Parents searching for fun learning activities for their children to participate in while school is out for the summer (or the weekends) will find this article to be helpful. Get the whole family involved! Have your child invite his or her friends over to participate in some real “fun learning” activities. Call a neighbor friend and invite the friend and children over and team together to make the activity even more fun!
Fun Learning
Visit the museum.
Most locations have a museum or other low-admission attraction that would make a nice day-trip. Not only is it something you don’t do every day, but it’s fun and educational, too.
Community Service
The local retirement home and hospital often like when children come in to help serve lunch, or read to the patients. Places like “Feed My Starving Children” provide great volunteer and learning opportunities to serve others. Kids can also have fun volunteering at an animal shelter. These shelters always need help making getting the dogs out for some exercise!
Create and Write A Picture Book
With construction paper and some crayons, your children can become authors and illustrators. If old enough, let them write their own stories and illustrate them (either by drawing pictures or cutting photos out of old magazines) or for younger children, you can write down their story as they dictate it to you.
Board Games
Create a board game. Spend some time creating your own board game with cardboard, crayons and other objects- then play it! The real fun is the creation of the game itself, but you can play and save the game for future playtime as well.
Lemonade Stand
Create a business! Teach them how to figure out their profits by subtracting the cost of their materials and supplies and how many cups of lemonade they sell.
Make a Movie/Play
If you have a video camera, let the kids write, direct, act, and record their own movies. If you don’t have one and can’t borrow one, you can do the same thing but have a live performance- like a play.
Host A Treasure Hunt
Hide a small treasure such as a bag of candy, games etc. somewhere in the house or yard. Then use post-its to write clues. Each clue will lead to another clue, until finally the last one will lead the children to the treasure.
Stock Market
For middle school students: create a stock market. have the children use the newspaper or internet to research stocks and pretend to buy shares. Monitor the stocks throughout the summer and see whether you make or lose money. There are numerous stock market programs for the kids to use online.
Computer Time
On rainy days allow the children to find a educational websites and let them explore the world. Most kids love computers and there are thousands of websites designed to educate and entertain at the same time. Be aware of the internet dangers and stay with them (or in the area) to avoid problems.
Yard Sale
Help your children organize a yard sale. They can price their unused toys and clothing and other items that it’s time to get rid of, set up the tables outside with the items to sell, and handle the “customers”.
Create a Store
Either purchase a toy cash register from the store, or set up a calculator at the check out station. Make or buy play money, and spend an afternoon buying items and making change. You could even make a pretend check register and write checks, depending how old your children are.
Make House Chores Fun!
On a dry erase board or piece of cardboard, design a chore chart with the kids and give stickers or stars
whenever their chores are accomplished. Set small goals and rewards for each week, and it will give the kids something to look forward to, and responsibilities during the summer weeks.
Create Music & Write Songs
Write song lyrics and come up with a melody. Record on your computer, mp3 player or tape recorder as a special keepsake.
Cooking
Use easy recipes, but take advantage of all the learning opportunities involved with cooking: creating the shopping list, sticking to a budget, using measuring cups and spoons, nutrition, and actually making the meal.
Form A Book Club
Ideally, you could get a few kids around the same age to all read the same book and get together to chat about it; but if there isn’t enough participation, even a parent and child could read the same book and have a discussion about it.
Play School
Take turns being the teacher and the students, and make worksheets and activities for the students to complete.
Go On A Field Trip
Find a near by zoo and spend a day there. The admission may be a bit on the steep side, but you can often pack snacks and lunches to prevent having to pay for anything other than the entry price and the educational and fun opportunities at the zoo are endless!
Write A Journal
Have your children write daily in a journal. They can write about what they did that day, or what they hope to do the next day.
Become A Tour Guide
Allow kids a chance to become a tour guide. Use maps to discover landmarks, attractions and parks that you’ve never gone to, and plan family trips to visit each.
Google Earth. Use Google Earth and maps to explore the world. Go to: GoogleEarth.com
Set Up A Bank Account
Help your child learn responsible money skills by taking them to the local bank to open a savings account. Allow your child to learn lesson from a banker as you help them set up a bank account.
Library Visit
Tour the library several time a month and allow children to check out books to read. Check into activities – most libraries hold children activities or crafts throughout the summer.
