The KidzMaps parent guide
The tools that make finding, planning and sharing kids’ activities easier — what each one does, where you find it, and what other people see when you share.
Last updated October 9, 2026
What’s inside
Find what fits
Start on Browse. Set where you are — or use Near me and choose how many miles — then narrow it down:
- Your child: their age or grade, so you only see what they can join.
- When and how much: dates, price, and whether it’s a camp, a class or an event.
- What they love: interests and subcategories, from robotics to ballet.
- The practical things: before- and after-care, half days, lunch, nut-free, accessibility and inclusion, ACA accreditation and financial aid are filters too.
Signed in, you can save a search to come back to. Any search can be copied as a link to send to someone.
Compare up to three
On a computer or tablet, every listing on Browse has a compare button next to its heart. Add two or three: they collect in a bar at the bottom of the screen, and Compare puts them side by side.
- The basics: price, ages, location, dates and schedule, the provider, and whether you can book instantly. When the prices are for the same thing — all per week, say — the lowest is marked Best price.
- The fine print: refund policy, add-ons and discounts.
- Day to day: lunch, before- and after-care, accessibility and financial aid.
- Your filters: if you filtered for things like before-care or wheelchair access, a Matches your filters section at the top says yes or no for each one.
No account needed. The comparison isn’t saved — leaving Browse clears it.
Save favorites, share a wishlist
Tap the heart on any listing on Browse to save it. That works before you sign in: the saves stay in that browser and move to your account the next time you open Browse signed in. On a listing’s own page, Save for Later saves it to your account.
Everything you saved is in Favorites in your dashboard, with what you can still book at the top. To turn it into a wishlist:
- Open Favorites. Share as a wishlist is at the top; in November and December it becomes a holiday wishlist.
- Add a note if you like, something like “We’d love a summer of art and soccer”. Then Share wishlist sends the link, or copy it.
- What they see: your first name, your note and the listings that are still open. Never your email, never your children.
- Gift cards: where the provider sells them, the wishlist has a Give a gift card button. The card is addressed to your family by KidzMaps — the person giving it never sees or types your email — and it comes straight to you.
- Changed your mind? Stop sharing turns the link off. Share again and you get a new one.
Good to know. A gift card from a wishlist is for the provider it was bought for, and you use it at checkout with them.
Plan your summer week by week
Summer plan, in your dashboard, lays the summer out week by week: Week 1 is the week of Memorial Day, and the plan runs to the week before Labor Day. From September it shows next summer.
- Booked and requested camps appear on their own.
- Still deciding? On any camp’s page, Add to summer plan lets you tick the weeks you’re considering.
- Every week shows what you have — Booked, Requested or Considering — and an empty week links to the camps running that week.
Share plan sends your whole summer to friends or family. Invite, next to a camp in a week, sends just that camp and week: “We’re doing Robotics Camp in Week 3 (Jun 14 – 18) — join us!” If the camp rewards families who share and you’ve booked it, your code goes with it.
Friends see your first name, the camps, the weeks and whether each one is booked, requested or being considered — never your children’s names — and a Join us button that opens the camp, with that week picked where the camp sells whole weeks. Where it sells sessions, they pick theirs.
Bring friends along
Some providers reward families who share. When a listing does, booking it gets you a code of your own for it — something like ANNA-7K2P.
- Where you’ll see it: on your booking confirmation and under the booking in your dashboard, each with Share, and in the reminder email a week before it starts.
- What your friend gets: a link that opens the listing with your code already in place, so the discount applies by itself. On a camp it also picks your week or session for them, so the kids can go together. If that week is full or has started, the page says so and they pick another.
- The rules: your friend gets the amount the provider set. A family can use one code per listing, and your own code won’t work for you.
- You’ll hear about it: when a friend books with your code, we email you to say so — with your link, in case you know another family.
Your code carries your first name, so your friend knows it’s from you. Links never include your children’s names.
See what families are booking
Listings say how busy they are, in counts only — never names: “14 families booked in the past month”, and when it was last booked. Family counts show from three families up.
Add your child’s school to their profile and, signed in, you’ll also see how many other families from that school are signed up — handy when you’d like them to be with friends.
Handy extras
- Waitlists: when dates are full, join the waitlist. You see your place in line and get an email when a spot opens, with a set time to claim it.
- Notify me: on a listing that isn’t open yet, get an email when registration opens.
- Payment plans: where the provider offers them, a deposit now and the rest later, or installments.
- Sibling discounts: where the provider offers one, it’s listed under Available discounts when you book more than one child — tap it to apply.
- Gift cards: use one at checkout (Have a gift card?). Cards you’ve received or sent are in your dashboard under Credits & gift cards.
- Make-up classes: where a weekly class offers make-ups, report an absence ahead of time for a make-up credit. If a provider cancels a class, you choose a refund or a free make-up.
- Add to calendar: from your booking confirmation, for every week or session you booked.
- Reminders: emails before it starts — a week, three days and a day ahead. Turn them off in Settings → Email preferences.
- Messages: ask a provider anything with Message Organizer on the listing; replies are in Messages in your dashboard.
- Reviews: after the activity, we ask how it went. Your review helps the next family choose.
Questions
What do people see when I share my wishlist or summer plan?
Your first name, the listings (or the camps and weeks), and your note on a wishlist. Never your email, and never your children’s names.
Why wasn’t my friend’s week picked for them?
Their week may be full or already started — the page tells them so — or the camp offers several sessions that week, so your friend picks the one they want.
Can I use my own code?
No — your code is for the friends you send. A family can use one code per listing.
Do I need an account?
Not to browse, compare, or save hearts in one browser. Checkout sets one up if you don’t have one yet; you sign in to save to your account and to share a wishlist or a summer plan.
Ready to look around?
Find something for this season, or open your dashboard to plan the next one.
