20 Little Things You Can Do to Boost Summer Learning (Pre-K Edition)

Make summer learning fun – for you and your child!

A new school year may be an entire season away, but it’s never too early to stem summer learning loss and prepare for the first school bell. To help your children keep their minds sharp during the busy days of June, July and August, here are some enjoyable, easy activities you can do as a family to ensure that the summer months are filled with brain-building fun:

1. Cut up an old greeting card in puzzle-like shapes. Ask your child to fit the pieces back together.
2. After listening to a story, have your child tell you what happened first, next and last.
3. Have your child draw a detailed picture and talk about the details he/she included in the picture.
4. Go outside and repeat a pattern activity like step-step-jump.
5. Have your child draw a picture of fun things to do in the summer.
6. Have your child use your shoes to measure a room. How many shoes across?
7. Explore an unfamiliar fruit or vegetable together and talk about what it smells like, feels like, looks like, and tastes like. Does it make any noise?
8. Together act out a familiar story and use/make simple props to go with the story.
9. Together note the different types of flowers in your garden or park.
10. Together find pictures of animals that begin with the same letter.
11. Help your child write his/her name using sidewalk chalk.
12. Make a chart together to record the weather each day next month.
13. Together make a necklace using cereal like Cheerios™.
14. Look at baby pictures together and talk about how your child has changed.
15. Using a newspaper article, have your child circle letters that begin with the first letter of your child’s first name.
16. Help your child write letters with their fingers in shaving cream on a tray or plate.
17. Using letters, have your child find items around the house beginning with these letters.
18. Bake cookies together. Count the number on each tray.
19. With your child create and deliver a thank you card for a teacher or sitter.
20. Together look through old magazines and cut out circles, squares and rectangles.

Want some more great ideas? We’ve got you covered. Check out our Get Ready for Kindergarten activity calendar. You’ll find these and many other activities, all designed to make learning a fun, family-centered adventure.

You can view and download the calendar here for free (PDF)!

Special thanks to our Seacoast NH office for developing this calendar, which was was part of the K-Ready Kids summer learning drive!