Embracing Summer: 5 Top Summer Activities For Nursery Children
Summer is a season filled with sunshine, endless fun, and a bounty of learning opportunities for children.
For nursery children, it’s a time to explore, create, and engage with the world around them. The experiences they garner during these formative years can shape their perspective and learning for years to come.
This article discusses five enriching summer activities that merge fun and learning for nursery children.
Exploring Nature’s Wonders
The beauty of summer lies in the great outdoors. Engaging children with nature can significantly contribute to their cognitive, physical, and emotional development. Plan nature-themed excursions to a nearby park, botanical garden, or even your own backyard.
Turn these trips into mini-adventures, searching for different types of leaves, identifying various birds, or simply observing the vibrant hues of summer flowers. You can also organize a bug hunt or create a DIY nature scavenger hunt. This encourages them to observe minutely, ask questions, and learn about the biodiversity around them.
Additionally, these excursions are an excellent way to introduce them to environmental conservation. Teach them about the importance of not littering, preserving natural habitats, and the concept of recycling.
Water Play and Learning
What’s summer without a little splash? Water-based activities are a surefire way to keep nursery children entertained and cool during the hot summer days. Set up a small inflatable pool, water table, or sprinkler in your backyard. Provide them with various water toys, cups, and funnels, and encourage them to pour, scoop, and splash.
Water play is not just refreshing fun. It also enhances their motor skills and hand-eye coordination and introduces them to basic scientific concepts like volume, buoyancy, and cause-effect relationships. Always remember to ensure safety during these activities by providing constant supervision.
The Magic of Storytelling
Summertime offers the perfect setting for outdoor storytelling sessions. Choose a quiet, comfortable spot in your garden or patio, lay down some mats or blankets, and create a cosy story corner. You can even build a makeshift tent or canopy for an added element of adventure.
Choose a variety of suitable books for their age – picture books, fairy tales, or stories about animals and nature. Reading stories aloud can significantly improve their language skills and listening abilities and stimulate their imagination.
Play with Sand
Sand play is a delightful sensory experience for young children. If you have access to a beach or a sandbox, it can offer hours of creative play.
Provide your child with a shovel, buckets, and moulds, and watch them dig, build, and create their own little world.
Playing with sand can help develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and creativity. It can also introduce them to concepts like texture, shape, and size. Ensure to supervise them to prevent them from putting sand in their mouths or eyes.
Art and Craft in the Open
Finally, make the most of the sunny weather by setting up an outdoor art and craft station.
Let your child paint, draw, or create their own summer-themed crafts. It could be painting a picture of the sun, creating a collage of leaves, or making a bird feeder. Art activities boost their creativity and fine motor skills and offer a way for them to express their thoughts and emotions.
Summer Activities For Nursery Children
These summer activities provide an excellent blend of fun and learning for nursery children.
They ensure that the children are productively engaged, learning new skills, and making the most of their summer vacation.
If you’d like more information about Nunthorpe Nurseries Group or any of our nurseries and services, please do not hesitate to contact us.