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Summer always seems to be a super exciting time of year but also a little more difficult than the regular school year. How do you keep your kids entertained, inspired to learn, and happy (!) without them going to school? Summer camps are an option, but those don’t always completely fill your summer days or weeks.
How about creating your own themes for each week of summer? The preschools do it, the summer camps do, and so can you!
Each week, set a different summer theme for your house with crafts, books, outings, and activities that fit within your theme. Sounds like a lot of work, right? In a world with Pinterest and Amazon, it’s a breeze. Let me show you how!
Below are some themes. Click on each for a few ideas of what to do that week or keep scrolling to view them all. The last one is “summer” just for general summer fun—don’t forget that too!
- Now, get out your calendar and assign each week of summer a theme.
- A few days before the start of each new theme, go to Pinterest and search your theme + crafts. You will be amazed at the ideas. Pick a few to tackle.
- Next, look at your home library. Most kids have books on all of these topics. Grab a few and keep them out to read during the week.
- Find a “fun fact” each day to teach your kids that goes with your theme. “Hey Alexa, can you tell me a fact about ____?” Try it!
- And finally, plan an outing. We live in such an amazing area; take advantage of it. We’ve listed many local outings in our Bay Area summer bucket list.
Happy Summer and follow along @mpmomsblog on Instagram to see our themes in action!
On the Farm
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- Eric Carle’s Around the Farm
- Craft ideas from CraftsonSea.co.uk
- Visit a local berry-picking farm, Lemos Farm or Hidden Villa
Space
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- Little Kids First BIG Book of Space
- Craft ideas from i heart arts n crafts
- Visit the SF Planetarium or De Anza Planetarium in Cupertino
Under the Sea
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- A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
- Ocean crafts by 123homeschool4me
- Visit the Aquarium by the Bay at Pier 39, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, visit a local beach.
Music/ Theater/ Dance
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- Welcome to the Symphony, Who Was Mozart
- Maracas craft by Oriental Trading
- Go see a live show, teach your kids and 80’s song, turn your favorite story into a play.
Insects/ Garden
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- Insect and Bug Crafts from The Inspiration Edit, grow butterflies with Insect Lore
- Ultimate Bug-opedia
- Go on a hike looking for bugs!
The Human Body
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- Human body crafts from Simple Everyday Mom,
- Look Inside Your Body
- Magnetic Body by Melissa & Doug,
- Inside Your Outside
- Make healthy snacks
Zoo Animals
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- Little Kids First Big Book of Animals
- Crafts from i heart crafty things
- Visit the SF Zoo, take a Little Learners class at the zoo, watch Wild Kratts on PBS
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
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- Racing cars craft from Meraki Mother
- Things That Go
- Clothespin Airplanes from Create Craft Love
- Visit the Hiller Aviation Museum, ride the Caltrain
Science
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- How We Learn science experiments
- Big Bag of Science
- Visit the California Academy of Sciences
California
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- Visit the Redwoods, either Muir Woods or in Woodside
- Visit the Golden Gate Bridge
- California History for Kids
- Family movie night, make your own family movie
Summer
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- Sidewalk chalk
- Run in the sprinklers
- Make popsicles
- Go to a local beach, visit a local park
- Make a lemonade stand
