Fun Things to Learn During the Summer

There are so many fun things to learn during the summer months. Discover ten fun topics your preschoolers can explore.

From summer fruits to summer bugs and more! Kids will have so much fun diving into some of the unique opportunities that summer has to offer.

Fun Things to Learn During the Summer

Learn about watermelon.

Of course, the most hands-on way to learn about watermelon is to grow one of your own. This summer, try planting some watermelon seeds with your preschoolers and see what happens. There’s no better way to learn about the life cycle of a watermelon that that!

Purchase a watermelon at the grocery store or farmer’s market. Slice into and explore it up close. Talk about the parts of a watermelon (rind, flesh, seeds). Discuss its colors, and send your child on a red/green scavenger hunt around the yard. Count the seeds in a small slice of watermelon.

Make a simple paper plate watermelon craft, and add thumbprint seeds.

Learn about the ocean.

Not everyone lives near the ocean so you may have to explore the ocean virtually or in books this summer. Gather a collection of nonfiction books about the ocean and ocean animal books for preschoolers.

Build vocabulary with some ocean animals coloring pages or strengthen visual discrimination skills with an ocean animals memory matching game.

For a fun sensory experience, you can turn an ordinary zip-top plastic baggie into an engaging ocean in a bag activity.

Add in a fun STEM challenge when you and your preschoolers try this ocean-themed Skittles candy science experiment.

Learn about ladybugs.

Ladybugs are one of the “bugs” I love to teach preschoolers about. Little ones aren’t typically frightened by ladybugs, and they’re happy to let them crawl on their hand or arm.

One of the coolest ways to study ladybugs is to order a ladybug habitat and raise ladybugs from larva to adult. There is no better way to study the life cycle of a ladybug than to view it up close and personal.

If you don’t want to actually grow them yourself, you can always catch a few and keep them in a bug hut for a day or two before releasing them. While this doesn’t show the whole life cycle, it will give kids an opportunity to see the ladybugs up close.

Read books about ladybugs, create a ladybug sensory bin, or make a paper plate ladybug craft.

Sneak in a little math with a one-page Roll & Cover Ladybug Math activity that will help preschoolers practice counting this summer.

Learn about the farm.

As the temperatures warm up, farm animals begin grazing in the fields and come out of the barn to explore. This is a great time to drive by or visit a farm so kids can see the farm animals in person.

After your visit to the farm, kids can practice letter recognition with this set of farm-themed color by letter worksheets. Or, they can practice counting with these farm number sense activity pages.

Farm animals finger puppets pair nicely with your child’s favorite picture books about farms. Or, they can use them as you sing Old MacDonald with them.

If one of your child’s favorite books is Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, these no-prep activity pages are a must-see!

Learn about strawberries.

Another fun summer fruit to explore is the strawberry. This fruit is unique as it grows its seeds on the outside instead of the inside like other fruits.

You can try planting strawberries with your preschoolers. They can plant the seeds, watch for the sprouts, observe the plant growing, and then enjoy the fruit of the full-grown plant. That’s the best way to learn about the strawberry life cycle.

Need a fun math activity to do with your preschoolers? Try these strawberry playdough mats. Want to practice the alphabet? Try these strawberry letter identification cards.

Add some sensory play to your strawberry learning time with this strawberry math sensory bin.

Learn about frogs.

Frogs are awesome! We love looking for tadpoles at the pond and bringing them home to watch them grow. Little ones are fascinated by these tiny creatures that start out as tadpoles, absorb their tails, grow legs, and transform into frogs!

If you do catch some tadpoles (or find some frog eggs), you can teach your kids about the life cycle of a frog as they grow. Kids can color this frog life cycle diagram as the eggs or tadpoles transform.

Focus on counting and language with these 5 Green Speckled Frogs printable puppets. Perfect for preschoolers!

Get crafty with an adorable frog paper craft complete with fingerprint flies for the froggy to eat.

Learn about bees.

Bees are one insect that preschoolers may be frightened of – especially if they’ve ever been stung. If they learn about the importance of bees, however, they may be a little less afraid.

A grownup can catch a bee in a bug hut for preschoolers to observe up close for a little while before letting it go free. Or, you can place an insect hotel in your flower garden to attract bees for your little ones to observe in nature.

Spend some time teaching little ones the parts of a bee and the stages of the life cycle of a bee as you explore real bees this summer.

This beehive craft for preschoolers is simply adorable! Fingerprint bees add to the playfulness of this paper craft that’s perfect for spring and summer.

Or, have your kids make some of these painted rock bees to decorate the flower beds or flower pots in your garden space.

Learn about zoo animals.

Summer is a great time to visit the zoo (especially if you can visit early in the morning). The animals can often be found roaming about their habitats. If you live close enough to visit a zoo, take your kids on a fun zoo scavenger hunt with one of these five printables.

These simple ABC animal flash cards with watercolor animal graphics are great for introducing a wide variety of animals.

If your kiddo likes bears, let them practice their scissor skills with these bear-themed cutting practice worksheets.

You might even want to serve up some teddy bear toast for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Learn about the 4th of July.

Many of us spend time in June preparing for the 4th of July. If you do, I’ve got some fun ideas to do with your preschoolers.

First, you can make an adorable bald eagle craft with a toilet paper roll. See if you can find a webcam to watch to show your little ones some bald eagles in nature.

Take some time introduce your little ones to the pledge of allegiance. While they may not be able to memorize the entire pledge this summer, you can plant seeds of knowledge they can build on.

Learn about butterflies.

Is there anyone that doesn’t love butterflies? The way they can transform from caterpillar to butterfly is fascinating. Kids enjoy watching the grown butterflies flit from flower to flower in the spring and summer months.

Teach your preschoolers about the life cycle of a butterfly. This printable features activities that focus on life cycle of a butterfly for kids. It contains 16 exciting activities!

For a fun hands-on way to learn the life cycle, you can have them create this fun butterfly life cycle paper plate craft.

This gorgeous tissue paper butterfly craft is a great way to have preschoolers work on motor skills as they crumple tissue paper to decorate their craft.

Round Out Your Unit with These Activities

If you love using peg dogs in your imaginative play area, you don’t want to miss these eco-friendly Summer Peg Dolls decorated with hand painted summery flowers!

Storytelling is part of the learning process. Add some summer story stones to your reading and literacy centers.