Don’t let the calendar put a damper on your summer fun. Sure, there’s only a couple weeks left until Labor Day, but that doesn’t mean you have to head indoors right now. Instead, make the most of the gorgeous summer weather by partaking in educational games with your toddler outside.
Here are a few to get you started:
SAND DOUGH
Take some Play-Doh outside and let your child have fun with it in the sand box. He’ll love feeling the texture of the dough once the sand has been incorporated into it. Use words to describe how it feels and have him repeat them.
Tip: If you are short on cash you can make your own Play-Doh by mixing together 2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 cups of water, a few drops vegetable oil, and a few drops of food coloring.
SUMMER COLLAGE
Get a large piece of construction paper, draw a big sun on it, and hang it on the wall. Then, get a stack of magazines and have your toddler look through them for pictures illustrating summer activities. Discuss the photos with your child, such as people swimming, having picnics or playing at the park. You can also help your toddler identify summer foods, such as hot dogs, ice cream and watermelon. Have your toddler tear out the pictures or use a scissors to cut them out, then glue or tape the pictures to the picture of the sun.
SAND PAINTING
Note: This activity is great to do in a sand box.
Allow your toddler to brush glue on a piece of cardboard or construction paper. Then, have him sprinkle sand all over the glue. Shake off any excess sand and let dry.
Tip: You can tint the sand with food coloring to add a punch of color to your child’s work of art.
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