Summer Hands-On Learning Activities for Children

As the summer sun shines bright, it’s the perfect time to encourage children to explore and learn about the world around them. One of the most remarkable aspects of the Montessori method is its ability to inspire a sense of wonder and curiosity in children, and this is especially true during the summer months. By incorporating nature-based learning activities into your child’s daily routine, you can foster a deeper appreciation for the natural world and help them develop important skills and values.

Discovering the World of Nature

In a Montessori setting, children are encouraged to explore and discover their surroundings, rather than simply being told what to do. This approach helps children develop a sense of autonomy and independence, as they learn to navigate the world around them. During the summer, you can encourage your child to explore the outdoors by going on nature walks, observing local wildlife, and participating in outdoor activities such as gardening or bird-watching.

Summer Learning Activities

Here are some fun and engaging summer learning activities you can try with your child:

Nature Scavenger Hunt: Create a list of items for your child to find in nature, such as leaves, rocks, feathers, or specific types of flowers. This activity helps develop their observation skills and encourages them to think critically about their surroundings.

Gardening: Planting a garden or starting a small herb garden is a great way to teach your child about the life cycle of plants and the importance of nurturing and caring for living things.

Outdoor Art: Set up an outdoor art station with materials such as sidewalk chalk, paint, or colored pencils, and let your child create their own masterpieces inspired by nature.

Nature Journaling: Encourage your child to keep a nature journal where they can record their observations, drawings, and notes about the natural world.

Bug Catching: Create a bug catcher or use a magnifying glass to observe insects and other small creatures in nature.

Outdoor Games: Play games like “I Spy” or “Nature Bingo” to encourage your child to explore their surroundings and think about the natural world.

Benefits of Summer Learning Activities

By incorporating nature-based learning activities into your child’s daily routine, you can help them develop important skills such as:

Observation and critical thinking
Problem-solving and creativity
Communication and self-expression
Independence and autonomy
Appreciation for the natural world

summer pack

I created this pack with summer-themed printables for children aged 3-6 centered around nature.

Children often learn the best with their senses. Summer is the time when those senses are especially alert. This sorting activity contains twenty-five pictures for sorting on five main senses humans have – hearing, smell, taste, sight and touch.

Seashells and sea star 3-part cards for learning to identify various types of seashells commonly found on seashores. Children who visited the beach before will be able to recognize many of those right away. You may find that you already have some of them at home or in a convenience store to arrange a match-up activity using the cards.

With the Pollinators 3-part cards and information cards about animals that tirelessly pollinate plants children will learn many fascinating facts about these invaluable creatures. Learning about connections between animals and plants can form a picture of how everything in the natural world is intertwined and co-dependent.

Sorting colors with thirty insect cards – an activity for the youngest ones with red, blue, yellow, green, black, and brown colors. This activity can be done with a magnifying glass for children to study pictures of the insects more intensely. Take color cards with you outdoors to do color matching on the go while you are out and about on a nature walk.

Dragonfly resources to learn about the main parts of the dragonfly using 3-part cards and student booklet printout for children to color and label each part.

The life cycle of the dragonfly with photographs and a letter-size poster. Children will be fascinated to learn that dragonflies lay eggs in the water.

Summer I Spy math activity with watercolor images. Children are encouraged to count and record each numbers of every particular flower and element. They can be invited to draw their own version of I Spy game for their friends to practice counting.

Lacing cards with birds and their nest, feathers and eggs. Supple with colorful laces or a needle and yarn. Invite the child to thread a card of their choice and hang on a wall or make it a part of your nature table display.

Summer Activities Colors Five Senses Dragonfly Lacing Animal Pollinators Seashells

$8.00

Get ready to bring the excitement of summer learning into your classroom with this comprehensive Montessori unit designed for children aged 3-6. This pack is packed with hands-on activities, three-part cards, student booklets, and more to help your young students develop essential skills in fine motor, number recognition, reading, and logical thinking.