Three Ways for Early Learning Programs to Make the Most of Summer

Summer is often a transitional time in early learning programs - children switch classrooms, seasonal staff come on board, and more time is spent outdoors. 

To make the most of the summer months, early learning programs should begin thinking about their plans now.

In the first of our summer series, Katie Riggs, an ELRC Region 5 quality coach, shares tips on how to prepare for summer.

1. Create a Summer Camp Atmosphere

Early learning programs can make summertime feel special by transforming their programming into a summer camp atmosphere. 

This could be as simple as incorporating typical summer camp activities and materials, singing camp songs, or decorating the classroom. 

The most important takeaway for early childhood educators overseeing summer programs is to have fun.

“Don’t forget to have fun,” Riggs said. “It’s important to keep things simple. There’s a little more freedom and flexibility in the summer. It should be fun for everyone - children, families, and teachers.”

2. Spend More Time Outdoors

Riggs said that programs should find ways for children to spend more time outdoors during the summer.

“This could mean redesigning the program’s schedule so you can build in more daily outdoor time, working in activities like bi-weekly water play,” she said. 

Activities that are often done indoors, like story time or art time, can be moved outdoors.

“There are so many different art experiences you can have in the summer that you can’t have during the school year because of the things you can do outside,” Riggs said.

Other activities that children can enjoy during the summer include scavenger hunts, walks that observe trees or flowers, watching a butterfly metamorphose from a caterpillar egg, and color walks (an activity that encourages children to look for items of a specific color).

3. Designate Theme Weeks

She said that incorporating weekly themes into the schedule could also keep learning fun and varied. Some examples include having a nature explorers week, a water-themed week, or an art camp. 

Some programs may opt to participate in a community helpers week where they partner with a local fire or police department and include a visit with the department’s vehicle. Around the holidays - such as the Fourth of July - some teachers might schedule programming that is thematically linked.

Next Up

Part two of this series will cover summer safety and professional development for staff.