When summer comes and there is no option to travel or attend summer camps, many families wonder: how can I keep my child entertained, active and learning without leaving home? What summer activities are best for them?
In this article, we give you the keys to achieve it, with easy, educational and fun proposals!
HOLIDAYS WITHOUT PLANS... AND NOW WHAT?
Holidays are a necessary time of rest. But when extended without routines, structured activities and adequate stimulation, many young children end up bored, irritable or glued to a screen.
This can become a real concern for families, especially if they work from home or have to juggle responsibilities.
A SUMMER WITHOUT STIMULATION CAN AFFECT THEIR DEVELOPMENT
Although rest is important, going several weeks without fun summer activities. Or without creative play, cognitive challenges or meaningful leisure appointments, can have consequences:
- Loss of skills acquired during the course.
- Lack of socialisation and verbal expression.
- Decreased creativity and sustained attention.
- Increased exposure to screens without pedagogical supervision.
According to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, guided play, family interaction and cognitive stimulation during the summer months help reduce the “summer learning gap” and promote healthy social-emotional development【1】.
10 SUMMER ACTIVITIES AT HOME FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
Here are 10 summer activities for children from 2 to 6 years old. All of them are easy to implement at home, adaptable to any space and combine play, learning and family bonding.
1. MINI URBAN GARDEN
Use recycled pots and plant lentils, basil or cherry tomatoes. Ideal for learning about nature, patience and responsibility.
📌 Recommended age: from 3 years old.
📖 Extra resource: Children’s Gardening Guide – Botanica Foundation
Free art workshop
With brushes, tempera paints, sponges or even your fingers. Reinforces fine motor skills, creativity and self-esteem.
Tip: use kraft paper on the floor for a “collective mural” as a family.
3. STORYTELLING WITH THEATRE
Turn reading into a game: use puppets, cushions as a stage or make masks out of cardboard.
Recommended books: “The little greedy caterpillar”, “What the moon tastes like”, “The three little pigs”.
4. SORTING GAMES
Group objects by colour, shape or size. Encourages logic and mathematical language.
🎲 Use plugs, legumes or coloured tweezers.
5. EASY AND SAFE RECIPES
No-bake biscuits, natural milkshakes, fruit kebabs. They follow steps, learn measures and feel useful.
Important: adult supervision, but let them manipulate and experiment.
6. OBSTACLE COURSE
With cushions, chairs, homemade tunnels, jump ropes… the living room becomes a gym!
💪 Strengthens coordination, spatial orientation and confidence.
7. KARAOKE AT HOME
Singing favourite songs with gestures and choreography improves memory, pronunciation and rhythm.
🎤 You can use platforms such as Super Simple Songs.
8. ROLE PLAY
Shop, hospital, kitchen, fire brigade… Symbolic play stimulates empathy, language and problem solving.
🧺 Use old clothes, boxes, stuffed animals or any everyday item.
9. SIMPLE EXPERIMENTS
Like mixing vinegar with baking soda, freezing small objects in ice or creating homemade slime.
🧠 They encourage scientific curiosity and logical thinking.
🔗 Check out ideas at Pequeocio: Science for kids.
10. THEMED SENSORY BOX
Fill a box with dyed rice, toy animals, spoons, magic sand or pompoms. Let them explore with all their senses.
🌊 Suggested themes: “the bottom of the sea”, “the farm”, “the rainforest”.
SOURCES
[1] Harvard Graduate School of Education. “The Importance of Summer Learning.
[2] BBVA Botanical Foundation. “Educational activities for children in the garden.”
[3] Pequeocio. “Home experiments for children.”
[4] International Baccalaureate Organization.
AT CASVI VILLAVICIOSA WE ALSO EDUCATE IN SUMMER
At Casvi Villaviciosa International School, we believe that summer is not a pause in learning. It is an opportunity to continue discovering the world from new perspectives.
For this reason, as well as offering on-site activities such as Casvi Urban Camp or Casvi Nature Camp, we also guide families so that they can accompany their children from home with useful resources. We also offer recreational-educational ideas, always in a pedagogical way in line with the International Baccalaureate (IB).
Our commitment is that every experience, even on holidays, adds to their cognitive, emotional and social development.
Do you want to find out more about how we work at Casvi Villaviciosa from the earliest stages?
