Here are some activities that you can try at home if you need ideas for things to do with your little ones during Summer!
First Week Challenges:
Go on a Summer Walk
Make a list of what you want to see on your summer walk and as you see them, tick them off! The focussed skill here is peeling and cutting.
Prepare some Healthy Food
Prepare one of the healthy recipes from the Startwell Website. Why not prepare a rainbow salad? remember it’s important to eat a rainbow to get a range pf vitamins and minerals! Enjoy this refreshing snack outdoors in the warmer weather. Focussed skill: peeling and cutting.
Second Week Challenges:
Crazy Cricket
It is Summertime, so why not get outside and practice your cricket? We want you to practice your throwing, hitting and catching. Focus on the skill of hand-eye coordination.
Role-Play Shop
Set up a shop at home with play foods or items from your cupboards. Look at the different types of fruit and vegetables available. Can the children name them? Talk about size, texture and even taste. Focus on recognising the ingredients.
Third Week Challenges:
Den Making
Go to the woods and make your own den or if the weather is bad make an inside fort. Encourage 5your children to build, create and challenge their decisions. Focussed skill: constructing on a larger scale.
Food Science
Which fruit and vegetables float/sink? Add food colour to them in water – which change colour? We have lots of Food Science activities pinned on the startwell Birmingham Pinterest Page. Focus on exploring foods, picking up and releasing.
Fourth Week Challenges:
Grass Play
Mow the lawn and ask the children to create anything they want with the grass clippings – you can even have teams and do mini competitions! Focussed skill here is transporting and transferring.
Grow Your Own Food
Give some food growing a go! You can develop lots of great skills growing food, but we want you to focus on pouring. Food won’t grow unless we water them. What different household items can the children use to water the growing foods? Focussed skill here is pouring!
Fifth Week Challenges:
Mini-Olympics
The Olympics are here! So let’s set up our own mini-Olympics outside with different events/stations – running jumping and throwing. Focus on the locomotor skills of running, and jumping; and the manipulating skill of throwing.
Food Hunt
Make a list of food items you have available and call them out at random for the children to find. Hide them outdoors if you can! Once foods have been found, have a discussion about which are the appropriate portion sizes for children and for adults. Focussed skill: following rules or instructions.
Sixth Week Challenges:
Water Painting
Collect a range of old paint brushes/rollers/sponges etc… and fill up a painting tray or bucket with water and create your own marks, patterns etc. on a wall outside! It’s a great activity that involves little mess and dries away in the sun ready for a new blank canvas. This activity will focus on fine and gross motor control.
Find, Read, and Get Active with Food-Based Stories
Look on your bookshelves and see if you can find any healthy or food related stories. For example, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Hungry Caterpillar, Handas Suprise. Make them into active stories and do actions together. Focus on developing knowledge and awareness of different food.
For a printable version of the challenges click here.
