Summer Learning Activities for Preschoolers

Summertime is a wonderful time for preschoolers. Enhance their outdoor experience with summer learning activities. A few household items are all you need to create learning stations for your preschooler this summer.

Use a combination of the following summer learning activities to create a day of fun for your preschooler. Invite a few of their friends over to make the day special. Set up an area on a porch, deck, or yard where water and sand can be used safely. Remember to protect preschoolers from the strong summer sun by offering shade and applying sunscreen.

Does it Float?

Buoyancy is a fascinating concept for preschoolers. Discovering what floats and what sinks will keep preschool children occupied for hours. Set up a simple water table with a variety of items for this task.

Use a plastic tub or large storage bin to hold water. Place the container on the ground or upon a table where it can be easily reached. Have a variety of items for the preschooler to experiment with. Plastic toys, rocks, Ivory® brand bar soap, other bar soap, pumice stone, toy cars, and wood blocks are ideal items for this activity. Have your preschooler tell you whether they think the item will float or sink. Ask them to explain their answer. Then ask your child to place the item in the water. Did the object perform as expected? Why or why not? Have the child explain the results to you.

Sand Exploration

This summer learning activity for preschoolers requires a sandbox or large plastic storage bin filled with clean sand. A variety of sand toys including buckets, shovels, spoons, measuring cups, sand wheels, and sieves or sifters are needed. Let the preschoolers explore the properties of sand with the toys. Keep a small pail of water nearby so that the child can see the difference in the properties of wet sand, damp sand, and dry sand. Can you hold a fistful of dry sand? What about wet sand and damp sand? Why does sand behave differently when water is added? Explore these questions with your preschooler. Allow plenty of time for free play.

Bubbles

Preschoolers love bubbles. Set up several containers for experimentation. Have shallow plates, small dishes, large containers and a variety of bubble toys on hand for exploration. The toys should include bubble wands, and items that they can blow bubbles with. A bubble machine adds lots of fun if you have one. Talk to your preschoolers about the properties of a bubble. What is a bubble? How can you make a bubble? Ask your preschooler to see how large a bubble they can make. Experiment with making your own bubble solutions and compare those to store bought bubble mix.

Beans and Rice

This is a preschooler favorite. Fill a large plastic storage bin halfway with uncooked rice or dry beans. Supervise this activity carefully as ingesting uncooked beans and rice can cause problems if too much is eaten. Use cooking utensils and sand toys for play items. Preschoolers love to play with the rice and beans. They will spend hours "cooking". Allow them to explore measuring, pouring, cooking and stirring the rice or beans. Preschoolers enjoy the different texture of the rice or beans. Parents like this activity because it can be used indoors. Cleanup is easy, just sweep up any spilled rice or beans.

Plan summer learning activities for your preschooler throughout the summer months to keep your preschooler engaged and occupied. Inviting friends to participate enhances the fun. Keep a storage bin or two of dry sand, beans, or rice to use for a quick and easy activity. Make this summer a season of exploration with these activities for preschoolers.