. Dhs100 (half-day), Dhs175 (daily), Dhs750 (first week), Dhs650 (subsequent weeks), Dhs1200 (two children, additional children Dhs200) (www.haddins.com/kids).
MUSS: Pure nirvana for soccer-holics, the Manchester United Soccer School is running a series of intensive four-day footie programmes where kids learn to play ‘The United Way’. Held on indoor, air-conditioned football pitches, each day is themed around a different technical area of the game such as passing, dribbling and control. The week ends on a high with a tournament for champions.
Starting Jul3, 10, 17 and 24, Sun-Wed, 9am-noon or 1pm-4pm. The Dome@Rawdhat, Airport Rd, Ages 7-9,10-13, 14-16 (Goalkeepers 8-16) Dhs995 including MUSS Nike training kit, bag and water bottle, MUSS Certificate and participation in the MUSS Skills Challenge Competition.
Saadiyat Beach Junior Golf Club: Learn to play like a pro with junior golf camp. Morning sessions, run by PGA professionals, feature activities designed to improve all-round sporting performance and focus on flexibility, rotation, muscle development, hand-eye coordination and core stability.
Jul3-Jul20, Sun-Wed 8.30am-10.30am. Ages 4-15. Dhs595/week, individual sessions Dhs175. (02 557 8000; theacademy@sbgolfclub.ae)
WhizKidz: Banish the boredom with bowling, ice skating and swimming at WhizKidz. Transport is available.
Dates and prices to be confirmed. Al Markaziyah. Ages 4-10 years. (02 641 7450).
The whole caboodle
Are you kids into everything? These multi-activity camps which offer everything from ball games to swimming to arts and crafts will be right up their street:
Abu Dhabi Country Club: With a focus on fitness, the Abu Dhabi Country Club Sports School Summer Camp has activities ranging from basketball to ballet, martial arts to football, swimming, arts, crafts and more.
Jun5-Aug25, Sun-Thu 9am-2pm. Al Sada St next to UAE immigration. Ages 4-17. Dhs125/day, Dhs500/week (members) Dhs150/day, Dhs700/week (non-members). (02 657 7765)
The Club: If you’re in The Club (or have a friend who’s a member), avoiding the summer blues couldn’t be easier. Themed ‘Superhero’ days, kayaking and even healthy food workshops are just a few of the activities they can get up to.
All summer, Sun-Thurs 8am-4.15pm. The Club, Mina Saadiyat. Ages 5-12, Dhs100/day, Dhs450/week, non-members Dhs110/day, Dhs500 per week. (02 673 1111; www.the-club.com).
Hilton: An annual institution, this hotel summer camp packs in scores of fun indoor and outdoor activities including lots of fit and fun activities in the morning (think cricket, tennis and football, swimming and water activities). After a healthy buffet lunch, it’s time for tennis, yoga, martial arts, arts, crafts and more. Add in treasure hunts, cooking classes and day trips, and they won’t want to go back to school.
Jun19-Sep8, Sun-Thu 9am-3pm. Ages 4-12. Dhs800 per week or Dhs170 per day, including all activities and lunch (02 692 4205; hiltonia.abudhabi@hilton.com)
Libra Summer Holiday Camps: These multi-activity camps (the name says it all) have a whole range of exciting stuff for kids. Choose three or four different activities every day, from all sorts of ball games (football, dodgeball, basketball) to swimming, arts and crafts and dance and drama, you’ll never here the dreaded ‘I’m bored!’ cry again.
Jun26-Aug25 (American International School); Jul3-Aug25 (Raha International School); Jul3-Jul28 (British International School) Sun-Thu 9am-2.30pm (early drop-off at 8am available). Dhs800/week, 10 per cent discount for siblings. (800-LIBRA (54272); 055 922 8362 camps@libra-uae.com).
Arts & culture camps
Art and educational camps can be fun, particularly if running around like a maddie is not your child’s cup of tea:
Abu Dhabi Pottery: An art camp perfect for pint-sized potters who love getting stuck into pottery and painting, creating their own mini masterpieces to take home.
Dates and Prices to be confirmed, Khalidiya Gardens. opp. Golden Fork. Ages 5+. (02 666 7079; www.abudhabipottery.com).
French Alliance: Ooh la la! Use the summer to get to grips with French with effective but fun (think singing, drawing and lots of games) lessons at the French Alliance. Your kids will see a real improvement in their language skills.
Jul3-27, Sun-Wed 5pm-6.50pm; Aug2-25 Sun-Wed 1pm-2.30pm. Khalidiya, Choihtram Building. Ages 4-6, 7-10 and 11-15. Dh1,450 per course(02 666 6232).
Camps for tots
These camps work well for kids used to a structured schedule, and they’re handy for trying out a nursery if you are planning to enroll your child later in the year:
Butterfly Nursery: For a summer of educational fun, let your kids explore dinosaur digging, origami and lots more at this Montessori nursery.
Jun26-Jul21, Sun-Thu 8-1pm, Butterfly Nursery, Khalidiya, near 11th Street, Dhs600/week (02 6658611; www.admont.ae).
Humpty Dumpty Nursery: Loads of fun stuff for tots, from grooving to tunes to playing little chef.
Jul3-Aug25, Sun-Thu 7.30am-1.30pm; 8am-1pm during Ramadan. Ages 2-4. Dhs800/week. Khalifa A branch (02 556 1068; adminkca@humptynursery.com); Al Bateen branch (02 666 3277; adminauh@humptynursery.com)
Jigsaw Nursery: From decorating cupcakes to jungle themed days, little ones can let their imaginations run wild.
Jul3-Aug25, Sun-Thu 8-2pm. Ages20 months-6 years. Al Karama. Dhs120/day (02 445 5222; www.jigsawnurseryad.com).
Little Smarties: Little ones dance to tunes, play in the kitchen and splash around on hot summer days.
Jun3-Aug25, Sun-Thu 7.50am-2pm. Little Smarties, Khalifa City A. Ages 1-5, Dhs700/week. (02-556 5500; www.littlesmartiesnursery.com).
Teddy Bear Nursery: Making fruit kebabs to under the sea fun, Teddy Bear Nursery knows how to keep the kids entertained for the summer.
Jul17-Aug25, Sun-Thu 8am-1pm. Khalifa City A, Ages 1-4 years. Dhs750/week (02 556 8566; www.teddybear.net).
