Best winter break camps in Forest Hills, Queens (2026)
Forest Hills does a lot of things well, but winter break camp isn't one of them. Most of the neighborhood's studios run camps in the summer, in February, and in April, then go quiet for the last week of December. The families who get through the break without scrambling are the ones who know which handful of programs actually open their doors.
We're Sheridan Fencing Academy, and our Forest Hills club is on the fourth floor of the Forest Hills Jewish Center at 106-06 Queens Boulevard. NYC public schools are closed from December 24 to January 1, so below is our roundup of the best winter break camps in and around Forest Hills for December 2026, including a few worth a short trip. No sponsorships—just the programs we'd point a friend toward.
Winter break camps at a glance
| Camp | Ages | Winter dates | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commonpoint Youth Holiday Program | Confirm with Commonpoint | December 28 to 31 | $85 to $105 a day |
| New York Chess Academy | 4 to 13 | December 24 and 28 to 31 | $95 a day |
| Playday LIC | 5 to 12 | December 28 to 31 | $160 to $200 a day |
| World Ice Arena Holiday Clinic | 4 to 14 | Not yet posted | $55 a day last season |
| Sheridan Fencing Academy | School-age kids and teens | Posted on our camps page | Listed on our camps page |
| Elite Skills | 3 and up | December 28 to 31 | $420 to $500 a week |
| Commonpoint Winter Tennis Mini Camp | 5 to 16 | Not yet posted | $450 last season |
| Museum of the Moving Image | All ages, with a parent | Not yet posted | Free with admission |
| New York Hall of Science | All ages, with a parent | Wednesday to Sunday | $19 for kids |
| Queens Public Library, Forest Hills | All ages | Mornings of December 24 and 31 | Free |
Highlighted rows run on December 24 or 31, the hardest days of the break to cover. Dates and prices were checked in September 2026.
10 best winter break camps in Forest Hills
1. Commonpoint Queens Youth Holiday Program
Location: 67-09 108th Street, Forest Hills. The Q23 runs along 108th Street, or it's a 15 to 20 minute walk from 71st Avenue.
Ages: Confirm with Commonpoint at yhp@commonpoint.org or 718-268-5011, extension 203
Dates: December 28, 29, and 30, plus December 31 with a 4 p.m. dismissal
Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: $85 for in-house days, $105 for trip days
Registration: Open now through the form on Commonpoint's page, booked day by day
Website: commonpoint.org
Commonpoint's holiday program is the best value in Forest Hills and the only local camp built around a real working day. The 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. schedule means a parent can drop off on the way to the subway and pick up on the way home.
Some days are in-house and some are trip days, which cost a little more. Kids bring a nut-free lunch, and snacks are provided.
Why we like it: $85 for ten hours. Nothing else within reach of Queens Boulevard comes close.
2. New York Chess Academy
Location: 70-35 112th Street, Forest Hills. About a 10 minute walk from 71st Avenue.
Ages: 4 to 13
Dates: December 24 and December 28 to 31
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or half days from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $95 a day or $450 a week; half days are $55, or $250 a week
Registration: Open now. Some December dates are already sold out.
Website: newyorkchessacademy.us
New York Chess Academy is the neighborhood's only verified camp running on Christmas Eve, and it also runs New Year's Eve. Kids learn at their level with coaches who take players from a first game all the way to rated tournaments.
December dates are already selling out, so if you need either holiday, book this month.
Why we like it: It's local, it's affordable, and it covers the two days that are hardest to cover anywhere in Queens.
3. Playday LIC
Location: 5-37 51st Avenue, Long Island City. Take the E to Court Square, then the 7 one stop to Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue, about 35 minutes.
Ages: 5 to 12
Dates: Open December 28 to 31. Closed December 24, December 25, and January 1.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with 8:30 a.m. early drop-off. Partial days run 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and half days run 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $200 for a full day, $175 for a partial day, $160 for a half day. Five- and ten-day packs cost less per day.
Registration: Open now, with drop-ins if there's space
Website: playdaylic.com
Playday is an art and design studio that runs camp on every school day off, winter recess included. Days mix drawing, painting, cartooning, sculpture, fashion design, and architecture projects.
It's a trip from Forest Hills, but the E makes it manageable, and the flexible day lengths let you match the camp to your work schedule.
Why we like it: It's the strongest creative option we found for the last week of December anywhere in Queens.
4. World Ice Arena Holiday Clinic
Location: Flushing Meadows Corona Park, about a 10 minute drive, or the Q23 and a walk
Ages: 4 to 6 and 7 to 14, grouped by skating level
Dates: Last season's clinic ran December 26 to 30, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The 2026 dates aren't posted yet.
Hours: Two-hour morning sessions
Cost: Last season was $55 a day or $248 for all five days, plus a Learn to Skate USA membership. Confirm current rates.
Registration: Online pre-registration required. Call 718-760-9001, extension 7002.
Website: worldice.com
World Ice Arena runs a morning holiday clinic that's taught by level, so a first-timer and a kid who already skates aren't in the same group. It's a two-hour lesson, not a full-day camp.
That makes it a good way to start the day before an afternoon of something else, or a way to use the break to finally learn.
Why we like it: A week of daily lessons over the break is the fastest way we know for a kid to go from holding the wall to actually skating.
5. Sheridan Fencing Academy
Location: 106-06 Queens Boulevard, 4th floor, inside the Forest Hills Jewish Center. Enter on 69th Road. Two blocks from the E, F, M, and R at 71st–Continental.
Ages: School-age kids and teens. Age groups are listed on the camps page.
Dates: Winter break camp dates, when scheduled, are posted on our Queens camps page.
Hours: Listed on the camps page
Cost: Day and week rates are listed on the camps page
Registration: Through the camps page
Website: sheridanfencing.com/queens
This is us. Our philosophy is that good training is fun training, and a camp day is where that shows most. Kids learn footwork and bladework on full-length strips, then put it to use in games and bouts with the other kids. All the equipment is here, so there's nothing to buy and nothing to carry across the neighborhood.
Nobody needs any experience to start, and there's a parent waiting area if you'd rather stay and watch. You can book a free trial class or look at all our fencing programs and schedules.
Why we like it: Bias acknowledged. Every kid who walks in started from zero, because almost nobody grows up fencing. That makes it an unusually easy room to join over a school break.
6. Elite Skills Holiday Break Camp
Location: P.S. 33 in Queens Village, about a 20 minute drive. Confirm the address when you register.
Ages: 3 and up
Dates: December 28 to 31
Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $420 a week for basketball or art, or $500 a week for both
Registration: Open now
Website: eliteskills.org
Elite Skills runs a week of basketball, art, or both, and the combined option is the draw. A kid who can't choose gets both in one week, at one drop-off.
It's a drive from Forest Hills, but the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. day and the New Year's Eve coverage make it worth considering.
Why we like it: The basketball-and-art combination solves the kid who wants to do everything, and the long day solves the parent who has to work.
7. Commonpoint Winter Tennis Mini Camp
Location: Commonpoint Tennis and Athletic Center, 79-20 Winchester Boulevard, Queens Village, about a 20 minute drive
Ages: 5 to 16, all levels
Dates: Last season ran December 26, 29, and 30. The 2026 dates aren't posted yet.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m.
Cost: Last season was $450 for the three-day camp. Confirm current rates.
Registration: Email tennis@commonpoint.org or call 718-255-2127
Website: commonpoint.org
Commonpoint's tennis center at Alley Pond runs a short winter mini camp that takes beginners through experienced juniors. It's sold as a three-day block rather than by the day.
The West Side Tennis Club doesn't run a December camp, so this is the tennis answer for the break.
Why we like it: Three straight days of tennis in the middle of winter is how a kid actually improves, instead of losing a season of progress.
8. Museum of the Moving Image Holiday Week
Location: 36-01 35th Avenue, Astoria. The M or R to Steinway Street, about 30 minutes.
Ages: All ages, with a parent
Dates: Last year's holiday week ran December 26 to 31. The 2026 program isn't posted yet.
Hours: Last year's studio activities ran 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; the museum closed early on December 31 and was closed on January 1
Cost: Holiday activities were free with museum admission
Registration: Drop-in, not a drop-off camp
Website: movingimage.org
The Museum of the Moving Image fills its holiday week with free family activities. Last year that meant green screen, animation, and VR in the Moving Image Studio, cookie decorating, and family screenings.
You stay with your kids, so it's a day out rather than childcare. For a family with a parent off work that week, it's one of the best in Queens.
Why we like it: Kids get to make an animation or step into a green screen, which is a much better use of a December afternoon than another movie at home.
9. New York Hall of Science
Location: 47-01 111th Street, Corona. The Q23, or the 7 to 111th Street. Parking is $15.
Ages: All ages, with a parent
Dates: Normally open Wednesday to Sunday, which covers December 30 and 31. Confirm holiday hours for December 24 and December 28 to 29.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $19 for kids, $22 for adults
Registration: Drop-in
Website: nysci.org
NYSCI isn't running a winter camp, but it's the best indoor outing within a short trip of Forest Hills. The museum says it's open most NYC school holidays, and two days of the break fall on its regular schedule.
Go early on December 30, because every family in Queens has the same idea.
Why we like it: It fills a whole day with hands-on exhibits for the price of a movie ticket.
10. Queens Public Library, Forest Hills Branch
Location: 108-19 71st Avenue, a five minute walk from 71st Avenue
Ages: All ages
Dates: Open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on December 24 and December 31. Closed December 25, December 26, and January 1 to 3.
Hours: Holiday hours vary. Check the library calendar in December for kids' programs.
Cost: Free
Registration: Free, with some programs requiring sign-up
Website: queenslibrary.org
The library is the free option that's open on both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve mornings. Holiday-week kids' programs are usually posted on the library calendar in December.
Why we like it: It's free, it's walkable, and it's open on the two days almost everything else closes.
Honorable mentions
A few more worth watching as December gets closer.
Kew Kids Forest School runs outdoor programs in Forest Park and lists a possible winter camp between Christmas and New Year's. Email kewkidsforest@gmail.com to ask.
Alley Pond Environmental Center in Douglaston has run two-hour vacation-day nature classes in late December.
Industry Gymnastics in Long Island City runs single-day holiday camps from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at $160 a day, with December dates still to come.
Queens Zoo doesn't run a winter break camp, but its February camp runs February 15 to 19, so save it for midwinter recess.
How to choose the right Forest Hills winter break camp
A few honest things to think about before you book.
Book the holidays first. New York Chess Academy and the library are the only local options open on December 24, and Commonpoint's December 31 ends at 4 p.m. If you need either holiday, lock it in before you plan the rest of the week.
Decide how far you're willing to travel. The only verified full-day camps within walking distance of Queens Boulevard are Commonpoint and New York Chess Academy. Playday, Elite Skills, and the tennis camp all mean a subway ride or a drive, so factor the commute into the real cost of the day.
Separate childcare from outings. Half this list is drop-off camp and half is a place you go with your kids. If both parents are working, stick to the drop-off camps. If someone's home that week, the museum and the library turn the break into something better than childcare.
Watch for posted dates in the fall. Several programs, including World Ice Arena and the Commonpoint tennis camp, post their December dates in October or November. Check back in early November before you assume a program isn't running.
Frequently asked questions
When is winter break for NYC public schools in 2026?
NYC public schools are closed from Thursday, December 24, 2026, through Friday, January 1, 2027. Classes resume Monday, January 4.
Which Forest Hills camps run on Christmas Eve?
New York Chess Academy runs December 24, and the Forest Hills library is open that morning from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
What's the cheapest full-day winter camp in Forest Hills?
Commonpoint Queens' Youth Holiday Program runs 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for $85 a day. It's the best value we found anywhere in Queens.
Can I book single days instead of a full week?
Yes. Commonpoint, New York Chess Academy, and Playday all sell single days.
Is there a winter break camp for preschoolers in Forest Hills?
No. We didn't find a preschool-only winter camp nearby, but Elite Skills takes kids from age 3 and World Ice Arena's clinic starts at age 4.
Is the Queens Zoo running a winter break camp?
No. The Queens Zoo runs its camps during February and April breaks, not in December.
One final thought
Winter break is the stretch of the school year where Forest Hills has the fewest options, so it rewards planning more than any other. Book the handful of local camps early, especially the ones that run on the holidays, and fill the rest of the week with the outings that work for your family.
The right camp is the one your kid will be happy to go back to the next morning. That's usually about the room and the people, not the brochure.
If you want to see whether fencing is that room, we offer free trial classes for kids at our Forest Hills location year-round. No commitment, no sales pitch—just a class to find out if it clicks. For every other day off this school year, our guide to the 2026-27 NYC school calendar has the full list, and if you're already thinking about July, start with our guide to the best summer camps in Forest Hills.