Smart Ways to Keep Preschoolers Active and Happy All Summer Long

Summer with a preschooler can feel like the longest season of the year, especially by the time everyone has asked for three snacks before 9 a.m. Young kids seem to wake up with a full tank of energy every morning. While the adults are hoping to bottle that energy up somehow but have to settle for the coffee to do the trick. When summer is in full swing all that pent up energy is looking for a release. 

However, keeping preschoolers busy doesn’t require an expensive summer schedule or even a different elaborate activity every day. Young children are often perfectly happy doing simple things as long as they can move, explore, make a mess occasionally, and spend time with the people they love. While a little planning helps, summer should still leave plenty of room for ordinary days.

Give the Day a Loose Routine

Preschoolers don’t care what time it is, but most do better when they have some idea of what happens next. It doesn’t mean every day needs a schedule broken into fifteen-minute blocks. A rather simple rhythm is usually enough.

Breakfast could be followed with outside play while the morning is still comfortable. Lunch leads into quiet time, books, or a movie during the hottest part of the afternoon. Another round of play can happen later when everyone is ready to move again.

A predictable routine can cut down on the constant question of what you’re doing next. Remember to keep the routine flexible enough to allow for change. After all Grandma may visit, it could rain all morning, somebody has an appointment, or everyone is simply tired. Summer is supposed to have a little wiggle room.

Get Outside Before the Day Gets Too Hot

In many places, summer afternoons are simply too hot for young children to spend hours running around outside. Morning can be a much better time for active play. Allowing  them to ride bikes or scooters, kick a ball around the yard, draw on the driveway with sidewalk chalk, chase bubbles, or help water the flowers are all great ideas. Even a walk around the neighborhood can become an adventure with a preschooler. Other ideas include:

• Look for birds.
• Count mailboxes.
• Find a yellow flower.
• See who can spot a dog first.

Every activity does have to be an educational one either. Sometimes the walk is just a walk . Learning will sneak in all on its own.

For children who love riding, a supervised kids car & ride on cars play session can turn a driveway into their own little speedway. Think about adding chalk drawn parking spaces, maybe a pretend gas station (made out of a cardboard box), or even some road signs and you have a wonderful activity that will entertain for hours.

Water Can Rescue a Hot Afternoon

You don’t need a swimming pool to make water interesting; in fact, a sprinkler can provide plenty of entertainment. Maybe consider a small water table, spray bottles, sponges, cups, funnels, or a bucket of water and a few toys that need washing. Another great idea is to hand your preschooler a sponge and tell them the outside toys need a bath.

Maybe the house or porch needs a good washing. Let them splash and play in the water while helping you clean the outdoor furniture. No, it may not be as clean as it would be if you did it but it certainly will get a little work done and keep everyone entertained.

When it comes to water though, make sure you are practicing safety. Don’t leave a preschooler in the pool or with a bucket of water on their own. My mother always told me you could drown in an inch of water. That is one thing we don’t want happening. 

Another great water idea if you have a fence or patio is to let your preschooler “paint” it with water. The water will darken the surface temporarily, giving them the satisfaction of painting without leaving you with a permanent mural.

Bring Movement Indoors

Not all summer days aren’t meant for the backyard or even outside at all. There will be rain, the heat (we live in Georgia which is unbearably hot), or maybe you just want to spend the day in the air conditioning. Children can still move around and play without turning the living room into an Olympic training facility.

You can make a simple obstacle course with couch cushions, painter’s tape, and safe household objects. Have children walk along a taped line, crawl under a chair, toss a soft ball into a basket, and hop to the finish. Maybe turn on music and have a dance party. March around the house like different animals at the zoo. If you have a hallway it can become a bowling alley with a soft ball and lightweight plastic pins or empty bottles.

You don’t need to have thirty activities ready to go at a monet’s notice. Keep a few reliable ideas in mind for the afternoons when someone announces, “I’m bored,” five minutes after finishing the previous activity.

Let Them Help With Real Things

One of the great things about kids is they don’t need a bunch of made-up activities or games. They sometimes just want to do what we are doing so let them help. They can:

• They can match socks.
• Water plants.
• Carry lightweight groceries.
• Put napkins on the table.
• Wash fruits and vegetables.
• Stir something cool in a bowl.
• Help put toys away.

A job that takes an adult two minutes may take a preschooler fifteen, so make sure you are choosing their job carefully. If you are in a hurry then figure something else out. However, when you have the time let them help. They are entertained and are learning new skills at the same time. 

Use Your Local Community

Summer entertainment may already be available closer to home than you think. Many libraries have children’s programs, story times, craft sessions, and summer reading activities. Local parks may have playgrounds, walking paths, splash areas, or open spaces where children can run. There are also community centers, recreation programs, churches, museums, and local businesses may also offer activities geared toward young families.

Childcare remains an important part of the summer routine as well, particularly for working parents or even for children who thrive with regular opportunities to play with other kids. Families researching options such as Morayfield childcare can look beyond basic scheduling and consider how much outdoor play, creative activity, social interaction, rest, and child-led play are built into a typical day. A good fit should work for the child as well as the family’s practical needs.

Let Summer Be a Little Messy

It’s summer after all and there will be wet towels, grass tracked through the house, bubbles spilled everywhere, and that popsicle will melt before you manage to grab the napkin. That is life with kids and preschoolers have a knack for turning that into a storm unto themselves. 

Don’t worry about it. So your preschooler spent the afternoon running through the sprinkler. I promise you they will sleep wonderfully that night. They will also ask you to do it again and again and again for weeks but you will love every second. The joy and laughter they get from it will be what you remember in ten years. No the water, not the mess.