How to Run a Successful Summer Yoga Camp

Most of my favorite teaching moments happen during summer yoga camps. Just look at my smile in the picture as we practice Garden Club in yoga camp. Because I’m with the kids and teens for multiple hours several days or weeks in a row, we can go deep into the heart of yoga teachings and explore our creativity in a supportive social environment. We have the space and time required to establish trust, cultivate friendships, and build a strong foundation for physical, mental and emotional well-being.

I created our Grounded In The 5 Elements Curriculum for camp and perfected it after teaching it many times to campers of all ages and getting their valuable input. It includes a curriculum that goes from introducing the 5 elements to lessons about each element that guide the students into self-discovery and balance. The yoga flows and pose sequences inspire the elements from within and include group and partner poses. Each lesson offers specific language to use while teaching, a guided visualization to read during resting pose, and several elevations such as art projects, games, creative writing, and personalized practices.

Here are my do’s and don’ts for running a successful yoga camp.

Do…
1. Get Certified in Children’s Yoga so you can skillfully teach and manage your classes.
2. Teach from a high quality, tried and true yoga curriculum like the ones we offer.
3. Set your location and dates months in advance so parents can plan. I like to offer 1-week camps from either 9 am – 12 pm or 2 pm – 5 pm. Yoga studios, community centers, places of worship, schools and clubhouses are all potential locations. Typically, you will pay rent that amounts to a percentage of your income after other expenses such as supplies are deducted. 20% is the least I’ve paid and 40% is the most. Pay higher rent if the establishment helps advertise your camps.
4. Charge around what other camps in your area cost. Include a materials fee or let it be known that it’s included in the price. Depending on the economics in your area, charge between $15 and $22 per hour per child. You may want to offer a 10% sibling discount. If yoga camp is 5 days at 3 hours a day that is 15 hours. 15×15 = $225. 15×22 = $330. A reasonable materials fee is $30 per child. This is what you can deduct from your income before paying rent.
5. Advertise your yoga camp on social media and ask yoga studios, schools, libraries and local businesses to help spread the word to parents. Print a few flyers to leave at these locations. Email parents of current and former students.

Don’t…
1. Teach by yourself if you have over 10 kids enrolled or if your campers have a large age range such as 4 to 14 years old. You may need to group children by age and ability for certain activities.
2. Let fear stop you. If you’ve never taught a camp before, having a great curriculum will make all the difference. You can limit camp size to 8 kids in the age range that you are most comfortable with until you gain confidence.
3. Leave out specifics on your registration form. Include all the details about dates, times, location, drop-off & pick-up protocol, and payment methods. Ask for details such as emergency contacts, child’s pronouns, food allergies, special needs, and any other info that will help you best serve the camper.
4. Feed the kids anything that the parents haven’t okayed other than water. Better yet, require campers to bring their own healthy snack and refillable water bottle. While we are on this topic, don’t forget to get liability insurance.
5. Wait until the last day to send home all of the art projects and communicate with parents. Daily communication, including a few pics, during camp goes a long way!

I hope this list inspires you to offer a yoga camp this summer! Reach out with any questions or to chat more about Grounded Kids Yoga and how we can support your yoga camp endeavors.