The best robotics summer camps online offer a comprehensive path, hands-on learning, and encourage creativity in children. Robotics for kids is great because it brings together science, engineering, and technology to create something incredible.
Many companies offer awesome robotics camps options this summer, so we've rounded up a few fun options for you to enjoy from the comfort of home! As you begin to sift through options for learning robotics, you will want to consider your child’s level, interests, and age.
What is a robotics summer camp?
An online robotics summer camp is a fun, interactive, collaborative environment where children can learn coding and artificial intelligence. Robotics summer camps create connections across locations, bringing children and teachers together from all over the world! Kids learn the basics of coding and programming robots and smart devices.
Explore Award-Winning Robotics Summer Camps 2024
We'll get started with camps for children in elementary and middle school, and then move along to those for high school youth.
1. Fun with Snap Circuits
This fun large group live online monthly event is led by an expert. It's a great safe way to learn electrical engineering, like sensors, circuits, and more. Students build several fun projects, while they learn what a circuit is, how circuits work, how to create one, and how to add more parts in a circuit to make sounds, light, and more! They will also learn different components of circuits, and how they can be put together to create a fun system. The best part is that it's free!
2. Junior Robotics
Code your robot to move, sense, lift, and more - all in virtual worlds! Junior Robotics uses fun, hands-on projects to get children interested in coding. Children learn how to train robots to do tasks. This live online camp led by an expert instructor is great for beginners.
3. Robot Adventures
Robot Adventures is interdisciplinary, and uses AI, data science, and coding to delight your child's imagination. Children will learn to program robots online through this immersive experience. This is a great camp for 4th through 7th graders! It's led live by an expert instructor, and is based on a curriculum designed by professionals from Google, Stanford, and MIT.
4. Lights & Beats for Micro:bit
This class teaches kids to program a micro:bit. It can inspire your child to be a future rocket builder! This little device packs very powerful capabilities: LED lights, speakers, a temperature sensor, a microphone, and even an accelerometer. Coding is done in a simulator that works just like the physical Micro:Bit. You don’t need the physical device to take the class.
5. Smart Devices: Arduino for Kids
Children can start learning about circuits through this live online camp led by an expert. Kids learn about smart devices, and discover how to program an Arduino using a simulator! Students in grades 4-9 will design simple electronic systems for alarms, home sensing, motor controls, etc, as well as create code to control these systems. This camp does not require a physical device.
6. Sphero Bolt
This iD Tech camp is designed for students ages 7-19. Kids will learn to program a coded robotic ball, Bolt, that can be operated by an app!
7. Robotics for Kids
This Tekkie Uni course teaches kids to code 3D robots. The course teaches the foundations of engineering, mechanics, and physics. The class is meant for beginner coders.
Explore High School Robotics Summer Camps
8. Python for AI
Python is one of the most popular programming languages for professional engineers, and an essential building block to creating more advanced robotics. It’s also the easiest text-based language to learn.
9. AI Creators
From dancing robots and protein folding to Siri, artificial intelligence is intelligence given to machines, similar to the natural intelligence demonstrated in humans. But can robots possibly be given intelligence? AI Creators provides students with the opportunity to create simple and practical AI apps using a variety of tools - from the Python coding language and open source packages to commercial AI. By the end of camp, students will achieve a firm foundation in key technical concepts used in coding AI, and creating models representative of a variety of data, including medical imaging datasets (pneumonia, Covid-19, and the like), and so much more.
10. Electricity & Electronics
This Udemy course is a high school robotics summer camp. Students will build analog circuits. It is a hands-on course requiring basic math skills, basic tools, and electronics!
11. Robotics Specialization
This Coursera virtual summer camp teaches the foundations of a future career in robotics. This high school robotics summer camp will prepare students to consider a career in the robotics field.
12. AI for Robots
This Udacity camp teaches students how to program all major systems of a robotic car. It's an interesting high school robotics camp that is interdisciplinary!
How to Pick a Robotics Summer Camp
There's no wrong way to pick a summer camp, but here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Find a company that you trust by exploring reviews from other parents and discerning any third-party awards it has won.
- Search for classes that fit your child’s interests, age, and level.
- Prepare your child for their first camp session (ensure technology is adequate and help your child set up Zoom correctly).
Join a Fun Virtual Robotics Camp This Summer
As you consider what virtual robotics camp your child should attend, consider their age, interests, and preferred modality of learning. There are so many excellent options! Up next, learn how to code a micro:bit animation.
Written by Lauren Mauel, a Create & Learn instructor with 8 years of teaching experience. She also has a BS in Mathematics, an MS in Analytics, and is a PhD candidate. She loves seeing kids' creativity come alive.