Ages 11–17Two weeksOnline

AI Summer Camps for Kids & Teens

Most AI camps teach students about AI. This one has them build with it.

Build, don't just learn aboutAges 11–17Demo day finish

Search for an AI summer camp and you'll mostly find two things: university programs that teach machine-learning theory, and camps where students train a model on a prepared dataset and call it a project.

Both have their place. Neither teaches a student to build software. This camp does — students spend two weeks directing AI coding tools to produce a working application, then prove they understand what those tools wrote.

The difference between learning AI and building with it

A student who finishes a typical AI camp can describe how a neural network classifies images. A student who finishes this one has deployed an application, at a URL, that other people can use.

Those are different skills, and the second one is much rarer among teenagers. It's also the one that compounds — once a student can direct AI tools to build software, every subsequent idea they have is buildable.

Honest about the tools

Claude Code and Cursor — the two tools most associated with AI-assisted coding — both require users to be 18 or older under their terms of service, with no parental-consent route. Some youth programs market them to minors anyway. We don't.

Students 11–13 work in Replit with Gemini on a parent-owned account. Students 13 and up can add GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT/Codex with consent. The workflow is identical to the professional one; only the specific tool changes.

We maintain a public, dated reference of the age requirements for sixteen AI coding tools, because the answer changes and most sources are out of date.

Who this camp suits

Students who want to make something, rather than students who want to study something. Prior coding experience isn't required — the first week starts from fundamentals — but curiosity about building is.

Programs

Camp and year-round courses

FAQ

Questions parents ask

What's the difference between this and a machine learning camp?

A machine learning camp teaches how AI systems work internally — useful, and closer to a maths course. This camp teaches students to use AI tools to build and ship software. Students finish with a deployed application rather than a trained model.

Does my child need coding experience?

No. Week one starts from fundamentals. Students with prior experience move on to their own project sooner.

Which AI tools will my child actually use?

It depends on their age, because the terms of service differ. Ages 11–13 use Replit and Gemini on a parent-owned account; 13 and up can add GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT/Codex with parental consent. Claude Code and Cursor are 18+ under their own terms, so students under 18 do not use them.

When are dates announced?

Summer dates are published in spring, and go to our email list before opening publicly.

Is this camp online?

Yes — live and online, in groups of six, so coaches can review each student's work in every session.

Be first to hear the summer dates.

Camp fills from the email list before it opens publicly.

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Or email us directly: hello@redwoodacademy.ai