16 Summer Learning Activities for Preschoolers

Do you teach preschool during the summer? Or are you the kind of parent who likes to throw in some educational activities between popsicles and swimming lessons? I’m the latter. Try these summer activities for preschoolers to keep your preschooler engaged in learning while also having loads of summer of fun!

Summer Activities for Preschool to Keep ’em Learning

summer activities for preschoolers and toddlers free

Summer learning activities for preschool has never been so easy!

Ok, so I’m that mom who every single year, when fourth-quarter report cards come home, takes a look at her childrens’ strengths and weaknesses and immediately sets to work devising a summer plan to keep learning.

I’d love for our district to move to a modified year-round schedule because I am that parent who is afraid her kids are going to forget everything they have learned over the year. I mean, I can tell one of my kids not to use their shirt as a napkin, and two seconds later they are wiping their face on their sleeve. So, what does that say about long division or diagraming sentences?

Ok, so maybe I don’t give my kids enough credit, but I certainly don’t think there is anything wrong will partially filling our summer days with learning activities. Seriously. Remember how good it felt that last time you learned how to do something new? So why not throw in some summer activities for your preschoolers to keep ’em learning.

These summer learning activities are just the thing to help keep your preschooler advancing throughout the summer, but still having loads of fun. But don’t worry. These are not academic lessons! They are just happy, summer themed activities that are downright fun!

Some are free printables for summer and others are hands-on activities using basic household materials. Keep reading to find all my best summer learning activities for kids.

Free Printable Summer Activities for Preschool

These. are all free printables I offer. You can click on the image to read more or scroll down a bit to read a short snippet about each printable. Remember, they are free, so be sure to grab your own copies.

A fun summer themed pattern blocks printable mats set for kids. These help with fine motor skills, math as well as letter recognition.      A desert themed activity to promote number formation and fine motor skills for preschoolers.           

Summer Themed Pattern Blocks – These are not your average pattern blocks mats. Nope. Since one of my little boys is formally entering kinder this fall, I made this activity to help prepare him for some of the learning and tasks he’ll encounter in a few months.

Cactus Playdough Mats 1-20 – One of my favorite summer themes is a desert theme! These cactus number formation playdough mats are the perfect thing to add to your writing and math centers when doing a desert theme this summer.

Popsicle Beginning Sounds Puzzles – These beginning sound activities for preschoolers are too fun, and make a great addition to your summer theme. I feature the traditional way to use these puzzles, and even more ideas on how to use this exact same printable for other activities.

Lemonade More and Less Counting Mat – Use this lemonade more and less counting mats to teach those skills in your summer preschool theme.

These Beach Themed Printables are a fantastic tool as a prewriting activity for preshoolers. These skills are necessary for learning how to write in their future.      Tropical Themed Printable Learning Games For Preschoolers. These games are a great way to play and learn all at the same time this summer.       Help children with vocabulary with this engaging and colorful bingo game!     

Beach Themed Prewriting Cards – Does your summer preschool theme include learning about the beach? These free beach theme printable prewriting cards are the perfect addition to your summer themes, especially your ocean theme. But be sure to scroll to the end of the post for more ways to use this printable!

Tropical Island Learning Games – There’s something about to tropics that everyone loves, so why not try a tropical theme in your preschool this summer? Give it a chance with these printable learning games for preschoolers that also celebrates all the iconic images of the tropics!

Camping Themed Blackout Game – A simple bingo game is a fun way to begin a camping theme in preschool. As always, I offer five other ways to use this camping printable, so be sure to read all the ideas at the end of the post. And don’t forget to grab your free camping preschool printable, too.

Five Little Fishies Song and Counting Mats – My preschoolers adore the Five Little Fishies song. We started out singing it last August during our ocean theme, and we just keep on singing it, because my preschoolers adore it. So with summer approaching, I thought it appropriate to add a counting printable to the fun.

Sensory Based Summer Activities for Preschool

Summer is the perfect time to add a little sensory component to your preschooler’s day. Preschoolers learn so much from sensory activities, and the summer heat brings those sensory activities outside, too.

                 

Scooping and Pouring Water Bead Sensory Bin –  Full of green water beads, this scooping and pouring water bin was the perfect way to enjoy with warmer weather.

Ocean Animal Hide and Seek Water Bin – Add some bubbles and some sea animal toys and an ocean sensory bin like this one will definitely be a huge hit! But there’s more than just the ocean your preschooler will learn about.

Dyed Beans Summer Sensory Bin – Have you ever seen anything so vibrant and inviting as this dyed beans sensory bin? I’m not sure my preschoolers had because when I introduced them to this summer sensory bin they squealed with the delight only equal to Christmas morning.

Sand and Seashell Name Recognition Sensory Bin – In this ocean learning activity, your children will learn the letters of their names. They will also scoop, pour and discover the different textures of the seashells and sand in their ocean sensory bin.

Summer Art Activities for Preschool

                 

Watercolor String Painting – Toddlers and paint sometimes don’t mix…. Well, that is not the case with yarn painting!   This is a process art activity for toddlers that is sure to be colorful and fun, as well as provide lots and lots of focus on the process!

Oil and Water Droplet Painting – I love it when process art gets all mixed up with science. Oil and water painting does just that. It’s all about the process, but it also teaches physical science to preschoolers.

Decorated Tree Branches – Preschoolers get to explore art through painting and decorating tree branches for a spring theme process art activity. And, I might add, it makes a pretty creative “bouquet” for Mother’s Day, too!

Cellophane Collages – Cellophane collages are where process art meets science and then they go a-walking and meet sensory. But the best part of a project like cellophane collages is that it is such an ideal way to teach preschoolers about light and color.

Looking for More Printable Summer Activities for Preschool?

I’ve got you covered for math! Click the images below to learn more about each pack.

           

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