Taking inspiration from our Summer Learning Program, the team at River Garden have compiled a list of indoor activities to try this summer.

Here, Educational Leader, Marcela, shares the Centre’s top tips and activities to try when temperatures soar.

Summer is great for a number of reasons, but when the temperature starts pushing 30 degrees it becomes impractical for children to stay outside for too long.

But retreating indoors doesn’t have to be boring. 

At River Garden, we’ve planned a wide range of indoor summer activities for the children to participate throughout the warmer months. These safe, hands-on learning experiences will keep them out of the heat and encourage engagement in valuable and fun activities.

1. Playing musical instruments and singing

   To encourage critical thinking, we recommend asking the children to pick a song to sing, then discussing why they like that song. Then, bring in the instruments and start playing. If you want to take the activity one step further, you can create your own instruments, such as maracas or drums, using recycled materials.

2. Interactive language lessons

   At our Centre, the children have been participating in 30 minute Spanish lessons, where they have to repeat Spanish words, sing songs, follow different choreographies and create original art pieces based on the daily topic. To start learning at home, you can search for children’s language lessons on YouTube, or download an app for your device.

3. Cooking healthy snacks

   Take advantage of in season produce to create easy snacks, such as mango ice blocks, watermelon smoothies or festive cookies. For further recipe inspiration, head to this blog post.

4. Making up stories and constructing books

   At River Garden, both our Educators and children take great pleasure in reading and sharing stories. We love reading aloud at story time and making up stories, which often leads to transcribing said tales into picture books. To create your own book at home, all you need is some paper, colouring pencils and a way to bind the pages together, such as a stapler or a hole punch and ribbon. 

5. Constructing an obstacle course or forte

   Depending on your space restrictions, you can set up an obstacle course or forte for your child indoors. Get them involved in the planning and construction process, and watch their imagination run wild.