Preschoolers are full of energy, and during summer break, this can be a lot to handle. Outside of the routine of a school day, how do you keep your preschooler active and learning this summer? We’re here to give you some ideas for a South Florida summer break– full of learning opportunities, sports, and exploration.

Creating Structure For Preschoolers

If your child has regularly been at daycare, cutting straight to a long summer break is a big change of pace. The most important part of summer vacation is to keep a routine going with your child. When you wake up in the morning, help your preschooler get ready for the day as if it were a normal school day. While summer break is more relaxed, preschool-age children are young enough to still require some sort of structured routine to get through the day.

This structure doesn’t have to be boring! Have set meal times for you and your family, let them run later than you normally would, and set aside outdoor time to make the most of the summer weather. To be prepared for kindergarten and the fall semester, working on fine and gross motor skills through daily activities is essential. A summer break of practicing getting ready in the morning can make the transition to kindergarten much easier– you’ll have a preschooler who’s prepared, is used to waking up on time, and knows what’s involved in getting ready for the day.

Outdoor Days

Here in Florida, we have some of the best summer weather that the U.S. has to offer. Coupled with the nature around us, this provides ample opportunities to get into the great outdoors and experience nature. For young children, this is about learning as much as it is a fun day out. Because preschoolers learn by play and exploration, simply being out in nature is teaching them about plant life and the world around them.

• Take a beach walk: We’re lucky to have miles upon miles of golden coasts. A beach day out is a summer classic, easy as a family, and helps your children burn their energy and stay active. You can collect small shells to bring home, dig your toes into the sand, and build sandcastles. All of these work on your preschooler’s motor skills (and creativity!), preparing them for kindergarten in fall.
• Backyard gardening: You don’t have to travel far for an outdoor experience. Planting a small flower patch in your backyard is an exciting way for your kids to learn about science and plant life cycles. Make a day of the initial planting and setting up your flower bed– after that, watering the plants can be part of your child’s routine.
• Visit a water park: Summer gets hot, and there’s no better way to cool off than with some swimming. A water park is a great day out for all the family, creating memories and helping you reinforce swimming skills while you enjoy yourself.

Indoor Days

When storms roll in or the weather gets too hot for comfort, you can still make the most of indoor spaces for summer break activities. Take these days to teach your preschooler about chores like tidying around the house, baking activities that you can do together, or library visits to stock up on books.

• Arts and crafts: Kindergarten heavily introduces writing skills. To prepare your preschooler for this change in curriculum, arts and crafts involving painting and drawing are outstanding tasks to practice fine motor skills. Finger painting, sand art, cutting, and gluing all require precision, focus, and intent. Through these activities, your child is building the foundation for holding a pen comfortably.
• Visit your local library: Did you know that libraries run extensive summer and after-school activities? They frequently run book readings, arts and crafts, preschool movement classes, and so much more. The library isn’t just for restocking books, but that’s a bonus, too. Exposing your child to simple storybooks and reading to them greatly improves their language understanding for kindergarten.

Summer Camps

Summer break is long– in most cases too long to manage by yourself. This is where summer camps come into play. Summer camps are created and organized by education professionals, working on a schedule that’s designed to prepare your preschooler for kindergarten. However, these are still fun summer weeks! Learning through play and being active in sports are amazing ways for young children to grow and learn, to stretch their minds and their bodies.

Educational Summer Camps

These summer camps are focused primarily on early learning, including basic reading and writing preparation, fun science experiments, and exploring nature. Depending on your provider, these follow various themes and curricula, but they’re all designed to keep your preschooler engaged and also active in a classroom context. They’ll be doing activities that are precursors for kindergarten skills, but they’ll also get to experience entertaining field trips, movie days, and arts and crafts projects.

Sports Summer Camps

Summer sports camps are focused on keeping active and fostering a love for movement and exercise. At All Sports Kids, we run a sports-focused summer camp from 5 years of age. Preschoolers can socialize, meet the friends they’ll see again in kindergarten, and explore sports in a state-of-the-art 11,000 square foot all-weather facility. Sports are extremely beneficial to children of all ages, and statistically, not enough children are getting the recommended 60 minutes of movement time per day. By finding a sport that your preschooler loves, you’re setting them up to enjoy exercise and being active, offering health and lifestyle benefits in the long run.

Summer at Inspiring Minds Preschool

Summer camps are a fantastic way for preschoolers to keep in touch with friends and learn continuously in their early years. The right summer program will have a balance of fun, engaging activities, and learning, with a healthy dose of sports and physical activity thrown in. Additionally, these summer programs can flow right into after school sports once the fall semester starts.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the summer programs we offer at Inspiring Minds Preschool, reach out to us at 954-933-2982 to speak to a member of our team.