The Associated Press

Spring is here, and that means summer - and all its school-sprung children looking for something to do - is just around the corner.

The April issue of Child magazine offers advice to parents looking for the right summer camp for their kids:

• Camps for preschoolers ages 3-5 are often an extension of existing nursery or elementary programs with an emphasis on age-appropriate arts and crafts, music, dance, beginning swim instruction and ball play.

These programs are best suited for toilet-trained children with minimal separation issues.

When looking for a camp, the editors suggest using the same criteria you'd use for choosing a preschool: Look for a nurturing, safe environment with noncompetitive activities.

• Day camps for 5- to 12-year-olds often feature a campus setting with pools, fields, hiking trails, and indoor or shaded facilities. The five- to seven-hour sessions are usually broken down in 45-minute sessions of swimming, sports, crafts and performing arts.

Children who work well in group settings and can move easily from one activity to another likely are ready for day camp.

• Sleepaway camp for children 7 and up have expansive facilities, often with an infirmary, and group children into cabins by age. A full range of sporting, recreational, creative and social activities is offered.

This is for children who can happily spend the night away from home. Make sure you and your child are comfortable with the camp's size and structure.

• Specialty camps for ages 10 and up offer advanced study in sports, visual and performing arts, science, computers, writing and languages. Such intensive study is for middle- and high-schoolers who want to seriously pursue a special interest.

Be sure your children understand the demands of these programs as they probably will be taught by college-level professors and working professionals.