Half-Day Camps for Long Island’s Little Kids

4/18/16 - By Linda DiProperzio

If your little one isn’t quite ready for a full-day of summer camp, there are plenty of camps on Long Island that offer half- or mini-day options where kids can get out the house and have fun for just a few hours a day. It’s a great way to give mom and dad a break, as well as introduce a younger child to the camp experience. And for more options, be sure to check out the Long Island Summer Camps Guide.

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Buckley Day Camp
2 I.U. Willets Road, Roslyn
516-365-7760

Buckley Day Camp’s Junior Camp Program helps young kids star their camp experience in a safe and age-appropriate environment. There is a three day Mini-Day Program (for kids entering nursery school only) that runs 9am-12:30pm, M-W-F. The Mini-Day for those entering nursery through kindergarten runs daily from 9am-1:30pm. And for parents looking for a camp experience for a child 18-30 months, there is Bumblebees group, where babies and parents to enjoy camp together. Parents can choose between Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday programs; each day runs from 9:45am-12:15pm.

Camp Harbor
17 Three Sisters Road, St. James
631-584-5555 x134

Camp Harbor offers mini-day options (9am-1pm, 2-5 days per week) for campers. Throughout the day, campers will experience a variety of activities, which include swim instruction, academic enrichment, STEM education, music, arts & crafts, athletics, and weekly contests/challenges.

Lil’ Athletes Sports
Multiple Locations

Lil’ Athletes offers half-day (9am-12pm) multi-sport camps that run three days per week for little kids.

Picasso Kidz
72 Broadway, Greenlawn
631-261-5500

Picasso Kidz offers one week half-day art camps for children of all ages. Each camp follows an artistic theme for the week in which children will be learning about and creating art in that theme. Each camp is 2 1/2 hours with a short break for snack.

Southampton Camp & Club
665 Majors Path, Southampton
631-488-4700

Southampton Camp & Club offers a 3 Year Old Mini-Day Program that ends at 1pm.

Unlimited Sports Action
30 Beechwood Ave, Port Washington
516-767-7675

Unlimited has half-day camps for kids ages 3-5, which runs from 9:30am-12:30pm. There is also an extended half-day that goes until 1:30pm.

B.E.S.T. Learning Center Summer Camps
525 Veterans Highway, Smithtown
631-864-4064

B.E.S.T has half-day camps for infants and older—parents can choose the number of weeks and days that best fit their schedule. There’s a different theme for different days, such as Terrific Technology on Wednesdays and Chefs Cooking classes on Thursdays, as well as circle time, reading, games and more.

Beth Sholom Day Camp
401 Roslyn Road, Roslyn Heights

Junior Camp is based out of the Beth Sholom’s newly constructed Early Childhood Center featuring a large playground designed specifically for their age group. The campers have access to several air-conditioned classrooms and spend time at designated outdoor activity areas. There is both a full day and a mini day option for nursery and pre-k campers. In both programs, the children participate in a variety of age appropriate activities.

Coleman Country Day Camp
Babylon Turnpike West and the Meadowbrook Parkway, Merrick
516-620-4300

The Pioneers in Training camp at Coleman is for toddlers 20-30 months, and parents can choose two, three or five days from 9:45am-12:15pm. This camp includes water activity, daily snack and rotating activities.

Crestwood Country Day Camp & School
313 Round Swamp Road, Melville
631-692-6361

The Crestwood mini day is for preschoolers only (2-3 years old) from 9am-1pm. Parents have the choice of three or five days per week.

Old Westbury Summer Program
25 Store Hill Road, Old Westbury
516-626-9268

Old Westbury has a Toddler Separation Program for ages 2 ½ – 3 years old from 9am-12:30pm (there is no mid-day busing available). Parents can choose from two to five days. The Wallabies program for nursery school through second-grade also has a mini-day program (9am-12:30pm; 2-5 days) that includes lunch and a swim lesson.

Safari Adventure
1074 Pulaski Street Bldg 1, Ste 2, Riverhead
631-727-4386

Safari’s camp runs for three hours in the afternoon (12:30pm-3:30pm) Monday through Thursday. It includes lunch, 12 tokens per camp day, craft activities and an afternoon of playing, climbing, bouncing, sliding and jumping.

Photo: Buckley Day Camp

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