Summer Activity Printables for Kids

I know summer is not the best time for learning activities, or at least kids aren’t often into learning activities at this time of year. But it’s a great idea to have some printable activities available for those “I’m bored” times, or when it’s too hot to go outside, when you’re on a road trip, or there’s just not anything else going on. Here are a few great summer activity printables for kids to get you started.

This printable from Artsy Fartsy Mama includes a word search and crossword puzzle with a summer theme.

Views from a Stepstool has a cute summer bingo card set, which includes both words and pictures for kids of different ages.

Grab this super cute memory game printable from Ayelet Keshet. It has 24 pairs of matching cards but you can use fewer of them for younger kids.

123 Homeschool 4 Me has more printable summer games, including I spy, memory and a domino game.

Help kids learn colors with a summer twist with this summer mini book of colors from Real Life at Home. And speaking of colors, you can also use these color by sight word coloring pages from Sara J Creations to slip in a little learning while you’re having fun.

Tot Schooling has an amazing printable pack for toddlers through pre-k that includes a whopping 37 educational activities. From tracing to counting, pattern recognition, I spy games and more, you can grab it all for free when you sign up for emails. And Itsy Bitsy Fun has some great printable file folder games that teach counting, shape and color matching and more.

For older kids, do a math problem every day with these summer math printable calendars from Math Geek Mama.

Summer playdough mats are a fun way to bring some seasonal vocabulary into your playtime. Grab these from Sea of Knowledge.

Planes and Balloons has a bunch of printable worksheets, coloring pages and activities with a summer theme. Shown is a Popsicle shapes worksheet.

Beach-Inspired Summer Art for Kids to Make

Make a First Aid Tin for Father’s Day or Summer Activities

Dinosaur Swap Sensory Play for a Bit of Summer Fun

Make a Jump Rope for Summer Fun

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Road Trip Printables

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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