How to Keep Your Child Active This Summer in Hertfordshire
Six weeks of summer holidays and a child with energy to burn. Here is how families across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire keep their children active, happy and off screens this summer -- including Swan Academy's holiday camps in Stevenage.
How to Keep Your Child Active This Summer in Hertfordshire
The summer holidays are six weeks long. That is a lot of time to fill, a lot of screens to compete with and a lot of energy to channel productively. For parents across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire -- whether you are in Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock, Knebworth, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, St Albans, Harpenden, Luton, Dunstable, Biggleswade, Sandy, Shefford, Arlesey or any of the towns and villages in between -- keeping children active during the summer is one of the most common challenges we hear about at Swan Academy.
The good news is that there is plenty on offer across the region. And for families who want structured, high-quality activity with real developmental benefit, Swan Academy's summer holiday camps in Stevenage are one of the best options in the whole of Hertfordshire.
Here are our top tips for keeping children active, engaged and thriving this summer.
1. Book a Gymnastics Summer Holiday Camp
There is no better way to keep children active during the summer than a properly structured holiday camp. Swan Academy runs gymnastics holiday camps at Nobel School Sports Centre in Stevenage throughout the summer holidays, open to children from across the region.
A full day at Swan Academy's summer camp means coached gymnastics sessions across floor, beam, bars and vault, active games, skill challenges and a buzzing social environment where children make new friends and push themselves in a safe, professional setting. Children come home genuinely tired -- in the best possible way -- having developed real skills and had real fun.
Our camps are open to children from age 4 and are suitable for all abilities, from complete beginners trying gymnastics for the first time to more experienced gymnasts who want to keep their training going through the holidays.
For families in Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth, Knebworth, Baldock, Welwyn and the surrounding area, Swan Academy is easily accessible and one of the best summer activity options in Hertfordshire. For families travelling from a little further -- Luton, Harpenden, St Albans, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City, Biggleswade, Sandy, Shefford, Arlesey or Dunstable -- the drive is straightforward and well worth it for the quality of coaching your child will receive.
Book a summer camp place today
2. Build a Routine That Includes Daily Movement
Children thrive with structure. Without the routine of the school day, many children become more sedentary during the summer -- not because they do not want to be active, but because there is no natural prompt to get moving.
Building a simple daily routine that includes at least one block of physical activity makes a significant difference. It does not need to be intense or formal. A morning walk, a trip to a local park, a bike ride, a garden game or a swim at the local leisure centre all count. What matters is that movement is a planned, expected part of the day rather than something that happens by chance.
Across Hertfordshire there are excellent parks and green spaces in every town. Priory Park in Hitchin, Howard Park in Letchworth, Fairlands Valley Park in Stevenage, Panshanger Park near Welwyn Garden City, Wardown Park in Luton and the open countryside around Knebworth, Codicote and the surrounding villages all offer brilliant free outdoor space for active family time.
3. Make Movement Part of Games and Challenges
Children do not respond well to being told to exercise. They respond brilliantly to games, challenges and competition. The trick is to build physical activity into play rather than presenting it as exercise.
Some ideas that work well across all age groups:
A movement jar -- write different physical challenges on pieces of paper (10 star jumps, run to the end of the garden and back, do your best cartwheel, hold a balance for ten seconds) and pick one out every hour throughout the day. A weekly sticker chart where children earn stickers for each active session completed, with a small reward at the end of the week. A family step challenge using a free phone app -- set a daily step target and see who hits it first. Active treasure hunts around the garden, local park or neighbourhood with physical challenges at each clue.
The key is that movement becomes associated with fun, achievement and family time rather than obligation.
4. Use Local Parks and Outdoor Spaces
Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire are genuinely well served for outdoor space. Making a habit of visiting different parks and green spaces across the summer keeps things fresh and gives children new environments to explore and move in.
Beyond the obvious town parks, families in the region have access to some brilliant countryside and outdoor spaces within easy reach. The Chiltern Hills are easily accessible from Luton, Dunstable and Harpenden. The Lee Valley regional park runs through eastern Hertfordshire and offers cycling, walking and water sports. The Greensand Ridge walking routes cover much of Bedfordshire from Biggleswade to Sandy. The North Hertfordshire countryside around Hitchin, Baldock and Letchworth is perfect for family cycling and walking routes.
None of this costs anything. Regular outdoor activity -- particularly in natural environments -- has well-documented benefits for children's physical health, mental wellbeing and sleep quality.
5. Sign Up for Weekly Classes
Summer is an excellent time to try a new activity or continue an existing one. Many children drop structured activities during the holidays and come back to school in September having lost fitness, flexibility and physical confidence. The children who maintain regular physical activity through the summer return to school noticeably better prepared -- physically and mentally.
Swan Academy runs weekly gymnastics and dance classes throughout the summer holidays in Stevenage. Whether your child is an existing Swan Academy gymnast or wants to try gymnastics for the first time, there are classes available across the week for every age group from 4 upwards.
For families across the wider region -- from Luton and Dunstable in the south, through St Albans, Harpenden and Hatfield, up through Welwyn Garden City, Knebworth and Stevenage, across to Hitchin, Letchworth and Baldock, and northeast toward Biggleswade, Arlesey, Shefford and Sandy -- Swan Academy in Stevenage is a realistic and worthwhile journey for quality gymnastics coaching.
View available classes and book online
6. Get the Whole Family Moving
The single biggest predictor of whether a child is physically active is whether their parents are physically active. Children who see movement as a normal, enjoyable part of family life are far more likely to stay active throughout childhood and into adulthood.
Summer is the perfect time to build family activity habits. Cycling as a family, family swimming sessions at local leisure centres, family yoga or stretching sessions at home, walks in the countryside, active days out -- all of these build a shared culture of movement that benefits the whole family, not just the children.
Across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire there are brilliant leisure centres and sports facilities in every major town. Many run summer holiday activity programmes specifically for children, often subsidised through the Holiday Activities and Food programme for eligible families.
7. Celebrate Every Achievement
Children are more likely to continue being active when they feel good about what they are doing. Celebrating effort and achievement -- however small -- reinforces the habit and builds the positive relationship with physical activity that lasts a lifetime.
At Swan Academy we do this through our badge and assessment scheme, where gymnasts earn recognised achievements at every level of the programme. But you can do the same at home. Acknowledge when your child tries something new, pushes through something difficult or shows up consistently. That recognition matters enormously at this age.
Swan Academy Summer Holidays 2026
Swan Academy is Stevenage's leading gymnastics club, founded and led by Svetlana Lebedinskaya -- Olympic gymnast, Olympic-level coach and the most credentialled gymnastics coach in Hertfordshire. Our summer holiday camps and weekly classes are open to children from across the region, from age 4 through to competitive squad level.
We welcome families from Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock, Knebworth, Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, St Albans, Harpenden, Luton, Dunstable, Biggleswade, Sandy, Shefford, Arlesey, Royston and all the surrounding towns and villages across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
Book a summer camp place or weekly class today or contact us at info@swangymnastics.co.uk.
Swan Academy. Nobel School Sports Centre, Mobbsbury Way, Stevenage, SG2 0HS. Phone: +44 7418 610429.
How to Keep Your Child Active This Summer in Hertfordshire
The summer holidays are six weeks long. That is a lot of time to fill, a lot of screens to compete with and a lot of energy to channel productively. For parents across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire -- whether you are in Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock, Knebworth, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, St Albans, Harpenden, Luton, Dunstable, Biggleswade, Sandy, Shefford, Arlesey or any of the towns and villages in between -- keeping children active during the summer is one of the most common challenges we hear about at Swan Academy.
The good news is that there is plenty on offer across the region. And for families who want structured, high-quality activity with real developmental benefit, Swan Academy's summer holiday camps in Stevenage are one of the best options in the whole of Hertfordshire.
Here are our top tips for keeping children active, engaged and thriving this summer.
1. Book a Gymnastics Summer Holiday Camp
There is no better way to keep children active during the summer than a properly structured holiday camp. Swan Academy runs gymnastics holiday camps at Nobel School Sports Centre in Stevenage throughout the summer holidays, open to children from across the region.
A full day at Swan Academy's summer camp means coached gymnastics sessions across floor, beam, bars and vault, active games, skill challenges and a buzzing social environment where children make new friends and push themselves in a safe, professional setting. Children come home genuinely tired -- in the best possible way -- having developed real skills and had real fun.
Our camps are open to children from age 4 and are suitable for all abilities, from complete beginners trying gymnastics for the first time to more experienced gymnasts who want to keep their training going through the holidays.
For families in Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth, Knebworth, Baldock, Welwyn and the surrounding area, Swan Academy is easily accessible and one of the best summer activity options in Hertfordshire. For families travelling from a little further -- Luton, Harpenden, St Albans, Hatfield, Welwyn Garden City, Biggleswade, Sandy, Shefford, Arlesey or Dunstable -- the drive is straightforward and well worth it for the quality of coaching your child will receive.
Book a summer camp place today
2. Build a Routine That Includes Daily Movement
Children thrive with structure. Without the routine of the school day, many children become more sedentary during the summer -- not because they do not want to be active, but because there is no natural prompt to get moving.
Building a simple daily routine that includes at least one block of physical activity makes a significant difference. It does not need to be intense or formal. A morning walk, a trip to a local park, a bike ride, a garden game or a swim at the local leisure centre all count. What matters is that movement is a planned, expected part of the day rather than something that happens by chance.
Across Hertfordshire there are excellent parks and green spaces in every town. Priory Park in Hitchin, Howard Park in Letchworth, Fairlands Valley Park in Stevenage, Panshanger Park near Welwyn Garden City, Wardown Park in Luton and the open countryside around Knebworth, Codicote and the surrounding villages all offer brilliant free outdoor space for active family time.
3. Make Movement Part of Games and Challenges
Children do not respond well to being told to exercise. They respond brilliantly to games, challenges and competition. The trick is to build physical activity into play rather than presenting it as exercise.
Some ideas that work well across all age groups:
A movement jar -- write different physical challenges on pieces of paper (10 star jumps, run to the end of the garden and back, do your best cartwheel, hold a balance for ten seconds) and pick one out every hour throughout the day. A weekly sticker chart where children earn stickers for each active session completed, with a small reward at the end of the week. A family step challenge using a free phone app -- set a daily step target and see who hits it first. Active treasure hunts around the garden, local park or neighbourhood with physical challenges at each clue.
The key is that movement becomes associated with fun, achievement and family time rather than obligation.
4. Use Local Parks and Outdoor Spaces
Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire are genuinely well served for outdoor space. Making a habit of visiting different parks and green spaces across the summer keeps things fresh and gives children new environments to explore and move in.
Beyond the obvious town parks, families in the region have access to some brilliant countryside and outdoor spaces within easy reach. The Chiltern Hills are easily accessible from Luton, Dunstable and Harpenden. The Lee Valley regional park runs through eastern Hertfordshire and offers cycling, walking and water sports. The Greensand Ridge walking routes cover much of Bedfordshire from Biggleswade to Sandy. The North Hertfordshire countryside around Hitchin, Baldock and Letchworth is perfect for family cycling and walking routes.
None of this costs anything. Regular outdoor activity -- particularly in natural environments -- has well-documented benefits for children's physical health, mental wellbeing and sleep quality.
5. Sign Up for Weekly Classes
Summer is an excellent time to try a new activity or continue an existing one. Many children drop structured activities during the holidays and come back to school in September having lost fitness, flexibility and physical confidence. The children who maintain regular physical activity through the summer return to school noticeably better prepared -- physically and mentally.
Swan Academy runs weekly gymnastics and dance classes throughout the summer holidays in Stevenage. Whether your child is an existing Swan Academy gymnast or wants to try gymnastics for the first time, there are classes available across the week for every age group from 4 upwards.
For families across the wider region -- from Luton and Dunstable in the south, through St Albans, Harpenden and Hatfield, up through Welwyn Garden City, Knebworth and Stevenage, across to Hitchin, Letchworth and Baldock, and northeast toward Biggleswade, Arlesey, Shefford and Sandy -- Swan Academy in Stevenage is a realistic and worthwhile journey for quality gymnastics coaching.
View available classes and book online
6. Get the Whole Family Moving
The single biggest predictor of whether a child is physically active is whether their parents are physically active. Children who see movement as a normal, enjoyable part of family life are far more likely to stay active throughout childhood and into adulthood.
Summer is the perfect time to build family activity habits. Cycling as a family, family swimming sessions at local leisure centres, family yoga or stretching sessions at home, walks in the countryside, active days out -- all of these build a shared culture of movement that benefits the whole family, not just the children.
Across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire there are brilliant leisure centres and sports facilities in every major town. Many run summer holiday activity programmes specifically for children, often subsidised through the Holiday Activities and Food programme for eligible families.
7. Celebrate Every Achievement
Children are more likely to continue being active when they feel good about what they are doing. Celebrating effort and achievement -- however small -- reinforces the habit and builds the positive relationship with physical activity that lasts a lifetime.
At Swan Academy we do this through our badge and assessment scheme, where gymnasts earn recognised achievements at every level of the programme. But you can do the same at home. Acknowledge when your child tries something new, pushes through something difficult or shows up consistently. That recognition matters enormously at this age.
Swan Academy Summer Holidays 2026
Swan Academy is Stevenage's leading gymnastics club, founded and led by Svetlana Lebedinskaya -- Olympic gymnast, Olympic-level coach and the most credentialled gymnastics coach in Hertfordshire. Our summer holiday camps and weekly classes are open to children from across the region, from age 4 through to competitive squad level.
We welcome families from Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock, Knebworth, Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, St Albans, Harpenden, Luton, Dunstable, Biggleswade, Sandy, Shefford, Arlesey, Royston and all the surrounding towns and villages across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
Book a summer camp place or weekly class today or contact us at info@swangymnastics.co.uk.
Swan Academy. Nobel School Sports Centre, Mobbsbury Way, Stevenage, SG2 0HS. Phone: +44 7418 610429.
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