Fun Summer Learning Activities for Little Ones at Home

Summer is the perfect time to embrace sunshine, play, and learning all at once! If you’re a parent or caregiver of a pre-schooler or those in their first years of school, you might be wondering how to keep your little one engaged over the holidays. The great news? Learning doesn’t have to stop when school’s out! 

Here are some simple, fun, hands-on summer activities that support your child’s development while making the most of the sunny season, all from the comfort of your home or garden.

1. Mini Gardeners (Understanding the World)

What you need: Soil, small pots or a patch in the garden, seeds (sunflowers, cress, beans)

Let your child plant their own seeds and care for them daily. Talk about what plants need to grow and observe the changes over time. Encourage them to draw their plant’s progress, this builds curiosity and scientific thinking. Cress is great for quick growth, and you can make some yummy sandwiches with it when it has grown too! Try growing a bean in a food bag, this is great way to see what happens below the ground.

EYFS Link: Understanding the natural world, observing change, and developing care for living things.

2. Nature Art (Expressive Arts & Design)

What you need: Leaves, sticks, petals, glue, paper

Head outside for a nature walk and collect bits and bobs along the way. Then turn your finds into a collage or a picture. This helps children express themselves and think creatively using natural materials. This is a firm favourite in our house at the moment. Why not pop an old photo frame on the grass and allow your little one to get creative with what they can find outside, move it to a different location e.g. on a slab or concreate, and see how this changes the art.

EYFS Link: Exploring materials, using imagination, expressing ideas.

3. Story Time in the Shade (Literacy)

What you need: Picture books, a blanket, soft toys

Create a cosy reading nook outdoors. Take turns reading stories or acting them out with toys. Add in some homemade puppets or story stones for extra fun. We love having a teddy bears picnic outside too, reading to the bears, making and sharing out sandwiches and role playing, you can get so much out of it, and it mixes up the daily lunch routine!! 

EYFS Link: Developing vocabulary, understanding narrative, listening skills, early reading.

4. Water Play Science (Maths & Communication)

What you need: Containers, measuring cups, sponges, food colouring

Water play is a summer favourite! Let your child pour, mix, and explore volume. Ask questions like “Which holds more?” or “What happens when we mix colours?” It’s a simple way to bring in maths, problem-solving and language skills. Why not add in some bubbles and clean some babies or cars too! Get the towels out and further develop those motor skills with a bit of drying. 

EYFS Link: Exploring measure, comparison, communication and vocabulary development.

5. Obstacle Course Challenge (Physical Development)

What you need: Cushions, garden chairs, hula hoops, tunnels, cones

Set up a mini obstacle course in your garden or living room. Include balancing, crawling, jumping, and climbing. You can time each round or add themed challenges like pretending to be animals! We have even made medals for each other in the past, celebrating each other’s successes and getting crafty at the same time! 

EYFS Link: Gross motor skill development, coordination, perseverance, and following instructions.

6. Summer Sound Hunt (Listening & Attention)

What you need: A quiet outdoor space and listening ears!

Go on a sound walk and talk about what you hear, birds chirping, wind rustling, dogs barking. Can they copy the sounds or draw what they think is making them? You can also make your own instruments from recycled materials. Think tissue box and elastic band guitars or paper cup and rice shakers! 

EYFS Link: Listening skills, sound discrimination, early phonics foundations.

7. Bake Together (Maths & Personal Development)

What you need: Simple recipe, ingredients, mixing tools

Baking is a brilliant way to sneak in early maths concepts, measuring, counting, and sequencing steps. It also builds confidence, independence, and fine motor skills (think stirring, pouring, scooping). We love banana bread and pizza pinwheels. Chopping is also great for developing the skills, get some child safe knives and have a go at chopping some fruit and vegetables together for a healthy snack time. 

EYFS Link: Number recognition, understanding time and order, learning to follow simple instructions.

Summer learning doesn’t need to be structured or formal, it’s about making everyday moments meaningful. By weaving play-based activities into your child’s day, you’re helping them build the skills outlined in the EYFS such as communication, curiosity, physical development, and a love for learning.

Most importantly, enjoy the sunshine and the special moments of discovery that this season brings.

If you’d like any more ideas for games, recipes or activities let me know!