Indoor Activities Archives - Homeschool Preschool

Summer is just around the corner!

Learning doesn’t have to stop just because it’s summer break. It doesn’t have to be formal, either. This list contains over fifty fun summer learning activities that are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers (and older siblings, too!)

This list contains indoor and outdoor activities. You’ll find math, science, and sight word activities. There are sensory bins and hands-on learning fun, as well.

Summer Learning Activities

Kids will love melting ice with salt. When they add food coloring to highlight the pits and valleys, you’ll have their attention for a long time.

Facilitate an egg drop STEM challenge off the deck or a high stool.

Let your kids see the reaction between baking soda and vinegar with these exploding chalk paints!

These Alka Seltzer rockets are another great science activity that will lead to discussions about chemical reactions.

Reinforce {or teach} basic preschool skills with this summer printable pack.

Build a backyard bird feeder or two.

Help kids work on their gross motor skills with this fun outdoor gross motor ball color sort.

These LEGO building challenges are great for a rainy summer afternoon.

Let kids turn grapes into raisins.

Explore nature with these hands-on Roly Poly activities.

Watch caterpillars hatch into butterflies in a butterfly house.

Print out this scavenger hunt if you plan to visit the zoo!

Here’s a fun insect-themed preschool learning pack.

Summer themed alphabet puzzles

Kids will be amazed when they explore these color-changing flowers.

I love this handprint octopus color matching craft.

Preschoolers will love fishing for the alphabet with this fun game!

Review sight words with this sidewalk chalk sight word activity.

Play one of these BINGO games on your summer road trip.

Get kids talking by asking Would You Rather? questions. These are also great for road trips.

Explore bugs and insects up close with a critter case!

Create a one-of-a-kind art piece with these fingerprint flowers.

Do you have a local farmer’s market nearby? Check out these healthy eating activities (including a printable scavenger hunt) that your little ones will enjoy.

With a few household items, kids can paint fireworks to celebrate the 4th of July.

This ice cream math activity is perfect for summer!

Summer is watermelon season. Here’s a fun paper plate watermelon craft for kids.

Inside or out, kids will love racing these balloon rockets with their siblings and friends.

Spice up your hopscotch board by using sight words instead of numbers.

I love this DIY outdoor board game, and I know your kids will, too!

Make s’mores in your very own solar oven! I’m trying this one with my nephew!

Little ones will love fishing like Daddy with this fishing kit.

On a rainy day, snuggle up with your little one and a book about weather.

Take your little ones on an ABC treasure hunt in your own backyard!

Try your hand at making your own paper.

Want to WOW your kids a fun science experiment? Try this leak-proof bag!

Kids can design their own penny boats.

If you have a sandbox, try building a sand volcano in it.

Host an ocean-themed playdate for your preschoolers.

Rainy day got you down? Let your little ones build a bug!

Put together your own nature exploration kit for kids.

If you live near a beach or a playground with a sandbox, let your little ones explore the sand with sifters and sand molds.

Take your little ones on a scavenger hunt. Let them look for numbers, letters, and colors.

Let your little ones grab and pull a letter load.

Use magnifying glasses and a pocket microscope to inspect pond water.

This printable weather unit study will go great with the weather books I linked above.

Here’s a fun “wash the pet” sensory bin.

This ocean play dough table is awesome for summer sensory fun.

Explore colors with baking soda and vinegar.

This nature cutting tray will help your little ones with their motor skills.

Entertain your littlest ones with these hot dog lacing cards at your next backyard BBQ.

Preschoolers will love planting seeds with their very own gardening tools.

I Spy is perfect for road trips and nature walks.

Check out these picnic activities for tots and preschoolers.

Encourage little ones to think like a scientist with these gravity activities.

Use common household items to create an upcycled catapult.

Cress is a quick-growing seed. Little ones will love planting these seeds in egg shells and watching them grow.

Which of these fun summer learning activities will you add to your summer bucket list?

These egg carton ocean animals are the perfect summer preschool craft! They can be made with household items, and your little ones will love getting creative! | homeschoolpreschool.net

My son loves sweet, drippy, juicy watermelon. We've been enjoying a lot of it this summer. So I knew he'd be excited about these simple, fun watermelon activities. And I'm sure your preschooler will be too. | homeschoolpreschool.net

Summer's just around the corner, and it's time to start planning a summer campout. Get your preschoolers in the mood with these awesome camping crafts for kids!

Preschoolers get bored easily. You’re waiting for the doctor, chatting with a friend, or enjoying the beautiful weather outside. And your little one is begging you to go home. Instead of getting frustrated, try sending your child on a spontaneous scavenger hunt!

Spontaneous Scavenger Hunt

Counting

Send your child searching for a specific number of an item. Have your kid search for 5 pretty pebbles, 4 flowers, or 3 pine cones when you’re out of doors.

Sitting in an office is a little harder but still doable. See if your child can find 3 picture books, 4 letter M’s, or 5 pictures of flowers.

The item doesn’t matter as much as sending your child for a specific number of things.

Colors

Scavenger hunts don’t need you searching for a specific number of items. You can change the requirements as needed. So instead of sending your child for 5 pine cones, try sending your child searching for something brown.

Improve their observation skills by having your kids search for something yellow, something green, or something blue.

Don’t forget to use the less common words for colors to increase your preschooler’s vocabulary. Try words such as emerald, teal, or violet.

Size

Remember to send your child to search for objects by size as well as color or number. Search for a bigger stick, a smaller rock, or a tiny snail.

You could also use words such as gigantic, minuscule, or medium to use as well.

Be prepared to define words for your preschooler as needed. The goal is to increase your child’s vocabulary through the scavenger hunt while you wait.

Texture

Another descriptive method for describing objects is by texture. Use the scavenger hunt to send your child looking for something slimy, scaly, or soft.

Don’t be surprised if they come back with a slug, pine cone, or dandy lion fluff.

Kids can be quite inventive when they choose!

Combinations

As kids become adept at finding singular descriptions such as 3 pine cones or 2 rocks, try combining the adjectives.

Send your child searching for something small, soft, and white. Try the combinations of something gigantic, teal, and spiky.

At this point, you’re not just improving your child’s vocabulary with these descriptions. You’re also improving your kid’s memory and imagination. Your preschooler has to remember the description you gave in addition to figuring out what fits that description.

A spontaneous scavenger hunt will keep your child entertained for quite some time while improving their vocabulary, imagination, and memory.

Do you enjoy spontaneous scavenger hunts with your preschoolers?

More Activities for Kids

Are you teaching preschoolers to count or recite? Discover several ways to adapt this fun kid's game! It's simple, active, and loads of fun. | homeschoolpreschool.net

National Goof Off Day makes the perfect excuse to be silly, goof off, and connect with our preschoolers. Discover five fun ways to do just that! | @homeschlprek

Have you ever played the game Two Truths and a Lie? It's a fabulous game to play with preschoolers trapped in the car! | @homeschlprek

50+ Fun Summer Learning Activities for Kids