Fun Summer Learning Activities for Your Kids

Your child’s finally out of school for the summer, and they’re ready for fun in the sun. However, just because class isn’t in session doesn’t mean you can’t stuff some learning into your child’s newfound free time. Ensuring your child hits certain developmental milestones means you have to continue introducing opportunities to grow and learn into their summer routines. 

Ensuring your child continues their growth and development over their summer vacation doesn’t have to be an uphill battle — you only need engaging ideas for summer adventures that can be equally good learning opportunities. But striking a balance between fun and education can be tough; too much learning, and your child might lose interest. Fortunately for you, we’ve got a few fun ideas up our sleeve.

Local Nature Hikes

With longer summer days and more free time on your hands with your kids, you can open your world up to new adventures. Kids learn by interacting with the world around them and feeling engaged in their chosen activities. Taking your kid hiking through the local woods or national park can combine the best of the educational world with summertime adventures. 

Just beyond the tree lines lies tons of interesting plant and animal life waiting to be found and observed. Walk around and see if you guys can spot any animals among the vegetation. If there’s a body of water nearby, walk along the edge and see if you spot any frogs, toads, turtles, or fish. Bring a camera, too, so you can snag some pictures and teach your child about the animals or plants in your photos.

Not only will a nature hike teach your child about wildlife, but they’ll get some fresh air, too. Physical exercise is just as important for your child’s development as educational activities; at Right Steps summer camp, children participate in dancing, yoga, gymnastics, and other fun activities that get the body moving, all in a safe and friendly environment.

Make DIY Musical Instruments Together

Music remains one of the most engaging and stimulating activities that your kids can get involved in over the summer. Whether they have spent the school year learning a new instrument or have shown interest in trying one since the summer started, you can turn this interest into a fun and engaging activity that doubles as a learning experience. 

You and your kids could spend a couple of hours building a rough musical instrument out of stuff around the house and see if you can get it to work. You could make maracas, a rain stick, or even a simple guitar. Maybe learn some background about the instrument you created and try to play some simple musical pieces. You continue to develop their interest in music while also building their fine motor skills and creativity.

Finding a summer program that helps kids identify and cultivate their interest in music is crucial to their ongoing development. More parents are choosing Right Steps Education’s summer camp programs to help cultivate these interests. At Right Steps, music is a huge part of our summer camp curriculum. We teach music within its historical and cultural contexts so children can feel connected to it.

Arts and Crafts Remain Tried and True

In a similar vein, you could bust out the markers and construction paper for some arts and crafts. Giving your kids the chance to stretch their creative muscles with arts and crafts allows them to freely express themselves in a nurturing environment and explore their creativity in a structured way. 

Did you take your child on a nature hike and want to give them the chance to learn more about what they saw on the adventure? Have your child draw an animal from your nature hike if they’re unsure of what to draw. They can learn more about the particular animals or flowers they saw while engaging in something creative. If your child is especially artistic, have them draw a cartoon flipbook. Each page in one of these books is like a “frame” of video, and you’re supposed to flip through the pages fast to make it look like the drawing is moving. 

Right Steps understands the importance of art in fostering creativity in children, so we’ve made the arts a significant part of our curriculum. We focus on allowing our school students and summer campers to stretch their creative muscles through the arts.

Exploring the Options Around Your Home

You don’t need to stick with activities at or around your home; plan a day full of learning activities! The summer means you have more opportunities to expand your kid’s horizons and spend more quality time with them that you didn’t get the chance to have during the school year. 

The Greater Philadelphia area has a wide range of museums, art galleries, and interactive learning opportunities for your kids. Finding museums and galleries that can interest your kids can help fill their summer days with fun-filled learning 

For some more outdoor exploring, plan a picnic at a local park. Picnics are an amazing opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors while teaching your child some basic cooking and planning skills. 

Learn More About Right Steps Education’s Summer Programs Now!

These are only a few of the many summer learning activities your child will find fun. Right Steps summer camp has even more fun learning activities for children. The children that attend our camps are provided a fun, safe, supportive learning environment during their time at Right Steps. Reach out to us today to find out more information!