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Best Teen and Tween Summer Camps in New Jersey

Hardwick's YMCA Camp Mason has activities and programming geared toward teens and tweens. Photo courtesy of the YMCA
Hardwick's YMCA Camp Mason has activities and programming geared toward teens and tweens. Photo courtesy of the YMCA
3/11/25 - By Laurie Rein

While playing Roblox may be your tween or teen's idea of summer activity, keeping this age group busy and active in the summer can pose a dilemma for parents. Too old for some traditional summer day camps and too young to find a summer job or internship, these big kids still require structured, entertaining, and challenging activities to fill the long days of summer.

We've rounded up more than 10 summer camps for tweens and teens in New Jersey. These cool summer camps offer specialties ranging from sports to theater, travel, and well-rounded fun.

Bookmark our New Jersey Summer Camp Guide for more programs that may pique the interest of teens, like our picks for the best STEM summer camps in New Jersey. Plus, our Summer Camp Directory allows you to search for programs by age, interest, and location.

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Top Summer Camps in New Jersey for Teens and Tweens

Taubenslag Productions' Theater Camp

Edison
This theater camp invites first graders through 16 year olds to perform, create sets or costumes, and eventually become counselors-in-training. In addition to putting on nine shows, campers participate in activities like swimming, scavenger hunts, and color war. READ MORE

The Center for Contemporary Art

Bedminster
The Center for Contemporary Art offers mixed media and in-depth art summer camps for young artists ages 5-15. Students study drawing, painting, and pottery, developing a solid foundation to expand upon as they progress to explore the principles of visual art, art history, and study the work of well-known artists.  READ MORE

Camp Amity Acres

Barnegat
Camp Amity Acres offers a variety of safe, enriching outdoor summer camp experiences for girls and boys ages 3-15, helping them develop positive self-esteem, leadership skills, and social skills, all while having the time of their lives. READ MORE

JCC MetroWest Camp Deeny Riback

Flanders
The make-believe, the unexpected, the sense of wonder—this is everything Camp Deeny Riback is about. Campers ages 3 to 15 are served. Camp Deeny Riback is centered around Jewish values that a diverse array of campers connect with in every aspect of their summer. Younger campers experience swimming, arts, special events, and more. Older campers get a say in choosing their day-to-day activities, plus enjoy day trips and overnight options throughout the season.  READ MORE

YMCA Camp Mason

Hardwick
Whether you’re looking for a traditional overnight camp, day camp, ranch camp, adventure trips, or a counselor-in-training program, Camp Mason has something for every camper from ages 5-14. Day campers participate in trips, talent shows, and weekly theme days. READ MORE

Vanguard Theater Company

Montclair
Vanguard Theater Company Kids teaches young actors, ages 8-14, to believe in their creative ideas, have the bravery to express them in front of others, and learn to be supportive of their peers. Students learn basic musical theater techniques to communicate characters, feelings, and stories, which increase their focus and exercise their imaginations. READ MORE

All Sports Summer Camps

Various NJ locations
USSI offers boys and girls ages 3 through adult of all ability levels, the opportunity to participate in a wide range of sports, including golf, basketball, tennis, soccer, and more. The flagship Multi-Sport Camp provides campers with a fun-packed and enjoyable time, where campers experience more than 15 sports in one week.  READ MORE

Camp College at Mercer County Community College

West Windsor
Send your kids to college for the summer! Campers ages 6-14 can choose from more than 200 programs, including arts, sciences, sports, cooking, robotics, digital arts, and more. Summer camp sessions run weekly, with both morning and afternoon sessions. READ MORE

JCC Camp Ruach

Bridgewater
Located on 14 beautiful acres, Camp Ruach offers flexible day programs for preschoolers to ninth graders, plus LIT (leadership in training) and special ed options. Activities include swimming, ropes courses, karate, theater, dance, cooking, zip line, mini golf, and archery. Teens can hit the road at travel camp. READ MORE

iD Tech Summer Programs

Madison, Montclair and Princeton
Kids can explore a prestigious college campus while making friends and mastering new tech skills. At iD Tech camps, students ages 7-18 learn to code, design video games, produce videos, mod Minecraft, create with Roblox, build laptops, learn about cybersecurity, and more. READ MORE

Storming Robots

Branchburg
Storming Robots offers engaging, results-oriented STEM courses and camps specifically tailored to middle and high schools students. Classes focus on engineering challenges you won't typically find in grade-school curricula, like robotics engineering, computational thinking, and computer programming. Meanwhile summer camp hones in on software development, robotics, and computer vision. READ MORE

YMCA of Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge and South Amboy

Metuchen for travel camp
The YMCA of Metuchen, Edison, Woodbridge and South Amboy (MEWSA) is dedicated to building strong kids, strong families and strong communities through programs that develop values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. Traditional and speciality summer camps, including travel camp, are held at various locations. READ MORE

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About the Author

Laurie Rein
Laurie Rein is passionate about finding fun (especially free!) activities for her twin daughters. Before joining Mommy Poppins New Jersey, Laurie worked in the television industry, with roles as an NBC page, copywriter, affiliate liaison for The Rosie O'Donnell Show, and research manager for CBS.
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