Choosing a summer camp for your child can feel like a big decision, especially when your child is four and just starting out, or fourteen and already dreaming about engineering. The truth is, there is no single "best" STEM camp — there is only the best fit for your child's age, interests, and comfort level. Here is how to think about it, age by age, so you can register with confidence.
Ages 4–6: Keep it playful, hands-on, and short
For our youngest campers, a great STEM day looks a lot like joyful play — with a little science hiding inside it. At this age, children learn by touching, building, pouring, and pretending, so look for a camp day built around short, sensory-rich activities: building tall towers, mixing colors, exploring water and magnets, and plenty of outdoor time.
A half-day schedule is often the sweet spot for ages 4–6. Our half-day camp runs 9:00am–1:00pm, which gives little ones a full morning of discovery and still gets them home for lunch and a nap. If your child has never been to camp before, ask whether the camp offers a gentle first-day routine and a low camper-to-counselor ratio — ours is 1:10, with trained W-2 staff who have passed background checks — so your child always has a friendly adult nearby.
Ages 7–9: Curiosity takes off
Seven- to nine-year-olds are wonderfully curious. They ask "why" about everything, and they are ready for real experiments with real results: watching a chemical reaction fizz, building a bridge that actually holds weight, or programming a simple robot to move. This is the age when a full day of camp starts to feel just right.
Our full-day camp runs Monday through Friday, 9:00am–4:00pm, and a full day gives this age group time to try something, fail, try again, and feel proud of the result — which is exactly how confidence in science grows. When you tour or research a camp, ask how much of the day is truly hands-on. Children this age should be doing science, not just watching it.
Ages 10–15: Real challenges, real skills
Older kids can spot a "baby" activity a mile away, so the camp has to respect their growing skills. Look for programs that offer genuine challenges: coding a game, designing and printing a 3D model, building a working robot, or exploring how veterinarians and doctors solve problems. At this age, campers also love working as a team and showing off what they made at the end of the week.
A good question to ask any camp for this age group: what will my child bring home or be able to explain by Friday? If the answer is a project they designed themselves, you have found the right place.
Three questions every parent should ask
No matter your child's age, these three questions will help you compare any STEM camp:
1. Who is teaching, and how are they vetted? Look for trained staff, background checks, and a low camper-to-counselor ratio. At Club SciKidz NJ, our team members are W-2 employees who have passed background checks, and our programs are STEM.org certified and ranked among the top 5% of STEM programs.
2. What does a typical day actually look like? A strong camp day mixes experiments, building, outdoor play, and teamwork — not long stretches of sitting and listening. Ask for a sample schedule before you register.
3. What if our plans change? Life happens. Ask about the camp's policies up front, and keep the camp's phone number handy so you can always reach a real person with questions.
Ready when you are
However old your child is, the right camp is the one where they come home excited to tell you what they discovered. We would love to welcome your family to one of our four locations across Morris and Somerset Counties: Florham Park, Morristown (Acton Academy Morristown, 340 Speedwell Ave), Mountain Lakes (The Community Church of Mountain Lakes, 48 Briarcliff Rd), and new for 2027, Basking Ridge. Our 2027 season runs June 21 to July 30, 2027, and our early-bird rate is $510/week until January 1, 2027. Need a longer day? Pre-camp care starts at 8:00am ($45/week) and post-camp care runs until 5:30pm ($55/week), or $90/week bundled.
Explore our camp locations at https://northcentralnj.clubscikidz.com/camp-locations/ and see hours and fees at https://northcentralnj.clubscikidz.com/hours-and-fees/. To register, call us at 862-399-9942 or use https://campscui.active.com/orgs/clubscikidzcentralnewjersey.
The Club SciKidz NJ Team
