Activities for children and holiday camps

Activities and classes during the school year

For activities during the school holidays, see below

There are many activities and classes for children in Geneva, on Wednesdays and after school. Here are some useful tips to help you find an activity for your child.

If you are looking for an activity for your child for all of Wednesday :

→ Look for the neigborhood centres or maisons de quartier closest to your home. Some neighborhoods also have «jardins robinson» or « terrains d’aventure ». These places also offer activities for children, usually outdoors. Ask you neigborhood centre if they can offer financial support to cover the costs when you register your child. If they require an income statement, please contact CCSI.

→ In Onex, Versoix and Charmilles, there are Villas Yoyo. These places take in children from the neighborhood for activities during the day. No registration is needed and the activities are free.

→ In the Minoteries neigborhood (Plainpalais), « Les Minots de l’ATB » organize free activities on Wednesday afternoon (information at 022 320 99 43 or cratb@fase.ch)

→ Croix-Rouge jeunesse also organizes Wednesday afternoon activties et Paidos offers Atelier des Bricolos.

If you are looking for a sports class, or a cultural or artistic activity outside of school

  • Certain « maisons de quartier » organize various classes, generally for a modest price. Ask the neighborhood centre nearest to where you live.
  • Look up sports clubs in your neighborhood or municipality, online.
  • You can find all kinds of classes (for all budgets) on this web site: Loisirs jeunes
  • Ge découvre le mercredi : vast array of classes, in different neighborhoods, for a modest price!!! Registration opens end August and classes fill up very fast. To register you child, you need to create a « compte e-démarches simplifié » or call 022 546 21 10.
  • Écoles de sport de la Ville de Genève : sports classes for a modest price, organized by the City of Geneva. Registration online, end August.
  • In Pâquis, Créateliers organize artistic activities. Depending on your income, you can get financial aid to cover the costs.
  • In Versoix, association École et quartier organizes several classes.
  • In Meyrin, a guide des loisirs lists the various clubs and classes.
  • In Vernier, a « program of youth activities » is given out at the start of the school year, in school. It is also available online.
  • Several organizations and consulates offer « language and culture classes», so that your child can learn or continue to practice your home language.

Financial aid

Classes and activities outside of school are almost always not free. If you cannot access an activity for financial reasons, there are several ways you can find help :

  1. Ask the club or structure organizing the classe if you can access the class for a reduced fee.
  2. If you live in Lancy, you can ask for the “chèque sport“, which offers up to CHF 100.- to cover the costs of a sports class for your child.
  3. If you live in Vernier, you can access a “chèques famille“, offering up to CHF 150.- to cover the costs of an activity for your child. You will recieve these cheques directly in the mail if your child goes to school in Vernier.
  4. Ask fonds Mimosa if financial aid is available.
  5. Certaines communes peuvent donner une aide ponctuelle sous certaines conditions. Contactez le service social de la commune pour savoir si une aide est possible.

!!! If you need an income statement, please contact CCSI !!!

Other cultural activities

  • The 20 ans / 20 francs card offers reduced entry fees at various sports facilities (swimming pools, skating rink, etc.), museums, theatres, etc. It costs CHF 20.- (to be paid in one go) and is valid until the child turns 21.
  • Public libraries allow you to read and borrow books. Registration is usually free. Most neighborhoods and municipalities have a public library.
  • Game libraries (ludothèques) offer many games and toys. You can either go there to play, or borrow games to take home. In the City of Geneva, registration is free.
  • The Centre d’intégration culturelle de la Croix-Rouge is an international library offering books in almost 300 different languages. It is located at Rue de Carouge 50. Membership card is CHF 30.- per year, per family, and allows you to borrow books.

Activities during school holidays

Neigborhood centres or “maisons de quartier” organize activities for children during the school holidays:

  • « centres aérés » or day camps : children go for the entire day for a week, but come back home every evening
  •  « accueil libre » (drop-in activities): (older) children can come and go as they please during opening hours, often without registration

→ Look for maisons de quartier near you. Some neighborhoods also have “jardins robinson” or “terrains d’aventure“. These places also offer activities for children, usually outdoors.

→ Registration often opens several weeks before the holidays. Pay close attention to registration dates and sign your child up as early as possible, availability is limited and these activities fill up fast.

→ It is often possible to get financial aid to cover the costs (at least in part) of day camps. Ask the maison de quartier when you register your child. If they require an income statement, please contact CCSI.

→ In Onex, Versoix and Charmilles, there are Villas Yoyo. These places take in children from the neighborhood for activities during the day. No registration is needed and the activities are free.

Several organisations offer camps (= children sleep over, often for several nights) or day camps (= called “centre aéré”, children go for the day but come back home every evening) :

→ Registration opens early, 3-4 months before the holidays, and these camps fill up very fast. Make sure to register your child as early as possible.

→ There are ways to access camps and day camps for a reduced fee (« fonds Mimosa » for CPV, Caritas jeunesse, Croix-Rouge jeunesse and Atelier des Bricolos ; internal funds for MJSR and Vacances nouvelles). Please don’t hesitate to ask when you register your child. If you need an income statement, please contact CCSI

Several other organizations offer theme-based camps and day-camps, for example :

You will find a list of activities HERE

→ Prices vary a lot. There might not be financial aid available for every organization, but it is worth asking when you register your child.

There are also holiday colonies. Children go to a holiday home for one or several weeks, and stay overnight. Depending on where you live, it might be possible to get financial aid for a colony (e.g. in Onex, colonie Saint-Gervais). Please don’t hesitate to ask social services in your area.

Other activities for children during the summer:

  • Geneva City sport schools: these are sports classes for children and youths during the summer holidays. The activites are not free, but the price is modest because it is subsidised by the City.
  • Passeport vacances : activities for children aged 10 to 15. Registration online, in May. The passeport costs CHF 80.-. If you cannot pay that amount, please contact the organization directly to find a solution.
  • Many free activities in public parks (parents must remain with their enfants): look up “ludobus”, “chapiteaux enchantés”, “l’Union fait le jeu”…
  • In certain cases, you can access Marignac public swimming pool for a reduced price – ask CCSI.

Primary school, registration
How and when to register your child in primary school
Parascolaire (GIAP) and school meals
Parascolaire looks after children in primary school at lunchtime and after school (4-6 pm), during the school year
Back-to-school allowance (ARS)
Financial aid for families living in the City of Geneva
Children, other useful information
Public transport, play areas, public libraries, culture…