Summer is here! Are you ready? These practical tips about summer learning for kids will help you set up a season full of fun, hands-on play. Whether you have toddlers, preschoolers, or school-age kids, you can make this summer the best one yet!
Name Your Why
- Are you a work-at-home parent, looking for independent activities so you can get your to-do list done?
- Maybe your kiddo needs a little extra support during the summer to get ready for next school year?
- Or perhaps you just want to spend time making family memories than planning them?
If your kids are anything like mine, you might want to go into the summer with a few planned activities in your back pocket. We certainly intend to have lots of unstructured free play, outside time, and afternoons at the pool — but we also know that TOO much downtime can lead to bickering and frustration for everyone.
Our Fun Summer Learning Plans
Every summer, I like to choose a few themes to guide our family summer learning. This year, we’ll be spending a month on space exploration to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. We’ll also be doing a habitat study about deserts and jungles, learning about plants and animals, weather, and more.
Throughout the summer, we’ll be reading good books, going on fun family adventures, and experiencing hands-on sensory play and science experiments together. And you can follow along with our summer learning on our Instagram feed!
Planning Your Own Summer Learning {FREE Printables!}
- When I put together a themed learning unit, I like to start with the library. I open our library website and search for books related to the topic. We know we can count on authors like Anne Rockwell, Gail Gibbons, Leo Lionni, Eric Carle, and more. I also like to take my girls into the non-fiction section so they can experience the research process.
- Once I have a large stack of books, I grab a sheet of paper and start jotting down activity ideas. I typically use the following categories to get started:
- literacy
- math
- fine motor
- gross motor
- creative play
- arts & crafts
- Then, I open up Pinterest and create a new board for the theme. I usually search for activities that don’t come naturally to me, like creative play and arts & crafts.
- I make a list of any additional materials I need to pick up on my next run to the store.
- Finally, I type up all the activities and print off a copy for the fridge.
Each weekend, I make a family schedule for the coming week. I look at the open pockets of time and choose 5-7 ideas from the activity guide as a “back-up” for the bored or bickering moments. Since my girls are old enough to have an opinion, I usually ask them which activities they would like try and make sure that we do those first. 🙂
As a working mom, I also make sure to select a variety of options — something we can do together, something my kids can do independently, a literacy-based activity, something open-ended, and something we can do outside!
I print off any handouts, gather materials, and put everything in one spot so it’s easy to grab whenever we need it. I also like to leave a stack of related books next to the couch for my kids to peruse whenever they have a free minute.
Summer Learning Printables!
- You can download our FREE flexible summer schedule template (includes 20 additional activity ideas).
- We also have a summer learning planning page in our FREE Resource Library that you can use to put together your themed activity units. (Choose the section titled ‘BRING LEARNING TO LIFE.”
- Rather have it done for you? Check out our 24 themed Family Activity Guides ($2.99 each) to keep your kiddos learning all summer long!
- Want to chat more about it? Schedule a FREE 20-minute call with me to talk through all your options.
