With the school year now over, parents across Egypt are turning their attention to how their children can make the most of the summer holidays and enjoy a range of activities.
Nagwa, a working mother, said her eight-year-old daughter “refused to go back to the nursery she used to attend during the summer holidays and insisted on joining a summer camp or a place that offered activities suitable for her age instead.”
Like many mothers, Nagwa is searching for a place where her child can learn, take part in activities, and remain in a safe environment while she is at work.
Somaya, who manages a summer camp in Heliopolis, said that such programmes are meant to fill children’s free time while developing their intellectual skills. “At this age, children cannot be left alone at home, nor is it appropriate for them to spend the summer in a nursery with much younger children. They are constantly eager to learn new skills while also having fun and enjoying the holidays,” she said.
Nagwa enrolled her daughter in the Safari summer programme at the Child Museum, which caters for children aged between five and 13. The programme includes a variety of scientific, heritage, cultural, craft and behavioural workshops, storytelling sessions, and guided tours of the museum. It also features games and group activities designed to develop teamwork, research, and innovation skills.
In addition, children take part in practical workshops involving handicrafts that they create themselves and take home, alongside a range of outdoor excursions.
The Child Museum’s summer programme runs from 10am to 3pm. Monthly enrolment costs LE4,000 and allows children to attend 20 days of activities. A half-month package costs LE2,500 and covers 10 days, while a single day of attendance is available for LE350.
A number of nurseries also offer summer camps at an average monthly cost of LE3,500 for children aged between six and 12.
These camps provide a range of programmes and activities, including sessions focused on artificial intelligence and coding, which many nurseries regard as among the most important educational and technological activities available.
They also offer chess lessons under the guidance of trained instructors, helping children develop strategic thinking and concentration skills in an enjoyable learning environment.
In addition to their regular activities, the camps organise outings and adventures beyond the camp setting, giving children opportunities to explore nature, develop their personalities, and learn cooperation and positive social skills.
Other nurseries offer summer camps with a stronger emphasis on sports and physical activity, led by highly qualified instructors. These programmes include training in swimming, football, volleyball, gymnastics, and table tennis under the supervision of specialised coaches.
Maha, the director of one such camp, believes that they are not only a safe place where children can spend time and participate in activities.
“The deeper problem is some children’s addiction to screens and the absence of a more engaging alternative. Children do not necessarily sit in front of screens because they love them, but because they offer the easiest available source of entertainment,” she said.
She added that summer camps address this problem at its root.
“When children experience real adventures, build friendships, and achieve tangible accomplishments, digital addiction naturally loses much of its appeal. Children who take part in professionally designed summer programmes enjoy a different experience in their free time,” she said.
Nour was enrolled in the summer camp of a sports club to help her decide which sport she would like to pursue. She said she had previously practised gymnastics, but after competing in an under-eights championship she decided to consider a different sport because of the increasing difficulty of the discipline.
She added that she was uncertain about which sport to choose but that participating in the club’s summer camp, which offers a variety of sporting activities, may guide her towards a suitable choice.
The club’s summer camp runs daily from 9am to 3pm and offers a host of activities, including handball, basketball, volleyball, football, table tennis, swimming, yoga, and trampolining. The programme also includes artistic activities, library visits, and cinema outings. It welcomes children aged between six and 12 and costs LE4,000 per month.
Inas, the mother of three, does not have the budget to enrol all of her children in summer camps at a total cost of LE10,000 a month. “I have three children aged eight, 11, and 13. I could leave them at home and go to work, but that comes with risks. I also do not want them spending the whole day sleeping or being idle, as that would affect both their energy levels and their mental development,” she said.
Inas added that she has found a solution in the Egypt Public Library, which she describes as a long-established institution offering quality services at affordable prices thanks to state support, as well as a wide variety of activities capable of catering to the interests of children.
The Egypt Public Library’s summer programme includes workshops and courses that combine technology with practical skills and artistic creativity for children aged between four and 14 at modest fees.
It offers a range of creative and visual arts workshops, including an introductory drawing course costing LE140, with sessions scheduled throughout the week. Separate groups are available for children aged four to eight and for those aged 11 to 14. An acrylic painting workshop, costing LE200, is designed for children aged between nine and 14. It also offers crochet and embroidery workshops, each costing LE180, with flexible schedules and age-specific groups.
The programme includes science and invention workshops. These include an astronomy camp workshop, costing LE300, with separate levels for children aged four to eight and those aged nine to 14. Another popular option is the Young Inventor workshop, with a participation fee of LE240, where children learn the basics of electricity and electronics, create simple electrical circuits, and explore sound and light controls.
The Crazy Lab course is designed for children with an interest in scientific experiments, discovery, and exploration. At a cost of LE400, participants learn activities such as writing with invisible ink and building a miniature catapult. The New Math course focuses on arithmetic and mathematics and costs LE450.
The library also offers courses aimed at developing social intelligence and artistic skills. These include an etiquette course costing LE240, scouting activities for LE150, puppet theatre sessions at LE60 per day, a dubbing workshop and a drama theatre course, each costing LE400.
In addition, it prepares children for chess tournaments through a training programme costing LE250, while also offering a chess diploma course for LE200.
It offers a package of workshops under the banner of “Future Geniuses” aimed at introducing children to technology and digital skills.
Among these is a programming course that enables children aged eight to 14 to create their own games and interactive stories at a cost of LE350. There is also an introductory programming course for children aged nine to 14, priced at LE800.
Other courses include a basic computer skills course costing LE320, an artificial intelligence programming course for children aged nine to 14 at a fee of LE800, and a robotics programming course for the same age group costing LE600.
The library also offers an aeronautical engineering course, which is an engaging scientific programme combining physics, design, and flight simulation with a participation fee of LE400. Participants in these courses are required to bring their own laptops.
There is a multimedia course that is designed to teach children how to combine sound and images to create distinctive digital content at a cost of LE320. A graphic design course introduces them to the fundamentals of visual design and the effective use of colour for LE350.
For younger children aged between five and eight, the library offers a five-level animation programme. The course provides an introduction to animation, taking participants from the basics through to animating characters and producing short films. The fee for the programme is LE320.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 4 June, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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