Summer is here! Get ready for an awesome ECE season with our roundup of expert-created preschool summer themes and curriculum resources. 😎
These summer themes are a boatload of fun (for both teachers and students!) and they’re developmentally appropriate for your preschool summer curriculum.
Because at the end of the day, summer learning matters for young learners and their families.
At MomentPath, we can't tell you exactly which summer themes and activities will best fit your center's unique learning philosophy, but we can help you choose your own by rounding up some of the top summer themes for preschool with awesome resources to help you create a summer curriculum parents and kids will rave about!
Ready? Let’s dive in!
Do you know what parents are looking for in a summer preschool program? Check out our complete Guide to Parent Feedback including 25 sample survey questions you can start using today!
It’s no secret early childhood education delivers a wealth of benefits to young kids throughout the school year. One of the major benefits of summer education is that the instruction cycle keeps on going!
With the right preschool summer curriculum, there’s no interruptions to the rhythm that teachers develop with their students, and no pauses to the student learning experience.
Plus, it reduces learning loss that can happen during summers — sometimes called the “summer slide”. More specifically, the summer slide is a term that refers to the regression some students may have once they return to school in the fall after taking summer break.
Research shows that facts and procedural skills are the most susceptible to being forgotten by students. For preschoolers in particular, they’re in a developmental stage when their skills are rapidly evolving. Continuing to guide that growth through your preschool summer themes is both impactful and engaging for little learners.
Another incredibly important part of summer education is closing the achievement gap between children who come from higher and lower income families.
The faucet theory, coined by John Hopkins University researchers Doris Entwisle, Karl Alexander, and Linda Steffel Olson, refers to the steady stream of resources that reach students throughout the traditional school year.
But when summer comes, suddenly that steady resource stream is no longer flowing to all students.
This can lead to a situation where children from higher earning families continue to receive consistent access to the language acquisition, socialization, and play-based learning that families from lower socioeconomic backgrounds simply don’t have access to during the summer months.
If the goal is to close this gap, maintain play-based learning, and keep enrollment going year-round, your preschool summer curriculum must be high quality. And the impact of your summer themes may be more important now than ever before.
Want a deeper look into the importance of social and emotional learning? Don’t miss our interview with ECE expert David Adams on why SEL is key to building a better future.
In addition to risks such as the summer slide and faucet theory, the Covid-19 pandemic has amplified many of the challenges in ECE.
Research has now proven that learning setbacks and minimal social interactions have impacted cognitive, physical, and social development in young children.
Preschool age children are less prepared for elementary school (a major indicator of how they’ll do later on in school), and students who are learning English at school, or students with disabilities, were particularly affected by school closures.
Without resources and support from an early childhood center or preschool, those setbacks can be magnified or replicated over the summer — especially when you consider the extreme pressure on working parents.
Your preschool summer curriculum can’t turn back time and give young learners a chance to re-do their early pandemic lives. But we can and should meet students where they are.
The good news? Preschool summer themes are a super opportunity to blend academic content, hands-on activities, recreational experiences, and social connections with the fun of the summer season!
Ready to make a splash with young learners this summer?
Dive into this awesome roundup of some of our favorite summer preschool themes!
With each of our summer themes, we’ll include links to some of our favorite resources along with:
Camping is the perfect summer preschool theme to kick off with! Whether or not your students have actually been camping, this is a great way to get them excited about summer learning.
Recommended reading: Get an introduction to numbers, counting, and camping in "1, 2, 3 Make a S’More with Me" by Elizabeth Gauthier. Bonus points if you read by flashlight!
Hands-on activity: Use red, orange, and yellow paint on students’ hands to make a hand-print campfire! Head over to Teachers Mag for all the details.
More topics to explore:
Gardens are a perfect place to practice patience, observation, and curiosity — sounds like a preschool dream to us!
This is also a great opportunity for students in urban areas who may not be as familiar with gardens. Plus, it’s a great chance to get your young learners outdoors!
Recommended reading: “Lola Plants a Garden” by Anna McQuinn with illustrations by Rosalind Beardshaw is part of a larger series of books featuring Lola. This installment follows Lola as she gets seeds, plants her garden, and waits for it to grow. 🌻
Hands-on activity: Soil Search: Garden ABC incorporates fine motor skills, sensory exploration, and letter recognition. Plus, it’s from Turner Tots via Teachers Pay Teachers — one of our favorite resources for awesome preschool themes!
More topics to explore:
Summertime calls for a trip to the beach! This preschool summer theme can be adapted in so many ways to include the beach, aquatic life, or characters at sea.
There are countless opportunities for sensory play with water, too! 🌊
Recommended reading: “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister is the iconic visually engaging book with a storyline about sharing — an important social skill to practice in preschool!
Hands-on activity: Learning4Kids has a great summer small group activity using playdough, cookie cutters, and sequins to make your own Rainbow Fish. Students will work on their fine motor skills, sensory integration, and concentration as they learn!
More topics to explore:
Science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) is a major buzzword in education — and for good reason!
Position your early childhood center at the forefront with this important preschool summer curriculum.
Recommended reading: We love New York Times Bestseller and NAACP Image Award Winning book “Cece Loves Science” by Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes with illustrations by Vashti Harrison. It’s a fun introduction to scientific inquiry and curiosity.
Hands-on activity: Preschool STEAM is a fully-stocked resource with endless ideas for your preschool summer curriculum! We personally love the Oil & Water Activity, where students will explore the question, “Do oil and water mix?” The direct ties to STEAM are outlined for you in the activity breakdown.
More topics to explore:
Are you communicating your summer themes in a way that gets parents excited? Check out our Marketing Ideas for Preschools to make sure your summer program is fully enrolled and appreciated! 😉
Movement, drama, songs and stories all provide a lens for social, emotional, and cognitive development.
This preschool summer theme is the perfect opportunity for students to be just a tiny bit dramatic as they use their voices, bodies, and imaginations to learn!
Recommended reading: Who doesn’t love the idea of soft cool rain on a hot summer day? “Singing in the Rain” by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown with illustrations by Tim Hopgood, brings the famous song of the same title to life through a picture book! After reading, check out the beloved scene of Gene Kelly dancing in the rainy streets to the tune.
Hands-on activity: Work together to create choreography to the lyrics of “Singing in the Rain” and choose costumes that would be appropriate to wear in the rain! This will engage students’ creativity, gross motor skills, collaboration, and life skills.
More topics to explore:
Summer is full of opportunities to celebrate, especially for students whose birthdays don’t fall during the school year!
It’s also a fantastic opportunity for students to learn about celebrations their families may not take part in.
Recommended reading: “Our Favorite Day of the Year” by A.E. Ali with illustrations by Rahele Jomepour Bell follows four characters sharing the holidays they celebrate with new friends. We love the representation of cultures in this book!
Hands-on activity: This Teachers Pay Teachers Father’s Day unit from Sweet Pea Preschool has a focus on diversity and inclusion, recognizing that not everyone has a nuclear family or traditional father in their life. It includes 23 pages of curriculum with activities covering math, science, arts and more!
More topics to explore:
Whether you choose to add a little drama to your summer program or opt for an imaginary day at the beach, there’s no limit to the places your summer themes can take you.
And this summer, the way you plan your curriculum could make all the difference for young learners and their families — many of whom are still bouncing back from a particularly tough couple of years.
This summer, don’t be afraid to color outside the lines. Have fun with your center’s summer themes and show your support for young children and their families.
And if you’re looking for a simple way to keep the admin and paperwork off your desk this summer, we’ve got your back.
MomentPath is an experience-driven childcare management software that streamlines center operations and makes life easier for teachers. Learn how you can spend less time on spreadsheets and more time with the kiddos with a totally free, no-strings-attached demo.
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