Summer is right around the corner, and as many traditional and unconventional education programs wind down, it’s a time to celebrate another successful year of schooling. While some families already have their summers fully mapped out with vacations and other activities, others may be scrambling to figure out what to do over the next few months. For founders whose programs briefly pause before moving into summer schedules, the “What’s next?” question is already answered. However, for other founders, such as myself, whose programs fully break for the summer, that question presents a wonderful opportunity to equip the families with resources and activities to help fill those summer days.
With that in mind, here’s my guide to finding great low- to no-cost summer programs that not only engage your kids but can also be woven right into your homeschooling! If you are a founder of an unconventional education space and yours is one of the many programs that break over the summer, consider using the following guide, along with a little help from Google, to build your own list and equip your families with local options, ideas, and numerous opportunities to fill their summer days.
Community Colleges and Local Universities
Community colleges are a great resource for summer programs, and many offer opportunities for learners of all ages. Here in Maryland, Prince George’s Community College offers a week-long CyberAI Navigators Summer Camp, which is free for high school students, and a free Economics Summer Academy, which two of my children participated in. Additionally, the college offers a free summer job training program for teens preparing to enter the workforce. For younger learners in elementary and middle school, the community college hosts fee-based summer camps that run the gamut from STEM-related programs to visual arts to culinary science.
Four-year universities are also worth exploring. The University of Maryland, College Park, offers summer camp experiences, and while a number of them are fee-based, there are others that are low-cost or free. With the growth of online programs and universities offering classes to high schoolers, there are also programs geared toward engaging students during the summer months. A good resource for finding low-cost summer programs for teens is TeenLife of U.S. News & World Report.
Local Museums and Cultural Centers
Many museums, especially local community museums, have free or low-cost programs for students that offer hands-on exploration and learning. When my kids were younger, museums and cultural centers were always a part of our summer life. The website WhichMuseum.com can be used to find museums and cultural centers all over the world, with 12,040 listed in the United States. This site also lists zoos, gardens, and aquariums, and searches can be refined to those with free admission.
Performing Arts Centers
When my children were younger, we would visit Wolf Trap Farm Park, the nation’s only national park dedicated to the performing arts, and attend low-cost children’s performances through their Theater-In-The-Woods program. On a number of occasions, we would stay after the performance to meet with park rangers as part of their free Junior Ranger program. Throughout the country, many local performing arts centers offer low-cost children’s matinees and educational programs.
Local, State, and National Parks
When my kids were younger, we participated in a program called ParkQuest, run by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Through that program, we visited state parks, completed challenges, and participated in end-of-season gatherings. While that program has since ended, Maryland has created the Miles for Maryland Trail Challenge in celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Individuals and teams register to hike 250 miles of Maryland trails during the 2026 calendar year. Wherever you are located, a quick online search of local parks with low-cost summer programs for youth will yield tremendous opportunities to engage your children and your entire family.
Public and Private Organizations
For several years, my oldest son participated in the Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science (GEMS) summer program of the Army Educational Outreach Programs (AEOP). GEMS is one of four STEM programs under AEOP, three of which are free, and the fourth is free with an AEOP scholarship. These STEM programs are available in many states and provide rich hands-on summer and school-year experiences for elementary, middle, and high school students. AEOP also offers paid summer and year-round internships for high school and undergraduate students.
Private organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of America, the Salvation Army, and the YMCA offer affordable summer programs, and some offer scholarships and sliding-scale pricing to help families looking for summer options.
Local Churches/Religious Organizations
It wasn’t until I had children that I discovered the magic of Vacation Bible School (VBS). Many local churches open their doors to their surrounding communities and offer weeklong daytime Vacation Bible Schools. These summer programs typically run a half day from Monday through Friday, but some run a full day. Many are themed and include sports, arts and crafts, music, and Bible study, and most are free. My children and I would typically volunteer at one VBS program, and then for several weeks during the summer, hop from program to program. Our motto was that if you volunteer in one, you earn the opportunity to participate in others. As my children aged out, they would return year after year as VBS volunteers, and they relished their time serving.
Free and Low-Cost Family Movies
For years, my kids and I participated in the free and low-cost summer movie programs run by national cinema chains. Typically, one or two days a week, theaters open early and offer $1+ movies through their family summer movies program. Popular chains such as AMC, Regal, Landmark Theaters, Cinemark, and Marcus Theaters have offered these programs for years. Regional movie houses such as GQT, NCG, and even local movie theaters offer similar programs for families. Even now, my kids and I will still catch a movie through one of these summer programs.
Summer Fitness
Planet Fitness, a national gym chain, offers free summer memberships for teens. In fact, this summer, one of our instructors has invited our high schoolers to join her along with her teenage son for twice-a-week meet-ups at area Planet Fitness locations! This can be a great way to encourage health and wellness throughout the summer months.
Helping families make the most of their summers is something that is near and dear to my heart. Over the years, my kids and I have become masters at finding free or nearly free programs, and every summer we discover something new and wonderful. This year at eXtend, we celebrated the end of our program year with a Summer Sendoff, a community outing in the park. During that event, we were intentional about providing all of our families with a list of local opportunities to take advantage of this coming summer.
Whether you borrow from this guide, build your own list, or simply pass along a few good links, including Navigate School Choice (a great resource for finding affordable summer programs in your area), I encourage you to share this goal: make sure no family in your community heads into summer without a starting point. Happy exploring!
