Boredom Busters!
Preschool Summer Activities

"Mom, I'm bored!" I knew my kids needed some fun preschool summer activities after hearing that phrase for the 127th time during the first week of vacation.

Whether you work outside of the home or not, you'll inevitably face this situation over the summer. Your kids are not in school, the weather's nice (except for those pesky rainy days), and they want to be entertained!

Below you will find some great resources to keep your preschoolers active, engaged, and maybe a little less bored this summer.

Outdoor Preschool Summer Activities

---

On days when the weather is fanastic, take advantage of it and head outside with your kids!

The following are suggestions for outdoor preschool summer activities:

• Fill up a wading pool and let the kids splash around. My kids like to take their plastic dolls and cars to "wash"
• Take a trip to the local zoo
• Tour the local playgrounds - maybe try a new one each week
• Go for a walk or bike/tricycle ride
• Pack a picnic lunch and head to a local park - or even your own yard!
• Set up an outdoor obstacle course: Jump over a log/bush, run around the house, swing on a swing, and then roll down the hill.
• Run through the sprinklers
• Draw with sidewalk chalk
• Play a game of tag
• Catch fireflies (at night of course!)
• Play with the hose
• Set up a neighborhood "Summer Olympics"
• Create a lemonade/fresh produce stand
• Plant a garden together
• Head to a local beach. If you don't have one near you, create one! Fill up a wading pool with sand, the tub with water and you've got sand and water to play in!
• Play with shadows on a bright, sunny day
• Set up a tent in the backyard. If you're feeling brave, try an overnight!
• Find local festivals and attractions to visit
• Go on a nature walk and find interesting objects from the outdoors. You could then create a collage with the materials
• Play hopscotch
• Purchase and play games with a parachute (or just use a sheet) - like switch spots if you're wearing red, or make a "mushroom" to hide under
• Blow bubbles together

These are just a sampling of ideas. Hopefully you can take this list and use it to spark your imagination!

Indoor Preschool Summer Activities

---

Of course, there will be days when the weather doesn't cooperate, and you are forced to be inside. What to do then??

Try these ideas for indoor summer fun:

• Make an art project together
• Take a trip to the local library - many have storytime hours too now!
• Invite a friend over to play
• Try a local museum - our city has a wonderful children's museum that is perfect for rainy days
• Head to the local mall play area. I've been know to do this on days when I'm desperate to get out of the house. Just be sure to bring along lots of hand sanitizer! :)
• Play a board game - I love Memory, CandyLand, and Chutes and Ladders for preschoolers
• Find a local indoor pool that has "Open Swim" hours
• Create an indoor scavenger hunt. Have your child find things like: a red sock, a circle, a scratchy item, etc. to sneak in some learning
• Make some tasty recipes together
• Try a rainy day walk - don your raincoats, boots, hats and catch raindrops on your tongue!
• Cozy up in a favorite place and read some favorite books
• Look through photo albums and remember fun times

Preschool Summer Lesson Plans

---

If you are a teacher, at a daycare for example, you will need lesson plans to carry you through the summer months as well.

These are some common themes for preschool summer lesson plans that teachers tend to use:

Beach
Bugs
Butterflies
Camping
Fourth of July
Ocean

Return from Preschool Summer Activities to Preschool Activities
Return Home