Have you been looking for some kindergarten summer learning activities? Learning should not stop just because it is the summer months.
Research has shown that kids can lose as much as one to two months of reading and math skills over the summer. Some people call this the “summer slide”.
Making sure your kindergartener’s brain is active during the summer months is important. You can prevent that summer slide from happening by trying some of these kindergarten summer learning activities!
Activity 1: Visit the Library
This can be done online or if possible, in person. Many libraries have wonderful summer programs, story times and special summer events. They also have many programs online that your child can participate in throughout the summer months.
Activity 2: Read Daily
Reading daily is probably the most important activity a child can do in the summer months. This simple activity can prevent that summer learning slide. Here are some ideas that may help!
- practice reading favorite books and library books
- read books sent home from school
- books online: many websites have leveled books that can be downloaded and sites that have video Read Aloud
- read a bedtime story: snuggle up and read aloud to your child
Activity 3: Play Word Games
Word games are a great kindergarten summer learning activity. Not only do they increase your child’s vocabulary skills, it maintains and improves their phonics skills. Check these word game ideas out!
- word hunt: create a word list and hide sight or vocabulary words around the house on sticky notes. Student must find each word on the list read it out loud and use it in a sentence.
- new word game: teach your child a new word each day. Look for new descriptive words on TV, in books or on your travels. Look it up in the dictionary, write the word, and use it in a sentence. Try to use that word in conversation during the day
- sight word dice games: practice first grade sight words with dice games
- phonics dice games: practice first grade phonic skills with dice games
Activity 4: Summer Activity Calendars
Summer activity calendars are a great way to sharpen students reading and math skills during the time off school. There are many calendars that can be copied online or you can make up your own with your child’s help.
Activity 5: The Gift of Writing
Writing is such a wonderful skill for your kindergartener to work on during the summer months. Writing in a journal, sending a letter to someone, or just writing about a topic can be a fun way to practice their writing skills. Maybe some of these ideas may help.
- personalized daily writing journal: create a personalize journal for child with a fancy cover with their name and stickers.
- writing letters or cards to family & friends and ask them to write back, getting mail is always exciting.
- E.W (Drop Everything and Write) Topic or Themed Writing: School, My Friends, My Family, I Would Like to Visit, My Teacher, Summer, Bugs, Butterflies, Baseball etc.
Grab Your Free Summer Fun Writing Page Here!
Activity 6: Get Those Fingers Limber
It is important that students continue their progress with their fine motor skills. These include cutting, threading, grasping, and pencil/paper activities. Here are a few ideas for you to try!
- Cutting with scissors: shapes, lines, pictures, strips of paper
- Threading beads to make a bracelet or necklace
- Weaving paper or cardboard
- Playing with playdough
- Punching holes with a single hole puncher
Activity 7: Use Summer Themed Materials
You could prepare your student’s learning activities around a summer theme. Your children or students may have a specific interest that they would like to learn about during the summer.
Prepare a variety of cross-curricular activities that your kindergartener can do around this topic. It is much easier to pull in the academic areas of science and social studies when a theme is chosen.
Here are some summer suggested themes:
- summer
- ocean/ocean animals
- butterflies/bugs
- baseball/soccer
- camping/ s’mores
Activity 8: Shake and Roll Math Games
Kindergarten summer learning activities need to include math skills. Just like reading, these skills need to be practiced daily so your child can improve and maintain these important skills. Try some of these activities to practice these skills.
- Roll It! Read It! Say the Sum or Difference Math Facts Dice Games
- Roll & Cover Addition Dice Games
- Daily Calendar & Math Reviews
- Cuddle Up with a Math Problem: Bedtime Math http://bedtimemath.org/apps/
Activity 9: Online Resources
There are so many summer materials already developed and out there for you to use. Many of these resources are free for the taking and some are very minimally priced. Here are just a few for you to look at. Try some of these suggestions.
- Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT): free and paid resources; themed materials; materials for all curricular areas
- Pinterest: ideas for every subject, themed materials
- Learning Sites: available for every subject area
- ABC YA: abcya.com
- Fun Brain: funbrain.com
- Star Fall: starfall.com
- PBS Kids: pbs.org
- Storyline Online: storylineonline.net
- Into the Book: reading.ecb.org
- National Geographic for Kids: kids.nationalgeographic.com
Activity 10: Run, Jump & Play
Just as important as the academic areas, running around and playing is essential for your child’s brain development. Research has shown that exercise helps improve a child’s memory, concentration, and ability to learn. You can have organized exercise activities or just let your kindergartener play!
Hopefully, some of these kindergarten summer learning activities will be helpful to you and your students or child. Summer is a time for children to relax, but it is important to make sure they are keeping an active mind. Practice learning skills with some fun learning games and activities to get them ready to have a successful school year and prevent that summer slide!
Find some more reading activities and assessments in my store, The Teaching Scene by Maureen.
To read more first grade topics check out my blog, “Seven Kindergarten Informal Reading Assessments”
