The children’s summer camp market has changed beyond recognition in recent years. Parents no longer choose a camp based on location alone, but on the programme, and camp operators compete on the number of attractions they offer. For holiday centres and camp organisers this means one thing: a venue without a standout attraction loses contracts with camp operators, and a programme without strong highlights loses the attention of parents. In this article we look at what camp organisers really need, what solutions they buy, and why a creative wall made of building blocks is becoming one of the most cost-effective investments in equipment for a children’s camp centre.
What do summer camp organisers look for?
The needs of people responsible for children’s holidays fall into two clear groups. The first consists of camp leaders and activity coordinators looking for programme content: team-building games, creative activities, ideas for evening entertainment and activities that can be run on a rainy day. Their problem is not a lack of equipment, but the challenge of filling a fortnight-long programme with worthwhile activities, including the hours when the weather makes outdoor sessions impossible.
The second group consists of holiday centre owners, hotels catering for children’s groups and companies organising camp sessions. This group looks for specific products and services: from hiring entertainment for a single session to permanently equipping the venue with attractions for children. It is a group with a real purchasing budget that treats attractions as an investment with a direct impact on occupancy and the price of a camp place.
Hired attractions and their limitations
The simplest solution organisers reach for is hiring external attractions. Event companies offer bouncy castles, portable pitches, photo booths, paintball games, and shows and workshops run by entertainers. These services genuinely raise the appeal of a single camp session, but they come with significant limitations:
- the cost returns with every session – hire has to be paid again for each new group, so expenses grow with the number of sessions,
- dependence on the provider’s calendar – at the peak of the season, when a centre needs programme support the most, entertainment companies have the fewest free dates,
- a one-off experience – a bouncy castle or a show works as the highlight of a single day, but it will not fill a programme that lasts two weeks,
- the need for external staff – the attraction only works when an entertainer or equipment operator is on site.
Meanwhile, a camp programme needs activities that children can return to again and again, finding something new in them every time.
Investing in equipment that works for years
Experienced centre owners know that camp operators choose venues based on their facilities. That is why centres invest in swimming pools, rope courses, multi-purpose pitches and water sports equipment. What these investments have in common is depreciation spread over many seasons: an attraction bought once works for every subsequent session and becomes a selling point in talks with camp organisers.
The problem is that most infrastructure investments require significant capital, permits, construction work and outdoor space. A pool or a rope course remains out of reach for smaller venues, and neither solves the question of rainy-day activities. Yet it is precisely the bad-weather attractions that often decide how parents rate a camp, because boredom in the common room is one of the most frequent reasons for negative reviews.
What attractions do camps actually use? An overview
Before we move on to our solution, it is worth taking a broader look at what camp organisers rely on today. Camp programmes are usually built around several categories of attractions that can be combined:
- water attractions – kayaks, SUP boards, pedalos, sailing and pool games; they require access to water, a lifeguard and good weather, but in summer they form the backbone of many centres’ programmes,
- sport and recreation – multi-purpose pitches, minigolf, obstacle courses, camp olympics; a classic that has worked for years, though it rarely sets a venue apart from the competition,
- adventure attractions – rope courses, paintball, archery tag, outdoor games and treasure hunts; hugely popular with older children, but they need space, supervision and often an external instructor,
- entertainment and shows – hired entertainers, bouncy castles, photo booths, circus or dance workshops; impressive, but billed separately for every session,
- themed sessions – programmes built around gaming, manga, survival or dance, where the attraction is the theme itself and the specialist sessions run by instructors,
- creative and common-room zones – art corners, board games, building blocks and craft workshops; the cheapest category to maintain and the only one fully independent of the weather.
A well-planned camp session draws on several categories at once: sport and water fill the sunny days, entertainers create the highlights, and the creative zone secures the programme against bad weather, evenings and quiet moments. It is in this last category that a modest budget can make the biggest real difference to a venue, and this is where our solution comes in.
A creative wall in the common room: Combo Wall blocks
At the intersection of both needs, permanent equipment and programme content, sit Combo Wall building blocks. It is a modular system of base plates mounted on a wall or laid flat, plus colourful pin blocks that children use to create mosaics, pictures and 3D constructions. Plates mounted on the common room wall turn it into a permanent creative zone that takes up no floor space at all, requires no construction work and stays available to children throughout the session. The blocks hold firmly to the plates yet come off easily, so the same wall can look completely different every single day.
From the staff’s perspective, what matters is that block activities require no specialist instructor. A camp leader runs them independently, using the included inspiration cards or their own ideas. Creating a shared mosaic across several connected plates naturally engages the whole group: children plan the composition, share colours and tasks, and judge the result together. In this way the attraction also delivers the educational goals of a camp, such as group integration, cooperation and social skills, while exercising fine motor skills, concentration and spatial imagination.
Ready-made block activity ideas for a camp session
Every camp manager knows the scenario in which three days of rain ruins a programme built around outdoor activities. A creative wall then works as a common-room activity that can be run in small groups on separate plates or as a joint project for the whole group. Here are some proven activity formats:
- picture-building tournament – teams get the same theme (an animal, a vehicle, a character) and a time limit; a jury made up of children judges the results,
- the camp mosaic – a joint composition created by the whole group, which stays on the wall until the end of the stay and features in the souvenir photo,
- block charades – one child builds a clue out of blocks and the rest guess; perfect for the evening entertainment slot,
- letters and numbers – with younger children, building names, simple sums and colour patterns combines play with learning,
- working in pairs on mini plates – each pair gets its own small board, which works well with large groups and rotating activity stations,
- a calm-down zone – placing blocks has a soothing effect, so it fills the moments when the group needs a quieter activity after an intense day.
Tip: these activity formats pair nicely with the calendar of quirky holidays we covered in a separate article. A building tournament on Blocks Day or a shared mosaic on Dot Day are ready-made programme highlights that require nothing more than what is already hanging on the common room wall.
The economics: hire or buy?
The cost comparison comes out clearly in favour of buying. Hiring a single attraction with entertainment staff is an expense that returns with every session and grows with the number of groups. A block set bought before the season serves all the summer sessions, then winter day camps, school trips and family stays outside the season. The system is modular, so a centre can start with one set and expand the wall with additional plates and blocks as needed – you will find the full range in the Combo Wall shop.
There is also a marketing benefit. A venue whose offer for camp operators includes a photo of a creative wall full of colourful mosaics stands out from competitors offering nothing more than a pitch and a common room with a television. Educational institutions and public holiday organisers can also purchase with a VAT invoice and deferred payment terms.
Frequently asked questions about camp attractions (FAQ)
What attraction works best at a camp on rainy days?
Common-room attractions that engage the whole group at once and require no external staff work best. A creative wall made of building blocks lets you run activities in small groups on separate plates or as a joint project, and a camp leader can run them without a specialist instructor.
Is it more cost-effective to hire attractions or buy equipment?
For a single session hiring can be convenient, but with several groups per season the cost of hire quickly exceeds the price of buying permanent equipment. A set bought once serves summer sessions, winter day camps, school trips and family stays for many seasons.
What age group are Combo Wall blocks suitable for?
The sets are designed for children from 3 years of age, and the activity format grows with the participants: younger children build simple patterns and letters, while older ones create elaborate mosaics, pictures and 3D constructions and compete in team tournaments.
Does installing a creative wall require construction work?
No. The base plates are mounted directly on the wall without interfering with the building’s structure, and if needed they can also be laid flat on a table or the floor. A creative wall takes up no floor space, which matters in smaller common rooms.
Can educational institutions buy the blocks with deferred payment terms?
Yes. Educational institutions and public holiday organisers can order sets with a VAT invoice and deferred payment terms, which makes it easier to account for the purchase in the institution’s budget.
Summary
Camp organisers today look for attractions that are safe, reusable, weather-independent and require no external staff. Hired entertainment solves the problem of a single day and infrastructure investments require significant capital, while a creative wall made of building blocks combines the advantages of both: it is a one-off purchase that works as a programme attraction available every day, in any common room and for every age group.
If you run a holiday centre, a hotel catering for children’s groups, or organise camp sessions and day camps, take a look at our building blocks and choose a set matched to your group sizes and the character of your venue.