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First-Timer Sleepaway Summer Camps near NYC

First time sleepaway campers at YMCA Camp Mason can learn to kayak and enjoy more fun in nature. Photo courtesy of the camp
First time sleepaway campers at YMCA Camp Mason can learn to kayak and enjoy more fun in nature. Photo courtesy of the camp
4/2/24 - By Rosalind Muggeridge

Many NYC kids spend most of their summer break at sleepaway camp, but if you've got a first-timer, these starter sleepaway camps near NYC all offer shorter summer camp sessions geared toward younger children. For those who have a new (or extra-nervous) camper at home, we've rounded up the best one- and two-week starter sleepaway camps near NYC.

These starter sleepaway camps near NYC all have specific sessions aimed at first-time campers from ages 6-12 years old, ensuring that rookie campers have an amazing first-time sleepaway camp experience. Find all our top picks for sleepaway camps in the Northeast in our Summer Camp Guide for NYC Kids, and be sure to search our Camp Directory for more options. You can search by age, interest, or summer camp type.

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First-Timer Sleepaway Camps Near NYC for Younger Kids

YMCA Camp Mason

Hardwick, New Jersey
Ages 7-15
YMCA Camp Mason prides itself on offering families a unique blend of traditional and adventure summer camp experiences. Whether you’re looking for a traditional overnight camp, day camp, or a counselor-in-training program, Camp Mason has a program that’s right for you. One- and two-week starter sessions for younger campers are available. READ MORE

Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA

Becket, Massachusetts
Ages 7-14
Alongside their four-week, traditional overnight program, Camp Becket (for boys) and Chimney Corners Camp (for girls) both offer a starter program for kids finishing second or third grade. This two-week camp experience aims to help prepare kids for longer camp stays in the future. Young campers stay together in two cabins and are fully integrated into the traditional camp program. READ MORE

Camp Kinderland

Tolland, Massachusetts
Ages 7-14
This coed, progressive, secular Jewish camp was established by union workers in 1923 to offer a refuge for urban, working-class kids. The Berkshire Mountain setting is picturesque, as is the nearby lake. The camp takes social justice seriously, incorporating tolerance and liberal politics into its program alongside summer sports and visual and performing arts. First-timers turning 9 or 10 this calendar year can attend a two-week starter session.     READ MORE

Camp Awosting and Chinqueka

Bantam and Morris, Connecticut
Ages 6-14
Campers as young as age 6 can attend the starter two-week session at these long-established brother and sister camps in central Connecticut. Activities include sports, waterskiing, ropes courses, and even go-karts. READ MORE

Shire Village Camp

Cummington, Massachusetts
Ages 8-14
Located in the Berkshires, this small coed camp boasts a 3:1 camper-to-staff ratio. The program has a child-centered philosophy that seeks to empower campers in a noncompetitive environment. In addition to the usual summer sports and arts activities, there are farm animals like sheep and goats that the kids care for daily. New campers ages 8 to 12 can attend a two-week introductory session in July or August. READ MORE

Camp Lohikan

Lake Como, Pennsylvania
Ages 6-15
Situated in beautiful Lake Como, this camp offers more than 65 activities, including paintball, sailing, circus arts, scuba, and spy camp. Kids appreciate the warm community and supportive counselors who encourage campers to try new things and challenge their comfort zone. One-week rookie sessions are offered during the first and last weeks of the regular eight-week summer camp season. Boys and girls of all ages are welcome. Rookie Week is limited to first-time Lohikan campers. READ MORE

Camp Walt Whitman

Piermont, New Hampshire
Ages 8-15
New Hampshire's gorgeous White Mountains are the setting for this camp, which is situated on a lovely lake. This traditional, coed program offers a week-long Pioneer Camp for kids who've completed first or second grade. READ MORE

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac

Lenox, Massachusetts
Ages 6-10
Many kids spend the full summer in this long-established Berkshires camp that's been around since 1929. First-time campers in first through fifth grades are welcome to attend a two-week "Mini Mak Rookie Camp." Campers have an option to extend their stay at the end of mini camp. READ MORE

Camp Laurelwood

Madison, Connecticut
Ages 7-15
This co-ed Jewish summer camp provides an all-around summer experience for day and overnight campers including access to two pools, instructional swim, sports, dance, cooking, nature, woodworking, archery, high and low ropes courses, boating, robotics, martial arts, music, and arts and crafts. A one-week rookie camp explores Jewish identity and values, nature appreciation, and friendship. Campers can choose from many different session lengths. READ MORE

Camp Hazen YMCA

Chester, Connecticut
Ages 8-15
This long-running camp—90+ years—ensures that its counselors focus on teaching life-long skills in a fun, enriching environment. For kids entering second through eighth grades there is a one-week "sampler" camp, featuring all the activities of traditional two-week programs. READ MORE

Overland Summer Camps

Williamstown, Massachusetts
Ages 9-17
Overland's coed journeys take teens all over the globe, but starting in fourth grade, campers can attend one-week introductory hiking trips in New England, North Carolina, Washington, Yellowstone, or the Sierras.  READ MORE

Pine Forest Camp

Greeley, Pennsylvania
Ages 7-16
This coed camp, beloved since its founding in 1931, has been run by the same family for five generations. PFC is located just an hour and a half from New York City and three hours from Philly, or as the campers and staff say, "up where the sky begins." For first to fourth graders not yet ready to make a session-long commitment, there's the two-day, one-night Explorers Program, which allows them to participate in various activities and hang around the campfire. READ MORE

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