summer activities

July Learn and Play Activities for Kids and Brain Development

Calendar says July-Brain Says Time to Learn and Play

Summer days are made for kids and play: the brain doesn’t take a vacation when school is out because during play the brain is busier than ever. PLAY is the brain’s favorite way to learn. We can foster children’s brain development by making sure kids get a chance to play.

Following is a page you can print off and put on your fridge or bulletin board. Now, when kids ask, “What can I do?” you will have some ideas ready. Once kids are engaged during play, they will find their own ways to play and things to play with. Learning and development doesn’t take a vacation no matter what the calendar says so go ahead and PLAY.

 

July play activities for kids

Summertime Activities for Young Kids – Inside AND Outside

Summertime, and the livin’ is outside. Well, we try and get kids outside so here is a whole month’s calendar of fun and learning summertime activities for kids including lots of ideas for outside!

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods and Vitamin N, reminds us in this video about the connection between kids and nature:

So enjoy this calendar of play activities. If some play isn’t convenient for your family, change the fun and go for something else. Let the ideas inspire ones of your own. But most of all,  come and PLAY!

July play activities for kids

Kids July Fun Activities – Time to Celebrate

This weekend kicks off a month of kids July fun activities. It’s also time to celebrate with fun and play! For today, we can party with Canada. It’s Canada’s 150th birthday. Who gets invited to birthday parties? Well, friends and neighbors.make a handprint flag for Canada Day craft

The Canada flag is red and white. Here are some fun activities:

  1. Make a Canada flag. The maple leaf in the center can be tricky to do, but a handprint works too. Two vertical red bars on the side, and a red hand on white, and you have a flag.
  2. Start the day with red berries, yogurt, and maple syrup on pancakes. Or, layer berries, whipped cream, and granola in a clear glass for a tasty snack.
  3. Make any flavor snow cone, because everyone in the world knows Canada has snow, but hopefully not in summer.
  4. Freeze coconut milk and raspberries into popsicles.

Fireworks, parades, and watermelon signal time for fun and play with friends, family, and neighbors. ‘This the season for camping, water fights, marshmallows, ‘smores, kidy pools, campfires, balls and Frisbees, and more! Long days and short nights give us more summer time to celebrate with fun and play. What will you do?

Print off the July calendar below and tape to the fridge for a play-of-the-day inspiration all month long!july-fun-1

Summer Fun and Learning Outside for Kids: Math

Have you heard or read that some doctors are writing prescriptions for kids with the orders: Go Outside and Play? There is so much that kids can do outside, especially in summer. This is a series of posts on different ways of having fun outside for kids that supports early learning and later kindergarten readiness. … Continue reading Summer Fun and Learning Outside for Kids: Math

Kindergarten Readiness: Easter Sense of Touch Activity

At Easter time, there are many different ways to explore the sense of touch. Sensory information not only helps children learn about the world around them, it also cues the brain to make important connections for learning and supports kindergarten readiness. A hunt thru the scrap box revealed all kinds of different textures: soft and … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness: Easter Sense of Touch Activity

Summer Fun, Learning, and Kindergarten Readiness: Bubbles

Summer is such a special time and it seems too short for all the things we’d like to do. Fortunately, fun, learning, and kindergarten readiness can all happen at the same time. The easiest way to learn is when something is fun, and play is the ideal way to build kindergarten readiness. Today’s play-of-the-day is … Continue reading Summer Fun, Learning, and Kindergarten Readiness: Bubbles

Summer Fun, Learning, & Kindergarten Readiness: Crafts

Any time of the year can be fun for crafts, and during the summer, crafts can be a great choice for long summer days. Kids can find materials outside with nature items like shells and rocks or inside with bits and pieces from the recycling and junk drawer. Some other materials could be buttons, bead, … Continue reading Summer Fun, Learning, & Kindergarten Readiness: Crafts