Four Easy Summer Activities for Your Child and You

Young kids are ready to burst outside once the warm weather arrives, and really, who can blame them? Yet, just because school is out doesn't mean that young children are not actively learning and practicing new skills. Summer is a great time for play AND learning, at the same time. So, here are a few easy-to-do activities for adults and kids:

1. Summer Sounds

To prepare: Find a tape recorder and go outside. Listen to the everyday outdoor summer sounds. Then, tape five to ten sounds, leaving a 10 second pause between each one.

To play: Ask your toddler or young preschooler to play "What's That Sound?" Play a sound and ask the child to identify it. Help as needed, and play again. Next, ask the child if they can identify the same kind of sound without the tape recorder. For sensory play, talk about loud and louder, and ask the child to identify sounds in the real world and compare which is loud and which is louder. Play as long or as often as children are enjoying the game.

Helps develop or practice: Listening skills, identification of natural world

2. The Very Grouchy Ladybug

To prepare: Locate the Eric Carle book, The Very Grouchy Ladybug

To play: Read together with your children. Talk about the feelings of the ladybug. Ask children to pretend to be grouchy while asking for a drink of water (do not give the child water). The ask children to practice asking politely, and give the child the drink of water. Finally take children outside to observe ladybugs-do the bugs seem grouchy?

Helps develop or practice: manners, knowledge of emotions and insects

3. What IS That?

To prepare: go outside and gather some natural items that have differing textures (and that are not toxic): leaves, flower petals, sticks, bark, seeds or seed shells that fall from trees, grass, a feather of a bird (if laying on the ground), Put them in a box with the cover on.

To play: Take your child outside and talk about all the things right around you-ask the child to feel the texture and name the item. Next, blindfold the child (only if they are willing to be blindfolded). Place a natural item in his/her hand, ask the child to feel it, and then identify it. Help as needed, and return to the game every once in awhile until a child has mastered it.

Helps develop or practice: awareness of senses, identification of the natural world

4. How Big Are You?

To prepare: locate a sidewalk that children can use chalk to draw on. Gather the same number of colors of chalk as the number of children playing. You will need at least two children to play.

To play: Ask children to look at each and guess which one is taller. Show children what an inch looks like. Ask how big or little is the difference in height, in inches, and record the predictions. Next, ask one child to lie on the sidewalk and ask the other child to use the chalk to outline the child on the ground. Then, ask children to switch places, and using a different color chalk, ask one child to outline the other. Compare, and then measure each child. Talk about the differences in height and the number of inches in each outline.

Helps develop or practice: scientific method of prediction and experimentation, knowledge of numbers and their uses, understanding of the concept of tall and taller (and tallest if you have three children).

So, take your young kids outside and explore the joys of learning. Happy Summer!