As summertime gets closer, it gets harder to keep our kindergarteners engaged. All of us (teachers included) have summer on our minds and that can make it hard to squeeze in the last bit of learning time we have left for the year. That is why it’s important to bring in fun, summer-themed activities, and summer crafts for kindergarten that will pique our students’ interest. We can still keep them learning until summer break is officially here!
For that reason, I like to bring summer into the classroom as much as possible. They are already thinking about it and there are a lot of ways that you can incorporate kindergarten learning goals with sweet, sweet summertime!
Math
One of my favorite ways to bring summer into the classroom this time of year is with hands-on math stations and games. Not only can you put them in your math centers, but you can also use them anytime that you have a little bit of down time that you are wanting to fill with a learning activity that doesn’t necessarily feel like learning. I get out the snap cubes, popsicle sticks, playdough, and rubberbands, and let students build fun summer shapes with all of the different manipulatives we have been using throughout the year. For example, students can use colored popsicle sticks to build a lemonade glass shape on a provided mat. Then, to sneak in some math skill review, they can count and record how many sticks they used to make that shape! Incorporating the practice of math skills while also being creative is a great way to engage students.
Students feel like they are just playing with games like roll and cover, too! First, a student rolls the dice, counts the dots, and then covers a beach ball or other summer shape with that number on it. Then, they will continue until they cover every number on their roll and cover mat. Summer games like this are a great way to review skills, while keeping students interested with fun themes and hands-on activities.
Literacy Centers
Like math stations, I keep my end-of-year literacy centers focused on summer-themed activities, since that is where students’ minds already are! Think themes like popsicles, the beach, camping, and sunshine! Then, I bring in the literacy skills that students need to keep reviewing until kindergarten is over like letter recognition, beginning sounds, and cvc words.
For example, in one center with a beach theme, students can build puzzles with beach backgrounds. Written on top of the beach puzzle are letters to different CVCe words. Once they have completed the puzzle, they can practice reading different words with the CVCe spelling pattern! Having these important and familiar skills infused with summer themes helps keep things new and engaging for students.
Writing
For example, in one center with a beach theme, students can build puzzles with beach backgrounds. Written on top of the beach puzzle are letters to different CVCe words. Once they have completed the puzzle, they can practice reading different words with the CVCe spelling pattern! Having these important and familiar skills infused with summer themes helps keep things new and engaging for students.
To make the writing process even more engaging, you can bring in a summer craft to do alongside a writing prompt. Things like crabs, sharks, and turtles all make adorable crafts that your students will love to do! Then, it is easy to incorporate writing by letting students write stories or facts about these exciting ocean animals. Not to mention, all of this summer fun will make a great end-of-the-year bulletin board! Infusing art and summer themes with your writing will help keep your students engaged, even when it seems that summer break is all they can think about. This is the perfect way to keep them engaged while also having a great time and learning!
More Summer-Themed Activities and Ideas
If you’re looking for even more fun activities or crafts, another fun way to help your kids get out all of their summer fun thoughts is to help them create a summer bucket list. Kids of all ages will enjoy dreaming up all of the fun ideas they can play out during summertime. It could be as simple as ‘blow bubbles’ or ‘play with pool noodles’ or even ‘water balloon fight’. These are all summer theme activities they can do with the whole family. You can even have them draw these events out to give them a chance to be more creative. Surely, an epic water battle with water balloons can be a fun activity for everyone!
There are plenty of other fun things you can introduce to them as well. For example, if your local library has a print out of fun summer activities, make copies for your class (or your personal fridge) so they can take it to their parents. Encouraging their love for reading throughout the summer months can further help with their fine motor skills but also be so much fun too!
You can even turn your last week into a “summer camp” where you can include many of these awesome summer activities into your lesson plans. You can also plan for several outdoor activities so it feels like summer vacation has already started for the both of you! Sometimes even the joy of playing a simple game with classmates can create memories for a lifetime. Perhaps with parental approval, you might even be able to have an ice cream party!
Summer-Themed Activities: Conclusion
As teachers, we want to make the most of the learning time that we have with our students. However, as the school year comes to a close, it becomes harder to keep the focus on learning when there are so many extra activities. Of course, summer break is on all of our minds! That is why it is important to bring in engaging and hands-on summer-themed activities that help them review key kindergarten skills they have learned throughout the year. What are your favorite summer activities? Let me know in the comments below!
Leave a Reply