FUN Summer Activities for Kids

Affiliate and Referral links are used below to promote products I love and recommend. I receive a commission on any purchases made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Summer is just around the corner. Today I wanted to share some of the FUN summer activities for kids that I have shared on my website over the years.

Fun Gross Motor Summer Activities for Kids

One of my favorite things we did a couple of summers ago was our gross motor minute to win it style games. You can have these set up as stations to do with a group, or just have the supplies around your yard for your children to engage with.

You can also check out my 5 ways to improve gross motor skills over the summer by clicking here.

Fun Sensory Summer Activities for Kids

This one is up there with the top sensory activities I have ever done. We got a group of 5 kids together and took a whole week to do this My Senses Summer Camp program.

We followed the same schedule each day and it took around 1-1/2 hours to complete. It included circle time and introducing the “sensory word of the day” followed by story and movement time plus two hands-on activities and a snack. We ended it with coloring pages for each sensory system.

Here's what my friend had to say about her kids participating with us…

“My Senses Summer Day Camp was such a phenomenal experience for my 5 and 3-year-old! They enjoyed the multiple approaches used to teach each of the senses including the crafts, exploring smells and tastes, and trying new games! A year later and they are still asking to do it again!” – Kati, mom of 3 children.

Seashell Washing Activity for Practical Life Skills. Montessori inspired activities at home.

This Seashell Washing for Practical Life activity also doubles as a great sensory activity. You can do this at the beach or after you get home from your beach vacation!

Yard work sensory play ideas, perfect for proprioception input. www.GoldenReflectionsBlog.com

Summer is also the perfect time to get some extra proprioceptive work while in the yard. Here are some ideas on what type of yard work to include for proprioceptive input.

Some of the best ocean and beach themed sensory play ideas for kids from kid bloggers. www.GoldenReflectionsBlog.com

Speaking of oceans, here are 35 ocean and beach sensory play ideas if you aren't able to get to the beach this year.

I created this fun summer senses scavenger hunt printable that you can add to any walk, hiking trail, or just a day around the house.

blue background with ice cream playdough mats sample.

If you have any ice cream lovers, print off these fun ice cream-themed playdough mats and also work on number recognition and counting over the summer.

Fun Fine Motor Summer Activities for Kids

Because our gross motor minute-to-win-it games were so popular, I made a fine motor minute-to-win-it version. These are good for any time of year, but work great for rainy days inside OR do them outside on a back porch or picnic table.

You can also work on some fine motor and handwriting skills with this fun summer-themed pre-writing and scissor practice packet I created. It's a free download when you click over to the blog post here.

Water play is a great fine motor activity for summer. Here are 25 hands-on activity ideas that use water.

4th of July Invitation to Play with play dough for kids.

If you live in the United States and celebrate the 4th of July, this is a great play dough invitation to play I set up one year for my kids.

4th of July Cutting Practice Pages

I also have this 4th of July scissor practice and cutting printable you can grab.

Summer Development Activities for Kids

Lastly, I have a free printable of summer developmental activities for kids. This free handout is a great thing to send home from school for home programs.

Summer Developmental Activities for Kids, plus free printable.

Have a great summer!

Heather Greutman, COTA

Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with experience in school-based OT services for preschool through high school. She uses her background to share child development tips, tools, and strategies for parents, educators, and therapists. She is the author of many ebooks including The Basics of Fine Motor Skills, and Basics of Pre-Writing Skills, and co-author of Sensory Processing Explained: A Handbook for Parents and Educators.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

CONTENT DISCLAIMER: Heather Greutman is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant.
All information on the Website is for informational purposes only and is not a replacement for medical advice from a physician or your pediatrician. Please consult with a medical professional if you suspect any medical or developmental issues with your child. The information on the Websites does not replace the relationship between therapist and client in a one-on-one treatment session with an individualized treatment plan based on their professional evaluation. The information provided on the Website is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties, express or implied.

Do not rely on the information on the Website as an alternative to advice from your medical professional or healthcare provider. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment as a result of any information provided on the Website. All medical information on the Website is for informational purposes only.

All activities outlined on the Website are designed for completion with adult supervision. Please use your own judgment with your child and do not provide objects that could pose a choking hazard to young children. Never leave a child unattended during these activities. Please be aware of and follow all age recommendations on all products used in these activities. Growing Hands-On Kids is not liable for any injury when replicating any of the activities found on this blog.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY The Website was developed strictly for informational purposes. You understand and agree that you are fully responsible for your use of the information provided on the Website. Growing Hands-On Kids makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees. You understand that results may vary from person to person. Growing Hands-On Kids assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions that may appear on the Website.