Eight to twelve is the age when a camp week can be more than childcare: a first overnight away, a real skill, a sport taken seriously. These are the holiday camps around the city that take kids in this band, from science labs and coding to football, tennis, circus, paddling on the lake and nights in the woods.
Hands-on science in X Labs' own lab in Wiedikon, with a new theme each week. One week explores the chemistry of perfumes; the other turns kids into detectives who lift fingerprints, decode secret messages and test invisible inks to crack a mock bank theft.
Full-day kids spend mornings out on museum visits, city quests and excursions. Led in English and German, so it suits kids at home in either.
A week away from home with the Stiftung Zürcher Schulferien, a 150-year-old Zurich foundation. Each camp has a theme, from football and climbing to dance, cooking or time with animals, and runs at one of the foundation's own houses in the Bernese Oberland, Ticino or western Switzerland. Groups of 20 to 48 kids travel together from Zurich with experienced leaders the foundation knows well.
A day camp at the new Sportzentrum Zürich where kids try a different sport each day: individual and team sports, gymnastics and sports games, in groups by age. Each sport is practiced first, then played out in a tournament or competition. It suits kids who like to try everything or haven't found their sport yet. Kids who want to drill one sport all week should look elsewhere.
A winter-break week of circus training with Zurich's Kinderzirkus Robinson, in a group of up to 40 kids. Trainers introduce acrobatics, juggling, aerial silks, trapeze, barrel walking and rope, then each child picks two disciplines to work on in a small group. The week ends with a show for families and friends. No experience needed and no pressure to perform: the point is enjoying movement.
A week of circus at Bühnerei, a circus and theater house on the Lagerplatz in Winterthur. Kids try a colorful mix of circus skills, rehearse together all week, and put on a show for families on Friday. It's full-day care, so pack a morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack, plus clothes to move in with no buttons or zippers.
A February sports-holiday dance week at the ground, a dance studio in Dietikon. Kids try hip hop, commercial, jazz, breaking and other styles, then switch to crafts, games and indoor and outdoor activities, and the week ends with a show on Friday. No dance experience is needed, so it works for a first-timer as well as a kid who already takes classes.
A day camp in Albisrieden that mixes sport with short workshops on how the mind works. This week's theme is emotions: kids play games, parkour and team sports on the Utogrund sports field and nearby grounds, then talk through what feelings mean and how to handle them. A relaxation session and a two-part mini Olympics round it out. Suits active kids who enjoy a group.
A week of ski or snowboard lessons in the Lenzerheide-Arosa area, run by schneezüri for the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids learn in groups with qualified leaders, sleep at the Tga da Lai group house and share camp life with other kids from the city.
Families bring their own skis or board. Voit Sport in Albisrieden offers schneezüri campers a rental deal.
A week of ski or snowboard lessons in Hoch-Ybrig, run by schneezüri for the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids are grouped by level with qualified leaders and stay in the Rittersporn group house at Fuederegg, right in the ski area.
It suits skiers best: the house is reached by a T-bar or on foot, so snowboard beginners face a lot of walking. Families bring their own gear.
A week of ski or snowboard lessons in the Aletsch Arena, run by schneezüri for the City of Zurich's sports office. The group travels by train and cable car to car-free Bettmeralp and sleeps at Haus Seilbahn, a group house steps from the chairlift, in rooms of four to six bunk beds.
Families bring their own skis or board. Voit Sport in Albisrieden offers schneezüri campers a rental deal.
A ski and snowboard week in the St. Moritz area, run by schneezüri with support from the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids travel up together by coach from Zurich, stay at the InnLodge in Celerina, and spend their days on the slopes in small groups sorted by level, led by J+S-trained leaders. Helmets are required. Families bring their own skis or board, or rent them through the partner shop.
A day ski and snowboard school that runs from Zurich. Each morning a coach takes kids from the city to Flumserberg, where trained instructors teach in level groups following the Swiss Snow League program, from first snowplow turns to parallel skiing on ungroomed snow and simple jumps. Kids bring their own checked equipment and a helmet. It suits families who want proper ski days without an overnight camp.
A week of coding at codora's center in Zurich's Kreis 4, in groups of eight at most. Younger kids learn with Blockly, snapping blocks together into programs with loops, conditions and variables, and finish by building a small game of their own. Older kids work in Swift on six projects instead of theory. Each 5-day course ends with a certificate, and no coding experience is needed.
A winter science week at the Wollishofen community center, run by Spark Science. Kids grow crystals, make giant bubbles, build an exploding snowman and turn food scientist in an ice cream lab, with team games and snowball dodgeball between experiments. Two outings break up the week: glass blowing in Hergiswil and ice skating at the Dolder. Suits curious kids who like to get their hands messy.
Afternoon language classes in German, English or French during the February sports break, at the ILS Junior school in Oerlikon. Kids join beginner, intermediate or advanced groups of up to eight, and lessons lean on speaking and games. Outings, a game day and a challenge day let them use the language with peers. Suits kids keeping up a school language; less so families who need full-day care.
A holiday day camp inside FLIP LAB, the trampoline park at the Riedmatt Center in Rümlang, just north of Zurich. Trainers teach trampoline jumping, parkour and other sports, and break up the day with small challenges. Lunch is at a restaurant in the center, with snacks between sessions and grip socks included. Suits kids who need to burn energy; less so a child who wants a quiet craft week.
A week-long multi-activity camp at Zurich International School's Wädenswil campus, open to children from other schools as well as ZIS families. Younger campers get a mix of arts and crafts, music, dancing, sports, baking, cooking, games, picnics and trips. Older kids do crafts, cooking, sports, games and free play. Groups may be merged if enrollment is low. Suits families after a varied week rather than a single-skill camp.
The City of Zurich's sports office runs sport and leisure courses during the Sportferien, the city's winter school break, giving kids a way to try a new activity over the holidays.
Courses are aimed at children who live in the city. Booking goes through the city's online portal, and places go in the order sign-ups arrive, so it pays to book as soon as sign-up opens.
A football week at FABRIK11's multisport halls. Mornings are coached training in groups sorted by age and level: technique, athletics and game play. Afternoons switch to a mini World Cup, a team olympics, an athletics challenge and the SoccerBot360 challenge.
Girls and boys are welcome whatever their football experience. Lunch and an afternoon snack are included, and every kid takes home a FABRIK11 T-shirt and water bottle.
A competition-focused tennis week at Sportcenter Schumacher in Dübendorf, by Stettbach station. Mornings are two hours of tennis and an hour of fitness in groups matched by age and level. Afternoons bring singles and doubles matches, a Davis Cup format and a closing tournament, with a mixed-sports afternoon midweek. It suits kids who already rally well; beginners and under-8s do better on the morning-only option.
A ski or snowboard week in Elm, a resort in the Glarus Alps, run by the village's Swiss ski school during the winter sports holidays. A supervised bus picks kids up at stops around Zurich and the lake each morning and brings them back after skiing. Days mix group lessons with a supervised lunch, and the week builds to a ski school race. Suits first-timers and kids who already ski.
A week-long circus course at Zirkusschule Marotte, a circus school in Adliswil. Kindergartners in the «Firlefizze» group take their first playful steps toward acrobatics at the Marotte-Haus. Older kids train with the school's artists in the gym of the Rudolf Steiner Schule and build a full circus program: floor acrobatics, balancing on rollers and balls, and trapeze. The week ends with a dress rehearsal and a show for families.
An English-language winter camp run from the Academicus Atelier in Enge, built around a Frozen theme. Each day pairs songs, a story and a craft at base with an outing across the city, from ice skating at the Dolder to a winter-animal scavenger hunt in the Wildnispark. Suits native English speakers, bilingual kids and children with conversational English who want to use it more.
A week of ski and snowboard lessons in the Andermatt-Sedrun area, run by schneezüri for the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids travel up together by coach, sleep in a group lodge in Realp and eat with the group in Andermatt. Lessons are in groups with qualified leaders, and the rest is camp life with other kids. Families bring their own skis or board, or rent them.
Ski and snowboard lessons over the Christmas break, run by schneezüri for the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids take the train up together, stay at the Gemsstockhaus course center next to the Andermatt lifts, and ski in groups with qualified leaders. The rest is camp life with other kids. Families bring their own skis or board, or rent them.
A week-long ski and snowboard camp in Scuol, run by schneezüri for Zurich schoolkids. Groups travel together by train, sleep at Val D'Uina, a former hotel in Sur En turned group house, and spend the days on the slopes of Motta Naluns. On the snow, kids are sorted by ability into small groups with qualified leaders. Families bring their own skis or board, and a helmet is required.
An English-led outdoor day camp run by qualified teachers in Zurich's Hottingen and Hirslanden area. Days are built around outings by public transport, such as forest days, farm visits, the zoo or a museum, with indoor activities as the plan B when the weather turns. Staff are bilingual, so kids who don't speak English yet can still join in and pick some up along the way.
Eight to twelve is the age when a camp week can be more than childcare: a first overnight away, a real skill, a sport taken seriously. These are the holiday camps around the city that take kids in this band, from science labs and coding to football, tennis, circus, paddling on the lake and nights in the woods.
Hands-on science in X Labs' own lab in Wiedikon, with a new theme each week. One week explores the chemistry of perfumes; the other turns kids into detectives who lift fingerprints, decode secret messages and test invisible inks to crack a mock bank theft.
Full-day kids spend mornings out on museum visits, city quests and excursions. Led in English and German, so it suits kids at home in either.
A week away from home with the Stiftung Zürcher Schulferien, a 150-year-old Zurich foundation. Each camp has a theme, from football and climbing to dance, cooking or time with animals, and runs at one of the foundation's own houses in the Bernese Oberland, Ticino or western Switzerland. Groups of 20 to 48 kids travel together from Zurich with experienced leaders the foundation knows well.
A day camp at the new Sportzentrum Zürich where kids try a different sport each day: individual and team sports, gymnastics and sports games, in groups by age. Each sport is practiced first, then played out in a tournament or competition. It suits kids who like to try everything or haven't found their sport yet. Kids who want to drill one sport all week should look elsewhere.
A winter-break week of circus training with Zurich's Kinderzirkus Robinson, in a group of up to 40 kids. Trainers introduce acrobatics, juggling, aerial silks, trapeze, barrel walking and rope, then each child picks two disciplines to work on in a small group. The week ends with a show for families and friends. No experience needed and no pressure to perform: the point is enjoying movement.
A week of circus at Bühnerei, a circus and theater house on the Lagerplatz in Winterthur. Kids try a colorful mix of circus skills, rehearse together all week, and put on a show for families on Friday. It's full-day care, so pack a morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack, plus clothes to move in with no buttons or zippers.
A February sports-holiday dance week at the ground, a dance studio in Dietikon. Kids try hip hop, commercial, jazz, breaking and other styles, then switch to crafts, games and indoor and outdoor activities, and the week ends with a show on Friday. No dance experience is needed, so it works for a first-timer as well as a kid who already takes classes.
A day camp in Albisrieden that mixes sport with short workshops on how the mind works. This week's theme is emotions: kids play games, parkour and team sports on the Utogrund sports field and nearby grounds, then talk through what feelings mean and how to handle them. A relaxation session and a two-part mini Olympics round it out. Suits active kids who enjoy a group.
A week of ski or snowboard lessons in the Lenzerheide-Arosa area, run by schneezüri for the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids learn in groups with qualified leaders, sleep at the Tga da Lai group house and share camp life with other kids from the city.
Families bring their own skis or board. Voit Sport in Albisrieden offers schneezüri campers a rental deal.
A week of ski or snowboard lessons in Hoch-Ybrig, run by schneezüri for the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids are grouped by level with qualified leaders and stay in the Rittersporn group house at Fuederegg, right in the ski area.
It suits skiers best: the house is reached by a T-bar or on foot, so snowboard beginners face a lot of walking. Families bring their own gear.
A week of ski or snowboard lessons in the Aletsch Arena, run by schneezüri for the City of Zurich's sports office. The group travels by train and cable car to car-free Bettmeralp and sleeps at Haus Seilbahn, a group house steps from the chairlift, in rooms of four to six bunk beds.
Families bring their own skis or board. Voit Sport in Albisrieden offers schneezüri campers a rental deal.
A ski and snowboard week in the St. Moritz area, run by schneezüri with support from the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids travel up together by coach from Zurich, stay at the InnLodge in Celerina, and spend their days on the slopes in small groups sorted by level, led by J+S-trained leaders. Helmets are required. Families bring their own skis or board, or rent them through the partner shop.
A day ski and snowboard school that runs from Zurich. Each morning a coach takes kids from the city to Flumserberg, where trained instructors teach in level groups following the Swiss Snow League program, from first snowplow turns to parallel skiing on ungroomed snow and simple jumps. Kids bring their own checked equipment and a helmet. It suits families who want proper ski days without an overnight camp.
A week of coding at codora's center in Zurich's Kreis 4, in groups of eight at most. Younger kids learn with Blockly, snapping blocks together into programs with loops, conditions and variables, and finish by building a small game of their own. Older kids work in Swift on six projects instead of theory. Each 5-day course ends with a certificate, and no coding experience is needed.
A winter science week at the Wollishofen community center, run by Spark Science. Kids grow crystals, make giant bubbles, build an exploding snowman and turn food scientist in an ice cream lab, with team games and snowball dodgeball between experiments. Two outings break up the week: glass blowing in Hergiswil and ice skating at the Dolder. Suits curious kids who like to get their hands messy.
Afternoon language classes in German, English or French during the February sports break, at the ILS Junior school in Oerlikon. Kids join beginner, intermediate or advanced groups of up to eight, and lessons lean on speaking and games. Outings, a game day and a challenge day let them use the language with peers. Suits kids keeping up a school language; less so families who need full-day care.
A holiday day camp inside FLIP LAB, the trampoline park at the Riedmatt Center in Rümlang, just north of Zurich. Trainers teach trampoline jumping, parkour and other sports, and break up the day with small challenges. Lunch is at a restaurant in the center, with snacks between sessions and grip socks included. Suits kids who need to burn energy; less so a child who wants a quiet craft week.
A week-long multi-activity camp at Zurich International School's Wädenswil campus, open to children from other schools as well as ZIS families. Younger campers get a mix of arts and crafts, music, dancing, sports, baking, cooking, games, picnics and trips. Older kids do crafts, cooking, sports, games and free play. Groups may be merged if enrollment is low. Suits families after a varied week rather than a single-skill camp.
The City of Zurich's sports office runs sport and leisure courses during the Sportferien, the city's winter school break, giving kids a way to try a new activity over the holidays.
Courses are aimed at children who live in the city. Booking goes through the city's online portal, and places go in the order sign-ups arrive, so it pays to book as soon as sign-up opens.
A football week at FABRIK11's multisport halls. Mornings are coached training in groups sorted by age and level: technique, athletics and game play. Afternoons switch to a mini World Cup, a team olympics, an athletics challenge and the SoccerBot360 challenge.
Girls and boys are welcome whatever their football experience. Lunch and an afternoon snack are included, and every kid takes home a FABRIK11 T-shirt and water bottle.
A competition-focused tennis week at Sportcenter Schumacher in Dübendorf, by Stettbach station. Mornings are two hours of tennis and an hour of fitness in groups matched by age and level. Afternoons bring singles and doubles matches, a Davis Cup format and a closing tournament, with a mixed-sports afternoon midweek. It suits kids who already rally well; beginners and under-8s do better on the morning-only option.
A ski or snowboard week in Elm, a resort in the Glarus Alps, run by the village's Swiss ski school during the winter sports holidays. A supervised bus picks kids up at stops around Zurich and the lake each morning and brings them back after skiing. Days mix group lessons with a supervised lunch, and the week builds to a ski school race. Suits first-timers and kids who already ski.
A week-long circus course at Zirkusschule Marotte, a circus school in Adliswil. Kindergartners in the «Firlefizze» group take their first playful steps toward acrobatics at the Marotte-Haus. Older kids train with the school's artists in the gym of the Rudolf Steiner Schule and build a full circus program: floor acrobatics, balancing on rollers and balls, and trapeze. The week ends with a dress rehearsal and a show for families.
An English-language winter camp run from the Academicus Atelier in Enge, built around a Frozen theme. Each day pairs songs, a story and a craft at base with an outing across the city, from ice skating at the Dolder to a winter-animal scavenger hunt in the Wildnispark. Suits native English speakers, bilingual kids and children with conversational English who want to use it more.
A week of ski and snowboard lessons in the Andermatt-Sedrun area, run by schneezüri for the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids travel up together by coach, sleep in a group lodge in Realp and eat with the group in Andermatt. Lessons are in groups with qualified leaders, and the rest is camp life with other kids. Families bring their own skis or board, or rent them.
Ski and snowboard lessons over the Christmas break, run by schneezüri for the City of Zurich's sports office. Kids take the train up together, stay at the Gemsstockhaus course center next to the Andermatt lifts, and ski in groups with qualified leaders. The rest is camp life with other kids. Families bring their own skis or board, or rent them.
A week-long ski and snowboard camp in Scuol, run by schneezüri for Zurich schoolkids. Groups travel together by train, sleep at Val D'Uina, a former hotel in Sur En turned group house, and spend the days on the slopes of Motta Naluns. On the snow, kids are sorted by ability into small groups with qualified leaders. Families bring their own skis or board, and a helmet is required.
An English-led outdoor day camp run by qualified teachers in Zurich's Hottingen and Hirslanden area. Days are built around outings by public transport, such as forest days, farm visits, the zoo or a museum, with indoor activities as the plan B when the weather turns. Staff are bilingual, so kids who don't speak English yet can still join in and pick some up along the way.
