Fun Activities to Support Summer Learning at Home

Summer break is a great time for kids to unwind. However, the time away from the classroom can lead to learning loss and boredom. This can present challenges for parents to keep their children entertained while also supporting continued learning. From exploring the great outdoors to creative DIY, here is a list of ways to keep the boredom away while strengthening developmental skills.

1. Get outside!

Playing outside is beneficial for a number of reasons. It can help children socialize, learn new skills, develop gross motor functioning, utilize problem solving skills, and engage in imaginative play.

• Head outside for a neighborhood scavenger hunt. There are many examples online or you could make one of your own that could include looking for: objects of certain colors, shapes, specific animals/bugs, or street signs.
• Watch the Summer Olympics and make your own “events” at home. Some “event” ideas include: bean bag toss, balance beam (using a scrap 2X4), water bucket relay, water balloon toss, frisbee throwing, and a bicycle obstacle course.
• Go to a local park and climb on the playground equipment, play hopscotch, practice your basketball or soccer skills, or play four-square.
• Learn a new outdoor activity such as croquet, bocce ball, jump rope, or gaga ball.
• Plant a veggie garden. Not only is this a fun way to incorporate math, science, and reading, but you can reap the tasty benefits all summer long (and maybe like new veggies in the process).

2. Read, read, read!

All reading is great! This can include reading junk mail, magazines, newspapers, or even the signs on a road trip. The goal is to keep your children excited about reading.

• Go to the library on a weekly basis and check out new books.
• Start a summer reading challenge at home, such as reading 15 minutes a day or setting a goal of reading one book a week.
• Have a family book club. Choose a book to read as a family and then discuss it together afterwards. You can talk about your favorite/least favorite parts, rate it, or if you would recommend it to others.

3. Make math fun!

Family activities are a fun, practical way to practice and apply math skills.

• Bake a cake
• Follow a recipe — or try to double a recipe
• Learn to knit, crochet, or cross stitch. There are many videos online to assist in getting you started or check out a book from your local library.
• Make Wednesday nights (or night of the week) Family Game Night! Board games are a great way to incorporate math in a fun, practical way. Some of my personal family favorites for a variety of ages are Sorry!, Monopoly, Connect Four, Trouble, BINGO, Yahtzee, Chutes and Ladders, Sequence, Cribbage, and Shut Box.

4 Get creative!

Engaging in DIY/arts and crafts can help children learn patience, improve their fine motor skills, develop creativity, and provide an outlet for self-expression.

• Gather smooth rocks and paint colorful designs, animals, or inspirational sayings on them. You can then place them around your neighborhood as a fun surprise for others to find.
• Make sock puppets. Scour your drawers for old socks and use buttons, googly eyes, yarn, and fabric scraps to make puppets. Your children can then use their sock puppets to perform a play.
• Create magic wands. Gather small sticks from your yard and use glitter, clay, pipe cleaners, yarn, and cardboard to make them colorful and unique. (These could also be used in your sock puppet play!)
• Get together with friends to make friendship bracelets using embroidery floss or yarn. Check out a book from the library to learn how to make different knots.
• Get creative and explore different mediums and surfaces. Try out mediums such as magic markers, watercolor paints, tempera paints, oil pastels, colored pencils, crayons, or permanent markers. Try them out on different surfaces that would otherwise be thrown away, such as paper, cardboard, plastic, styrofoam, or aluminum foil. The limit is your imagination!

These activities can be tailored to the age and interests of your child. You can incorporate open ended questions in each of these activities to further build vocabulary skills and enhance back-and-forth conversational skills. Whatever you decide to do, make learning fun! While worksheets and workbooks are also ways to continue supporting learning, they can be boring and children are less inclined to participate. Have a blast this summer enjoying the time off while continuing to support learning at home!

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