5 FREE Fun Summer Learning Activities That Don't Feel Like School part 1

Dread fills Mrs. Smith as the last few days of school approach. She knows that this will be like every other summer, a total waste. Kids lounging around the house wasting their time on video games or cartoons when they could be doing so much more. They become lazy, bored and go back to school in fall with blank minds. 

As parents, we see the potential in our children, and who doesn’t want their kid to be the next CEO of an empire or at least be aware of what will be taught the following year? Yes, there are always extracurricular classes out there to keep the kids busy, but the reality is not everyone can afford them. It comes down to keeping your kids busy and entertained all the while learning.

This summer, let's transform learning into an adventure with these 5 creative ways to keep kids engaged and learning without the classroom constraints. And if these aren’t to your liking no worries we have another blog coming up with more. 

For those of you in a rush because life is indeed demanding, here is the list beforehand, your welcome: 

DIY Science Experiments, Cooking, Gardening, Scavenger Hunts, Arts & Crafts, 

Of course actually delving and learning how you can keep your kids busy and what they learn from each activity will benefit the whole family, so by all means read on.

1. DIY Science Experiments

Why not turn your kitchen or backyard into a mini laboratory? Simple experiments like creating a baking soda volcano can teach kids about chemical reactions and states of matter. It is also the perfect opportunity to teach children critical thinking skills. Experiments will help kids learn to follow directions, make predictions, test their ideas, and observe results.  Here is a simple experiment that you can try with your kid:

BAKING SODA VOLCANO

Creating a baking soda volcano teaches basic chemistry concepts like acid-base reactions: Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a base, while vinegar (acetic acid) is an acid. When combined, they produce carbon dioxide gas, which causes the bubbly eruption.

Here's a step-by-step guide:

I. Materials You'll Need:

1. 1 small plastic bottle or cup (this is the "volcano")
2. Baking soda (about 2–3 tablespoons)
3. Vinegar (½ cup)
4. Dish soap (optional, for foamy lava)
5. Food coloring (optional, for colorful lava)
6. Construction paper, clay, or playdough (to shape the volcano)
7. A tray or large plate (to contain the mess)

II. Instructions:

• Place the bottle or cup in the center of your tray. Use clay, or construction paper to mold the volcano shape around the container. Leave the top open so you can add ingredients inside
• Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of baking soda into the container inside the volcano. To make the eruption foamy, a few drops of dish soap can also be added. To make it even more realistic add food coloring (red, orange, or even green) to simulate lava.
• Pour about ½ cup of vinegar into the container and step back. Watch your volcano erupt with bubbly, foaming “lava”!

Now this experiment can also be done in a simple plastic bottle to show the production of carbon dioxide gas. Simply add vinegar to the bottle first and in a deflated balloon add the baking soda. Stretch the balloon’s opening around the lip of the bottle and lift it up so the baking soda drops from the balloon into the vinegar inside. The reaction will occur and the gas is produced, which is shown by the balloon inflating. 

2. Cooking Adventures

The kitchen is the center of every home, a place where the family gathers to enjoy meals together. It should also be a place where your children help out. Yes cooking is an essential life skill, but it encompasses learning in every aspect. Here are a few examples, that might help you consider allowing the little ones in your cooking space. 

• Responsibility: Taking precautions, staying organized, setting up their work station, washing up and cleaning up after all teach children the importance of being careful and responsible while cooking.
• Hand-eye coordination: when using knives or measuring spoons
• Following Directions: Recipes need to be followed properly for them to come out tasty. 
• Hygiene and Safety: The importance of hand washing and keeping the work area clean can be implemented in different aspects of their lives. 
• Time management: If kids wanted to make cupcakes for the bake sale tonight, they will need to understand how much time goes into preparing the mixture and how much into baking. This will teach children how to manage their time.
• Math: utilizing measurements, multiplication and division (halving or doubling recipes), fractions
• Science: They will see first hand how if an acid or base is put together it will react, or what happens when yeast rises, they can even observe heat reactions taking place during the cooking process. 
• Self-Esteem: Allowing your kids to participate in creating a meal that will be shared by others will boost their self-esteem and confidence in the skill, this will help out in other areas in their life as well. 
• Mental health: Making food for others and giving in general will increase the satisfaction and happiness in their hearts. An ideal way to deal with mental health.  

For younger kids try out simple chocolate chip cookie recipes, while older ones can try recipes from around the world like Pakistan’s popular rice dish, Briyani. 

3. Gardening Projects

As a resident on this Earth it is the responsibility of everyone living here to add good to it and one way we can do that is by growing plants. If you can’t go and spend on pots or seeds, then no worries there is a high chance you have them at home anyway. Grab an old mug fill it with some soil from outside your house and if you have any beans or fruits then remove the seeds and plant those in. Planting is an opportunity to teach kids:

• Science: Children learn plant life cycles and what plants need to survive. You can also teach them about Photosynthesis (and the chemical reactions involved for older kids). Experiment on the effects of soil and different fertilizers. Chart the growth of the plants and talk about the different parts of plants that produce fruits. Help them understand the role certain insects play as well. 
• Responsibility: Plants are alive and need to be taken care of. Watering regularly, pulling weeds and providing sufficient resources and removing harmful insects teaches your kids to care for something besides themselves. Some may even argue it’s a great alternative to keeping a pet.
• Patience: Plants don’t grow overnight some take weeks to grow. What better lesson in patience is that. For younger and more impatient kids try plants that grow rather quickly like sunflowers, okra or bamboo. 
• Sense of Accomplishments: Waiting and nurturing a plant to the point when it bears its flowers or fruits will give children a sense of pride and accomplishment.
• World Awareness: Participating in growing food will help children understand where it comes from and the hard work that goes into growing it. They will become more aware of the environment they live in and subconsciously take care of it. That could be by not littering, or pulling flowers and unripe fruits off of trees just for fun or hurting nature in any way. 
• Mental Health: Today’s technological world has glued everyone to the screens. Yes there may be some benefit, but it does more harm than good especially in younger kids. So escaping from screens and spending time in nature and green spaces can impact mental health in a positive way.
• • A study from NIH states, ‘technology use is strongly associated with higher life stress and lower self-esteem in adolescents.’ 
• Exercise: Pulling out weeds and maintaining a garden forces you to move around and acquire moderate exercise. Also, being outdoors in the sun provides the body with the Vitamin D required for calcium absorption and many other things. 

4. Nature Scavenger Hunts

White fluffy clouds are scattered along the bright blue sky. A cool breeze is blowing too, and you can’t help but wish your kids will get out of their room and enjoy the natural world. What better way to do that than challenge them with a nature scavenger hunt. Create a list of items for your kids to find during a nature walk, you can also go beforehand and hide some of their toys to make it a little more fun.

What should they look for? The answer depends entirely up to you. For younger kids you can create a list of more general items eg. Something rough or smelly. For older kids you can be a bit more specific eg. a brown feather. Now if you believe that this is too basic for your older kids then make it harder, eg. Find a bird that can rotate its head 270 degrees. 

To make this activity even more fun bring a small bag or a basket to collect nature’s treasures. However, if this is taking place in public parks then to avoid messing with the environment children can also take photos of what they found. If there are more children involved then adding healthy competition will push children to finish their lists first. Use a checklist to see what has been collected. 

Skills that a simple nature scavenger hunt develops:

• Observational skills: This teaches children to pay attention to detail.
• Critical thinking: If a child is asked to find a brown feather for instance, then they will use their critical thinking skills to find bird nests in the trees and look somewhere within that vicinity for a fallen feather. 
• Physical Activity: Running around in nature and climbing over rocks or tree roots will burn some extra energy. Everyone knows exercise is healthy, but it will also boost their happiness level and tire them out for bed time. A win-win situation.
• Sensory Engagement: A perfect way for younger kids to learn about different textures and get exposed to nature.  

This activity encourages exploration of the natural world. And you get them outside, so mission accomplished.

5. Arts and Crafts

This is pretty straightforward and before you scroll away, hear this out. There are so many projects small and big that children can make, but how do we make it interesting enough that they will keep themselves busy all summer long? One way is to make a game out of it, a way they can level up skill by skill. 

Start with easy crafts, like stringing some beads together in a pattern to make a bracelet or a keychain for their backpack. Then the next level up could be drawing, from basic shapes to object drawing to landscapes. And here is the fun part each of these broader categories can be subdivided into levels as well. 

For older kids you can conduct 30 day art challenges, eg. 30 days of drawing famous building. Even 10 days of pottery making. The options are endless and only limited by their imagination. Unleash creativity with arts and crafts projects. Whether it's painting, sculpting with clay, or making jewelry, these activities improve fine motor skills and allow children to express themselves artistically.

Benefits of Arts and Crafts:

• Fine Motor Skills: Stringing beads, molding clay or cutting paper strengthens the small muscles in the hands and fingers. For younger kids especially, you will actually see them let go of the scissors or stop whatever they are doing because their hands are tired and that’s absolutely fine. Let them rest, don’t force it because with time these muscles will eventually get stronger.
  • The greatest benefit of improving fine motor skills will come into tasks like writing, buttoning clothes, tying shoe laces and even typing. When children manipulate different tools it refines their hand-eye coordination and dexterity, if your child wants to become a surgeon one day then this is a great practice.

• Problem-Solving: Creating artwork or projects require planning. Sometimes things don’t always go according to that plan. For instance, during pottery there is a high chance that the vase may alter shape or completely flop, these fails make children adjust their techniques and figure out how to create a piece that doesn’t get ruined. They use their problem solving skills to overcome these obstacles. This and creativity (look below) go hand in hand.
• Focus and Patience: Crafts take time and concentration. It allows kids to learn to be patient, which will benefit them in life as well. For younger kids start will smaller crafts that can be finished faster while older ones can handle hefty days long projects. Along with patience, increasing focus in children, especially in this fast paced technological world, will help them to focus on school work and classes as well. You can’t go wrong with this one.
• Creativity: Obviously. Through arts and crafts children are given the time and capabilities to express themselves. The more they work the mind it increases in its ability to think outside the box and work that creative muscle. For anyone out there who isn’t aware, creativity is the key to outperforming and succeeding in life. All those entrepreneurs that start their own business were capable of thinking creatively to come up with new products and solutions. Same with inventors and scientists.

Make the Most of This Summer

Finally, you have reached the first 5 Activities (because there is definitely a part two coming out) and their benefits. Get your kids involved and using their brains this summer without them even knowing it, buahaha what an evil plan. But they will thank you for it when they see the seeds that you sow reap its benefits and improve their lives both in and out of academia. Remember, the best learning happens when children are having fun and exploring the world around them.

Let us know, which of these activities your kids have tried and loved in the comments below.