How Parents Search for Kids' Activities in 2026

Finding the right camp or class is rarely one search. A parent hears a name from a friend, looks it up on Google, reads reviews, checks the program's Instagram, and maybe asks ChatGPT to compare two options. Each step is a chance for a program to be found or dropped.

Below is what published research says about each channel. Most surveys measure consumers in general rather than parents specifically, and we say so where that's the case.

How do parents find kids' activities?

Parents use several channels at once: personal recommendations, Google search and Maps, online reviews, social media, school and parks department materials, and AI assistants. No single channel covers every family.

Here's how the channels compare, with the best current data on each:

Channel	What the data shows	Source
Word of mouth	49% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations	BrightLocal, 2026
Google and Maps	Google was the most-used review source at 71%, down from 83% in 2025	BrightLocal, 2026
Online reviews	97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses	BrightLocal, 2026
AI assistants	Use of AI tools for local recommendations rose from 6% to 45%	BrightLocal, 2026
Schools	80% of kids in afterschool programs attend one in a public or charter school building	Afterschool Alliance, 2025

How much do parents rely on word of mouth?

Personal recommendations still carry a lot of weight, though no recent national survey we found measures exactly what share of parents discover programs this way.

What the data does show is how close online reviews have come to personal advice. BrightLocal, which has tracked this question for over 15 years, found in 2026 that 49% of US consumers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from people they know. Put the other way, about half still give a friend's word more weight.

For parents, word of mouth works best as a shortlist. Ask other parents what their kids liked and why, then check the program's ages, schedule and price yourself.

How do parents use Google to find camps and classes?

Parents type an activity and a place, such as "swim lessons near me" or "robotics camp Austin," and compare the local results on Search and Maps. Google says those local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence.

• Relevance is how well a business profile matches the search.
• Distance is how far the business is from the searcher. If the searcher doesn't share a location, Google uses what it knows about where they are.
• Prominence is how well known the business is, including how many reviews and links it has.

Google also says there's no way to pay for a better local ranking. For parents, that means the closest well-reviewed result isn't always the best fit. Search with your child's age and the days you need, and look past the first three results.

Do parents read reviews before choosing a program?

Yes, most do. BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults found that 97% read reviews for local businesses, and 41% always read them when looking for a business, up from 29% the year before. The survey covers all local businesses, not only kids' programs.

The same survey shows what people look for:

• Volume: 47% won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews.
• Recency: 74% only pay attention to reviews from the last three months.
• Rating: 31% will only use a business rated 4.5 stars or higher, up from 17% in 2025.
• Owner replies: 80% are more likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews.

Reviews also send people to the next step. After reading positive reviews, 54% of consumers go on to check the business's website. For a camp or class, that's where dates, ages and prices need to be easy to find.

Do parents use social media to find kids' activities?

Yes, as one source among several. BrightLocal found that Google, Facebook and AI tools like ChatGPT are the most commonly used sources for local recommendations, and that video platforms including YouTube, Instagram and TikTok gained ground in 2026.

Social media is strongest for seeing what a program is like: photos of a studio, clips of a recital, a camp's daily schedule. It's weaker for comparing options side by side, since each account shows only its own program. Local parent groups on Facebook and neighborhood apps work more like word of mouth at a larger scale.

Do school flyers and school programs still matter?

Yes, especially for after-school programs. In the Afterschool Alliance's 2025 America After 3PM survey of more than 30,000 parents, 80% of children in afterschool programs attended one located in a public or charter school building, and public or charter schools ran 42% of programs. Cities or parks and recreation departments ran another 16%.

Information is still uneven. In the same survey, 64% of parents agreed that information on afterschool programs is readily available in their community, and 45% agreed it's difficult to find an appropriate afterschool program for their child. Among parents whose kids weren't enrolled, 42% said a reason was that programs weren't available in their community.

For parents, school newsletters, district flyer systems and the parks department's seasonal catalog are worth checking every season. For providers, those are some of the most direct routes to local families. Read how to find after-school programs for a parent's checklist.

Are parents using ChatGPT and other AI assistants to find activities?

A growing share are. Pew Research Center found in February 2026 that 44% of US adults use ChatGPT, rising to 55% of adults ages 30 to 49, the age range of many parents. Pew notes the 2026 question also asked about other chatbots, so it isn't directly comparable to earlier years, when 34% had used ChatGPT in 2025.

For local decisions specifically, BrightLocal's 2026 survey found that use of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools for local business recommendations rose from 6% to 45% in a year, making AI the third most popular source. 40% of consumers said they trust AI platforms for business recommendations, while 32% said they don't.

AI shows up inside Google too. Google says the generative AI responses in Search, such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, can include information about local businesses, and that an accurate Google Business Profile helps businesses show up there.

An AI assistant is good at narrowing a long list: "day camps for a 9-year-old in Denver under $400 a week, near Park Hill." It's only as good as the information it can reach. Always confirm dates, prices and openings with the program itself. For tips on prompts, see how to use AI to find kids' activities.

What does this mean for providers?

Be findable and consistent on every channel parents use, because they check more than one. A family that hears your name from a friend will look you up, and what they find decides whether they enroll.

• Keep your Google Business Profile complete. Google says complete, accurate profiles are more likely to show in local results.
• Ask every family for a review, every season. Recency and volume both matter.
• Reply to reviews personally. BrightLocal found 50% of consumers are put off by templated replies.
• Publish dates, ages, prices and location as text on your website, not only in a PDF or image.
• Get into school and parks channels. That's where many families look for afterschool options.
• Make your details easy for AI to read. Assistants pull from your site, your profiles and the listings they can search, so keep them accurate and in sync.

Where can families and providers find each other?

Families search camps, classes and enrichment programs on Kaleto, and providers list their programs there. AI assistants connected to Kaleto can search those listings too. Parents can find activities near you, and providers can list your program on Kaleto.