Most East Bay schools have Winter Recess from Monday, Dec. 25, 2023, through Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, returning on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. Oakland has also declared Monday the 8th a teacher workday. Alameda starts a day early with Friday, Dec. 22 a no-school day. Got all that? Check your own school schedule to be sure.
Call it childcare or call it camp: sometimes we need to give kids a fun place to go during school vacation days. Here are some options, along with pricing for those in need of Berkeley & Oakland winter break camps.
Thanks to The Busy Bee Activity Center, Monkey Business Camp, Camp 510, MOCHA, Cole Arts Camp, One Big Love Art Camp, Bliss Belly Kitchen, Inspire/Call of the Wild, GrowFit Camp, Swings and Wings, and El Cerrito Martial Arts for sponsoring our Guide to Winter Camps for East Bay kids’ school breaks.
Note: We’ll be adding more camps over the next few weeks!
Busy Bee Activity Center's School Break Day Camps (Alameda)
No School. No Problem. The Busy Bee Activity Center’s Day Camps provide your busy bee with a variety of creative learning activities while you are busy at work including thematic arts & crafts, story-time and educational videos, open gym play, Zumba, yoga, and snacks. The program is run by credentialed and certified educators. Kids PreK-5th grade welcome!
Call of the Wild Camps (Oakland)
Inspire's Call of the Wild outdoor camps are for kids ages 5-10 to connect with nature in Oakland forests. Kids enjoy enrichment in biology and language arts, hikes, exploration, nature-themed holiday activities, creating and playing games, making friends, and more!
Camp 510 (Berkeley)
CAMP 510 is a multi-medium art day camp for grades K-5. Fabulous teaching artists strive to cultivate confident & creative young makers.
Cole Arts Winter Camp (Oakland)
Ages 5 to 12. Multi-arts performing and storytelling camps, including hip hop creative dance, drumming, puppetry, arts & crafts. A relaxed, joyful and safe space for kids to have a ton of fun.
El Cerrito Martial Arts Fun Camp (El Cerrito)
El Cerrito Martial Arts Fun Camp runs from 8-6pm daily with rolling drop off and pick up. Kids do one Jiu-Jitsu class per day, arts and crafts, dodgeball, indoor soccer, trips to the park (weather permitting) and more. No prior experience required.
GrowFit Sports Camp (Berkeley, Walnut Creek / Concord, East Bay (Other))
Experience this fun-filled camp for kids aged 4-12. Enjoy nine daily sports and games, from basketball to bubble soccer in a socially safe environment where traditional and innovative games bring joy. Sign up for your child's opportunity to shine and grow!
MOCHA Winter Break Art Camp (Oakland)
MOCHA Art Camps are innovative hands-on arts activities for children and youth, grades K-5. They immerse campers in thematic artistic mediums where they can work within a structured environment while being free to test the limits of their imagination.
Monkey Business Camp (Berkeley)
Spend the week with unplugged fun with dynamic and caring staff at a camp with roots in the Bay for 25 years. Structured times of games, food project, art, and community building with circle games and singing, and open choice times for playing board games, yarn arts, basketball, four square, tag. Campers ages 5.75 to 10 (some exceptions for ages 5.25+); youth leader program for ages 11+
One Big Love Art Winter Camp (Oakland)
This Winter holiday art projects will be whatever the young artists, ages 6 to 11, are called to create. Maybe drawing, painting, or sculpting with high-quality art materials. Art supplies, lunch, and snacks are provided.
Swings and Wings Winter Camps (Alameda)
Explore the SF bay, cook up a storm in the kitchen and be amazed by the wonderland. Holiday camps at Swings and Wings pack the punch with creative themes for kids 3-6 years with options to attend half or full days! Neurodiversity affirming camps.
The Yoga of Cooking Farmer's Market, Artisanal Chocolate, and Ice Cream Holiday Camp (Berkeley)
Bliss Belly Kitchen offers eco-conscious and soul conscious cooking classes utilizing farm fresh ingredients, yoga, and mindfulness to give children ages 5 to 12.
ANTS Sports Explorers Holiday Camp (Oakland)
Ages 5 to 11. Maximum FUN exploring many different sports including tennis, soccer, basketball, flag football, dodgeball, and capture the flag.
Aran's Art Studio Camp (Castro Valley)
Art camps give children and teens, ages 5+ the space to explore their creativity and make new friends. Various art projects such as raw clay, canvas painting with acrylic paint, pottery painting, and glass fusing. All materials and lunch are included.
Athletic Playground Winter Camp (Emeryville)
Kids, ages 5 to 14, can jump, vault, flip, invert and do obstacle courses for hours.
Berkeley Playhouse Conservatory Winter Break Camps (Berkeley)
Dive into the world of theatre arts with Berkeley Playhouse’s grades K-2 and 3-6 holiday break camps. Each session will include curriculum based on Cinderella (Grades K-2) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Grades 3-6). No final performance.
Brushstrokes Winter Break Art Camp (Berkeley)
Winter youth programs are for ages 6 to 9. Campers will create 2D and sculptural projects in a variety of media, including pottery painting and hand-building with clay.
Circo Day Camp at Kinetic Arts Center (Oakland)
Winter Camp options are filled with clowning, trapeze, juggling, acrobatics, climbing, and general circus happiness. Your child will leave exhausted…and with many fun memories! Ages 6-13.
Creative Community Winter Break Camp (Alameda)
Creative Community offers a nature and studio art day camp for children in grades K-5. Camp runs from 8:30 am-4:30 pm on Ballena Bay in Alameda. Social emotional learning is paired with child-led exploration. Facilitated by two former classroom teachers who love to be creative!
East Bay SPCA Animal Camp (Oakland, East Bay (Other))
East Bay SPCA Animal Camp is the purr-fect fit for children who are passionate about pets, want to make a difference for shelter animals, or just need a little experience before adding a furry friend to the family. Grades 1 to 5.
Head Over Heels Gymnastics Winter Camp (Emeryville)
Gymnastics and circus activities, arts and crafts, and games for potty-trained children ages 3 to 12.
Kitchen On Fire Teen Culinary Camp (Berkeley)
Ages 12 to 17. Each day will be full of delicious food and hands-on cooking.
Liv & Chiu Cartoon and Illustration Winter Camp (El Cerrito)
Students will create their own versions of human and animal characters using traditional mediums to produce appealing illustrations. Materials included.
Metro Skate Winter Camp (Castro Valley)
Ages 8 to 16. Skatepark with archery, farm animals, and good vibes.
Piedmont Rec Winter Camps (Piedmont)
Piedmont Rec offers Winter Break camps for kids ages 4 through 13 in a variety of topics (basketball, chess, LEGO, fairies, friendship, etc.). More info on p. 49 of the linked recreation guide.
Science at The Lawrence (Berkeley)
Grades 1-5. An engaging winter break filled with exciting experiments and creative crafts. Choose galaxy or animal theme.
Sienna Ranch Holiday Camp (Lafayette / Moraga / Orinda)
Ranch Camps give campers a taste of enjoy archery, hiking and exploring in the hills, visiting ranch animals, and working in the woodshop. Pre-K to grade 6.
Steve & Kate's Camp (Emeryville)
Ages 4 to 12. Campers will design their day in real-time by choosing from a variety of activities offered at once. Lunch included.
Trackers Bay Winter Camp (El Cerrito)
Get outside. Join in learning the ancient skills of wilderness survival, fishing, foraging, and archery. For grades K through 8. Pick exciting survival themes by day.
Traverse School Break Ninja Camp (Richmond / Point Richmond)
Throughout the day campers will learn obstacles during class time, have free time to practice what they learned and explore new obstacles, play ninja games/do ninja challenges, or do some stretching/yoga.
Triple Threat Basketball Camp (Oakland, East Bay (Other))
Kids, ages 6 to 14, will learn how to score from triple threat position, off the dribble, off the pass. They will learn to finish strong at the basket as they become a stronger offensive threat.
Ultimate Sports Connection Holiday Break Camp (Walnut Creek / Concord)
Ages 4 to 12. Gymnastics, trampoline, games, crafts, and lots of laughing.
Urban Adamah Winter Camp (Berkeley)
Winter Camp introduces ages 4 – 10 (PK4 – grade 4) to Judaism’s deep connections to the natural world and their place in it. Each day includes time for Shomrei Adamah (“guardians of the earth”), story telling, and hands-on activities that are age-specific.
Warriors Basketball Academy Holiday Sessions (Newark / Union City, Oakland, East Bay (Other), San Francisco/Marin)
Multi-day basketball skill clinics are for boys & girls, ages 5-17, of all skill levels and abilities. There's an option to pay more and receive Golden State Warriors tickets, too.
Winter Break ZooCamp (Oakland)
Kids, grades K to 5, will play learning games, have free play, enjoy animal encounters, see behind the scenes, and do whole-camp activities like song sessions and group games.
Winter Wonderland (Alameda)
This City of Alameda day camp's activities include arts, crafts, games, outdoor play, cooking, short walking trips for grades K to 5th.
Yama Kids Yoga Winter Camp (Berkeley)
At camp, the kids will learn yoga poses, meditation, and mindfulness plus crafts, collaborative art and a bit of running around. Ages 5 to 10.
We carefully researched this guide and apologize for any errors or totally awesome but already sold-out camps. If we missed your favorite this year, please share it below in the comments!
Thanks again to Camp 510, MOCHA, Cole Arts Camp, Monkey Business Camp, Inspire/Call of the Wild, GrowFit Camp, The Busy Bee Activity Center Swings and Wings, Bliss Belly Kitchen, One Big Love Art Camp, and El Cerrito Martial Arts for sponsoring our Guide to Christmas Break Camps for East Bay kids’ school breaks. There are so many fun choices, you’ll never hear, “MOOOOMMMMM! I’m bored!”
6 thoughts on “Winter Break Camps for East Bay Kids”
Thank you so much for pulling all of this information together. It’s super helpful!
Abundant Beginnings School Break Camp $90 per day https://abundantbeginnings.org/pricing
https://www.cornerhouse.studio/camp School break camps in Montclair.
https://www.alamedayoungnaturalistclub.com/signup Offers school break camps in Alameda
12/27-12/29 Wild Winter Camp in Walnut Creek https://lindsaywildlife.org/events/wild-winter-camp-2/
https://tcs-berkeley.pike13.com/categories/72989 The Coder School in Berkeley is offering Winter Break camps