Summer Activities for Toddlers

Summer is the perfect time to embrace Montessori-inspired activities that foster independence, creativity, and exploration in toddlers. It’s the perfect season for toddlers to explore, learn, and have fun in the great outdoors. With longer days and warmer weather, there's no shortage of exciting activities to keep your little one entertained all season long. In this blog post, we've curated a list of 35 summer activities designed specifically for toddlers, divided into categories ranging from movement and sensory play to nature exploration and art projects. Let's dive into the ultimate guide for summer fun with your toddler!

Movement Activities:

1. Nature Obstacle Course: Create a simple obstacle course using natural materials like logs to climb over and rocks to step on, promoting gross motor skills and balance.

   Instructions: Lay out a path in a park or backyard with natural obstacles. Encourage your toddler to navigate the course at their own pace, providing support as needed.

2. Summer Scavenger Hunt: Explore the outdoors with different types of scavenger hunts.

   Instructions: Print one of our free scavenger hunts and have fun!

3. Animal Movement Game: Pretend to be different animals like frogs hopping and birds flying, promoting creativity and gross motor skills.

   Instructions: Take turns choosing an animal and mimicking its movements. Encourage your toddler to guess the animal and join in the fun!

Language Activities:

4. Outdoor Storytelling Circle: Sit in a circle outdoors and take turns telling stories inspired by nature, promoting language development and creativity.

Instructions: Use props like puppets or natural objects to enhance storytelling. Encourage your toddler to use descriptive language and imagination.

5. Nature Alphabet Hunt: Go on a scavenger hunt to find items in nature that start with each letter of the alphabet, promoting letter recognition and vocabulary.

   Instructions: Create a list of letters and objects to find (e.g., A for acorn, B for butterfly). Explore outdoors and collect items for each letter, discussing their names and characteristics.

6. Summer Word Hunt: Hide word cards with summer-themed vocabulary around the yard or park for your toddler to find and read aloud, promoting literacy skills and outdoor exploration.

   Instructions: Write summer-related words like "sun," "sand," and "flower" on index cards. Hide the cards in various outdoor locations and encourage your toddler to search for them.

Music Activities:

7. Nature Instrument Making: Create musical instruments using natural materials like sticks and stones, promoting creativity and exploration of sound.

Instructions: Collect items like sticks, rocks, and empty containers. Experiment with different materials to create sounds and rhythms. Encourage your toddler to play and explore!

8. Outdoor Sing-Along: Gather in the backyard or park for a sing-along of favorite songs inspired by nature, promoting language development and social interaction.

   Instructions: Choose songs like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" or "Row Your Boat" and sing them together while enjoying the outdoors. Encourage actions and movements to go along with the songs.

9. Rainstick Craft: Make rainsticks using cardboard tubes, rice, and natural decorations, promoting creativity and sensory exploration.

   Instructions: Decorate cardboard tubes with markers or natural materials like leaves and flowers. Fill the tubes with rice and seal the ends. Turn the rainsticks upside down to create the sound of falling rain!

Sensory Activities:

10. Nature Sensory Bin: Create a sensory bin filled with natural materials like sand, pebbles, and pinecones for tactile exploration, promoting sensory awareness and fine motor skills.

Instructions: Fill a shallow container with a variety of natural materials. Invite your toddler to touch, feel, and explore the textures and shapes.

11. Flower Petal Sorting: Collect flower petals of different colors and sizes and sort them into containers, promoting sorting skills and sensory exploration.

Instructions: Gather a variety of flowers and pluck the petals. Provide containers for sorting by color, size, or type. Encourage your toddler to sort the petals using their hands or tweezers.

12. Ice Cube Painting: Freeze water mixed with food coloring in ice cube trays, then use the colorful ice cubes to paint on paper, promoting creativity and sensory exploration.

Instructions: Place a sheet of paper outdoors and provide frozen ice cubes and brushes. Encourage your toddler to paint with the ice cubes, observing how the colors melt and blend.

For more sensory ideas click here.

Nature Activities:

13. Bird Feeder Craft: Make bird feeders using pinecones, peanut butter, and birdseed, then hang them in trees and observe visiting birds, promoting creativity and connection to nature.

Instructions: Spread peanut butter on pinecones and roll them in birdseed. Attach a string or ribbon and hang the feeders outdoors. Watch and identify the birds that come to eat!

14. Seed Planting: Plant seeds or seedlings in a garden or pots and care for them as they grow, promoting an understanding of plant life cycles and responsibility.

Instructions: Choose seeds or seedlings of flowers or vegetables and plant them in soil. Water them regularly and observe as they sprout and grow.

15. Nature Art Collage: Collect natural materials like leaves, flowers, and sticks to create an outdoor collage masterpiece, promoting creativity and appreciation for nature.

Instructions: Provide glue and paper outdoors and invite your toddler to arrange and glue natural materials onto the paper. Encourage them to explore different textures and colors.

For more nature play ideas click here.

Mindfulness Activities:

16. Mindful Nature Walk: Take a slow, mindful walk outdoors and encourage your toddler to notice the sights, sounds, and smells around them, promoting mindfulness and sensory awareness.

Instructions: Walk at a leisurely pace and encourage your toddler to pause and observe their surroundings. Point out interesting natural features and discuss what you see and hear.

17. Outdoor Yoga Poses: Practice simple yoga poses outdoors like Mountain Pose and Tree Pose, promoting body awareness and relaxation.

Instructions: Find a flat area outdoors and guide your toddler through gentle yoga poses. Encourage them to focus on their breath and the sensations in their body.

18. Nature Meditation: Sit quietly outdoors and listen to the sounds of nature, promoting relaxation and calm.

Instructions: Find a comfortable spot to sit outdoors and close your eyes. Encourage your toddler to listen to the sounds around them, from birds chirping to leaves rustling in the breeze.

For more mindfulness activities click here.

Art Activities:

19. Sun Print Nature Art: Create sun prints using sun-sensitive paper and natural objects like leaves and flowers, promoting creativity and connection to nature.

Instructions: Place sun-sensitive paper and natural objects on a flat surface outdoors. Leave them in direct sunlight for a few minutes, then rinse with water to reveal the prints.

20. Nature Painting: Use natural materials like leaves and flowers as paintbrushes to create artwork inspired by nature, promoting creativity and exploration.

Instructions: Gather a variety of natural materials with interesting shapes and textures. Dip them in paint and use them to create designs and patterns on paper.

21. Rock Collage: Collect smooth rocks outdoors and arrange them into a collage, promoting creativity and fine motor skills.

Instructions: Encourage your toddler to arrange the rocks into a design or pattern, then glue them in place.

With these 35 Montessori-inspired summer activities, you can create endless opportunities for your toddler to learn, explore, and play while embracing the principles of the Montessori approach. From movement and language to music, sensory, nature, mindfulness, and art, each activity is designed to engage your toddler's senses and promote holistic development.

So, get ready to soak up the sun and make memories with your little one as you embark on a summer filled with learning and fun!

If you want to receive weekly learning activity ideas straight to your inbox subscribe to the crunchy newsletter.