How to Start a Kids Holiday Camp

Every school break leaves working parents with the same puzzle: who looks after the kids for those days? A well-run kids holiday camp answers that question with crafts, games and a safe pair of hands, and it can grow into a steady business that fills every winter, spring and summer break. This guide shows you how to plan, price, staff and fill your first camp.

Holiday camps work because the need is predictable: school calendars are published well in advance. If you are a teacher, coach, youth worker, artist or a parent who can keep a room of children happy and busy, you already have many of the skills this business needs.

With winter break only weeks away as you read this, you may be tempted to rush a camp together for late December. That can work if you already have a venue and checked staff. If not, use the winter break to plan and market a polished camp for the February or spring break instead. A calm first camp beats a rushed one every time.

A quick note: this article is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Rules on childcare, safeguarding and employment vary by country, state and local authority, so check with the official bodies where you operate and talk to a qualified professional before you open.

Decide what kind of camp you will run

"Kids camp" covers a lot of ground. A clear concept makes everything else easier: your venue, your staff, your marketing and your price.

Choose your age range

Children of 5 and children of 11 want very different days. Most new camps pick a band of about three to four years, such as 5 to 8 or 8 to 12. A tight range lets you plan activities that suit everyone, and it often affects the staffing ratios and rules you need to follow.

Choose your theme

Themes help parents understand your camp at a glance and help children get excited. Popular directions include:

• Multi-activity: a mix of games, crafts, sport and quiet time. Broad appeal and easy to staff.
• Arts and crafts: painting, clay, sewing and seasonal makes. Great for winter breaks indoors.
• Sports: football, dance, gymnastics or general games. Needs a hall or field and coaches with the right qualifications.
• STEM: building, simple coding, science experiments. Parents often value these highly.
• Performing arts: a week that ends with a short show for parents, which doubles as great marketing.

Choose your schedule

Working parents need hours that match a work day. Many camps run a core day and offer an early drop-off and late pick-up as paid extras. Decide whether you will sell single days, full weeks or both. Single days help parents patch gaps, while weekly bookings make your planning and staffing far easier.

Get the legal and safety basics right

This is the part that protects children, parents and you. Treat it as the foundation of the business, not paperwork to rush through.

Safeguarding and background checks

In the UK, people working with children usually need a DBS check. In the US, background check rules vary by state and by client, and some venues, schools and parents will ask for checks even where the law does not. Whatever the rules, check everyone who will be with the children, including you, and keep records.

You will also want a written safeguarding or child protection policy, a named person responsible for safeguarding, and a clear process for reporting concerns. Many local authorities, sports bodies and youth organizations offer training, so look for a recognized course near you.

Licensing and registration

Some places treat holiday camps as childcare that needs registration or a license, especially for younger children or longer sessions. Others treat short activity camps differently. The rules depend on your location, the ages you serve and how many hours children attend. Contact your local authority or the childcare regulator where you live before you take bookings, and ask specifically about holiday and day camps.

Insurance, first aid and the venue

• Insurance: public liability insurance is a common starting point, and if you employ staff you may need employers' liability or workers' compensation cover depending on where you operate. Ask a broker who works with children's activity providers.
• First aid: have trained first aiders on site at all times, a stocked kit and an accident log.
• Venue checks: fire exits, toilets, secure entrances and a safe outdoor space. Do a written risk assessment for the building and for each activity.
• Workplace safety: in the US, OSHA's general duty clause expects employers to keep the workplace free of recognized serious hazards. In the UK, the Health and Safety at Work Act applies, and employers with 5 or more employees must have a written health and safety policy and a written risk assessment.

Find a venue and plan the days

Your venue shapes the whole camp. Community halls, schools, sports centers, church halls and studio spaces are all common choices. Schools are often empty during breaks and may welcome a hire, and parents already know where they are.

Look for enough indoor space for a rainy day, a quiet corner, easy drop-off and toilets you can supervise. Start close to the schools you plan to market to.

Build a daily rhythm

Children settle faster when the day has a predictable shape. A simple rhythm might be: arrival and free play, a morning group activity, snack, a main project or sport, lunch, outdoor time, a quiet session, then a closing circle before pick-up. Plan more activities than you need, because a craft that takes 45 minutes on paper can be over in 15.

Sample camp day template

Copy this into a spreadsheet and adjust it for your theme. The times are an example only.

Add a column for allergy notes and one for headcount checks. Many camps do a headcount at every transition, which is a simple habit that prevents serious problems.

Price your camp and plan the numbers

Holiday camp pricing varies widely by area, hours and theme, so research what similar camps near you charge before you set your own price. Then build your price from your costs, not just from what competitors charge.

1. List your fixed costs per camp. Venue hire, insurance, marketing, booking software and any equipment you buy.
2. List your costs per child. Craft materials, snacks if you provide them, and any trip or entry fees.
3. Work out staff costs. Your staffing needs depend on your ratio, so calculate how many staff you need at your target numbers.
4. Find your break-even. Fixed costs divided by (price per child minus variable cost per child) tells you how many child places you must sell to cover costs.
5. Set day and week prices. Many camps offer a small discount for a full week or for siblings, which rewards the bookings that are easiest for you to staff.
6. Price your extras. Early drop-off, late pick-up and lunch clubs can add revenue without changing your core offer.

Hire and train your team

For a small first camp, the team might be you plus one or two assistants. As you grow, staff become the biggest factor in both quality and cost. Seasonal camp work appeals to teachers, students home for the break, sports coaches and youth workers.

• Check everyone: background or DBS checks as required where you operate, plus references.
• Brief everyone: a short induction on safeguarding, first aid, fire drills, allergies, pick-up rules and behavior policies.
• Get the employment status right: whether staff are employees or contractors affects tax and rights, and rules differ by country. A bookkeeper or employment adviser can help.
• Plan cover: have a backup person you can call if someone is ill on the day.

Take bookings, collect forms and fill your places

Parents expect to book online, pay up front and fill in forms once. A clean booking process also gives you the information you need to keep children safe.

Booking and forms

Booking tools such as Square Appointments or SimplyBook.me can handle dates and payments, and form builders such as Google Forms, Jotform or Microsoft Forms can collect registration details. Check current features, pricing and privacy policies, because you will be storing information about children. Collect only what you need: emergency contacts, authorized pick-up people, allergies and medical needs, photo consent and any additional support needs.

Marketing that works for camps

• School newsletters and parent groups: ask whether local schools will share your flyer before each break.
• Google Business Profile: set one up and post your camp dates as events or updates.
• Early-bird booking: open bookings six to eight weeks before each break and give a deadline for an early price.
• Word of mouth: happy children are your best advert. A short show, a take-home craft or a photo update (with consent) gets parents talking.
• Email list: collect parent emails with consent and announce the next camp to them first. In the UK and EU, PECR and GDPR rules on consent apply to marketing emails, and in the US CAN-SPAM requires an unsubscribe option and a postal address.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

A kids holiday camp is a business built on trust. Get your checks, policies, insurance and venue right, then design days that children love and hours that suit working parents. Price from your real costs, start with one small camp and listen closely to the feedback.

Pick the break you want to launch in, block out an afternoon this week and work through the checklist above. By the time the next school break arrives, you could have a camp that families are already talking about.