Summer is one of our favorite times of the year. Although school is out, there is still so much to learn. While it may seem more difficult to get children to focus on learning during the summer, it is not impossible. By utilizing summer themed games and activities, children can keep learning, while still having fun. Here is a list of some fun and educational summer activities.
Magic Sand
With this activity kids can have fun while making their own magic sand. You can use the sand to practice writing out the letters of the alphabet, as well as improve fine motor skills.
Things you will need
- 2 cup of coconut flour (this type of flour absorbs more water) but you can also use almond flour
-a bowl
- a small spray bottle filled with at least 1 cup of water
- 2 cups of salt
-food coloring (optional)
Start by pouring the 2 cups of your flour in a bowl. Spritz the flour with the spray bottle at least twice. You don't want to over spray the flour; just make sure you have a sticky consistency. When you have the right consistency, add your 2 cups of salt. Slightly knead the salt into the sand with your fingers. If you want to make multi colored sand, add food coloring to the mixture. Once you have your magic sand, you can start practicing letters. Have the children try to draw out their letters in the sand. They can also practices their numbers and shapes.
Summer Scavenger Hunt
1 toy animal
2 water toys
3 things you’d take on vacation with you
4 games
5 things that are your favorite color
6 toys
7 snacks
Make a list such as the one above. Ask your child if they want to play a game or go on a scavenger hunt, then show the list to your child. Explain to them that they are going to find the things on the list and cross it off the list as they find them.
Summer Vocabulary
1. Beach
2. Sand
3. Ocean
4. Fish
5. Sun
6. Independence
7. Camping
8. Vacation
9. Shark
10 . Dolphin
Activities to do with the Summer Vocabulary list:
1. Toddlers learning to speak can be introduced to the words through first-hand experience, which will help them understand what the word means. The more the child hears the word while they can see it, the more likely they are to quickly understand the meaning of the word and say it.
2. For preschoolers learning to write, they can trace the words. This will help them with writing, as the will be practice the fine motor skill needed to write. School-aged children can practice writing and spelling the words.
3. Counting how many times you see the sun, a beach, an ocean, fish, shark or sand is a great way to practice math skills while on vacation. You can say to your child "let's count how many times we see a fish" while at the beach or "let's count the shells in the sand".
4. Writing the words in the sand at the beach is a great way to promote letter recognition and pre-writing fine motor skills for toddlers and preschoolers.
5. Writing or telling a story using the words is a great way to encourage creativity and language art skills for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children.
Water Play
This an easy activity to do. All you need is water, empty containers, and bath toys. You can use the magic sand from our previous activity as well. Fill your empty containers such as trays and buckets with water. With this, you can have your child practice their pouring skills. Add their bath toys to the water. For an added bonus, see if you can find toys of different weights. Ask them questions such as why one toy might float, while the other toy sinks.
Here are some links to magic sand molds and bath toys
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