While your student’s summer vacation is a great time for them to relax, recharge, and spend time with friends, it’s also a critical time for them academically. Summer slide often affects students across the board, and this can even result in a compounding effect, resulting in students falling further behind each summer. We encourage you to engage your child in whatever way you can, socially, academically, and physically. Luckily, there is no shortage of opportunities here in the Houston area!

Types of Summer Opportunities for Elementary Students

With that in mind, we’ve broken down all the possibilities into several categories, making sure to cover a variety of interests and hobbies across the board.

Summer Camps

Summer camps are a great way for your student to learn a new skill and meet new friends from all around the city. These opportunities can be STEM-focused, outdoorsy in nature, and expose your child to brand-new skills, like Artificial Intelligence or fashion design. As a quick note, the camps listed down below that are hosted by Rice have no affiliation with the school.

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at Summer Camp Description Age Range Weekly Cost Link
1 ashley 02/17/2025 01:21 PM shellzj 02/19/2025 06:26 PM iD Tech Summer Camps at Rice STEM-focused camps with associated outdoor activities. Camps include coding, digital art, and Roblox. 7-12 From $1179
2 ashley 02/17/2025 03:00 PM shellzj 02/19/2025 06:26 PM Tech Revolution STEM Summer Camps at Rice Tech-focused camps featuring robotics, game design, Minecraft, Youtube content creation, among others. 6-14 From $749
3 ashley 02/17/2025 03:05 PM ashley 02/17/2025 03:05 PM YMCA Summer Day Camps Activities include art, theater, sports, and literacy. Weeks are themed and activities often take place outdoors. 5-11 From $245
4 ashley 02/17/2025 03:10 PM ashley 02/17/2025 03:10 PM Houston Arboretum & Nature Center Camps Features indoor and outdoor activities that explore the natural world in a 155-acre nature sanctuary. 4-12 From $250 (members) or $300 (nonmembers)
5 ashley 02/17/2025 03:18 PM ashley 02/19/2025 03:00 PM The Health Museum's Discovery Camps Includes STEM activities like dissecting real animal organs, performing simulated surgeries, and behind-the-scenes exploration of museum exhibits. 5-13 From $325 (members) or $350 (nonmembers)
6 ashley 02/18/2025 04:01 PM ashley 02/18/2025 04:01 PM Elite University Summer Camps A Texas-based summer program with camps specializing in nature, sports, visual and culinary arts, and STEM. 5-11 From $425
7 ashley 02/19/2025 11:27 AM ashley 02/19/2025 11:27 AM Kidventure's Passport to Adventure Features several locations in Houston as well as Plano, Austin, and Dallas. Facilitated with an emphasis on building character, fitness, and confidence. 3-14 From $340
8 ashley 02/19/2025 11:36 AM ashley 02/19/2025 11:36 AM UH STEM Center's Summer Camps Camps for elementary students include Mars Rover Explorers (in which kids work on building a mock-up Mars Rover) and iTech-STEM (where students are introduced to a variety of topics, including coding, 3D modeling, and video production). 9-12 $375
9 ashley 02/19/2025 03:02 PM ashley 02/19/2025 03:02 PM Club SciKidz A STEM-focused camp providing program activities in a range of disciplines, including veterinary medicine, robotics, space exploration, and engineering. 4-13 From $375

Tours and Other Excursions

Houston boasts some of the best museums, tours, and galleries in the nation! These are a great opportunity for your child to learn something new, engage in one of their hobbies, or even take advantage of one of the city’s free days or periods during the week.

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at Tours & Excursions Description Age Range Cost Link
1 ashley 02/17/2025 03:26 PM ashley 02/17/2025 03:51 PM Houston Museum of Natural Science Includes 16 permanent exhibitions, 6 special exhibitions, the Cockrell Butterfly Center, and the Burke Baker Planetarium. All From $16 (nonmembers), free Tuesdays 5-8 PM
2 ashley 02/17/2025 03:32 PM ashley 02/17/2025 03:32 PM Houston Children's Museum An interactive museum designed to engage children in hands-on learning through play. Created with a focus on science, technology, literacy, culture, and the arts. 1-14 From $20, free Thursdays 5-8 PM
3 ashley 02/17/2025 03:48 PM ashley 02/17/2025 03:51 PM NASA: Space Center Houston Features a variety of itineraries, including full-day, half-day, and 2-hour plans. Includes various tours, training modules, and galleries. All From $24.95
4 ashley 02/17/2025 03:51 PM ashley 02/17/2025 03:51 PM Houston Zoo Houses over 6,000 animals from around the world. Features the Galapagos Islands Exhibit as well as opportunities to watch animal feedings and keeper talks. All From $23.95
5 ashley 02/17/2025 03:57 PM ashley 02/17/2025 03:57 PM Buffalo Bayou Boat Tours Featuring nature-focused tours, guided history tours, or even private celebrations. 4+ From $12

Volunteering 

It’s never too early to encourage your child to engage and give back to their community. There are a myriad of volunteer opportunities here in the city, and your child can participate starting as soon as the age of eight (with parental supervision, of course).                                               

wdt_ID wdt_created_by wdt_created_at wdt_last_edited_by wdt_last_edited_at Location Description Age Parental Accompaniment Requirement Link
1 ashley 02/17/2025 04:03 PM ashley 02/19/2025 02:35 PM Houston Food Bank Volunteers can help sort, process, and pack food. In total, the Houston Food Bank feeds over a million people each year across Southeast Texas. 6+ Under 16 years old
2 ashley 02/17/2025 04:14 PM ashley 02/19/2025 02:36 PM Books Between Kids A book distribution organization. Volunteers can help with counting, categorizing, and boxing up books. 8+ Under 14 years old
3 ashley 02/17/2025 04:18 PM ashley 02/19/2025 02:36 PM SPCA One of Houston's animal shelters, the SPCA houses hundreds of animals each day in need of adoption. Volunteers aged 10-11 can help with daily non-animal handling tasks, while those 12 and up are eligible for dog handling. 10+ Under 15 years old
4 ashley 02/17/2025 04:22 PM ashley 02/19/2025 02:36 PM Kids' Meals Houston Facilitates food delivery to preschool-aged children around the Houston area. Volunteers can assist with packing as well as bag decorating. 8+ Under 18 years old

DIY Activities

Anything and everything can be spun into a fun outing or activity! For our craftier parents, feel free to be creative with coming up with family games or events, potentially including scavenger hunts, making birdhouses, or even facilitating your own science experiments. These days, kids are busier than ever with extracurriculars, sports, and events, but it’s important to remember that impromptu projects at home can be a learning experience too. 

Need Elementary Subject Support? We Can Help! 

Our Elementary Learning Program (ELP) provides the structured support your grade 1-5 child needs to advance their core skills in reading, writing, and math. ELP students typically meet for an hour each time, with 30 minutes dedicated to reading and writing. Our program helps your student with a fully personalized approach, and our elementary tutors are experienced with young kids, ensuring that they build rapport and long-lasting relationships with your child.

To get the ball rolling, give us a call at (713) 838-7774 or fill out our tutoring request form.

Author

  • Ashley Chang

    Ashley Chang is General Academic's Assistant Manager. She graduated from Millsaps College, where she received her BA in History in 2020. Prior to joining General Academic, Ashley was a high school history teacher as well as an aide in various elementary school classrooms. Ashley has also completed Rice's College Access Counseling Certificate Program.

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