by Eaman Elhadri
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Places might be closed or restricted during the pandemic, however there are a ton of free, cheap, and easy activities we can do at home with our children this summer, inshAllahh and Alhemdulilah.
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Accompanying YouTube Videos
Summer Activity # 1 – Make a summer schedule
If you thrive on structure, dropping your schedule or rhythm in the summer may not be the right thing to do. Try creating a schedule or rhythm specifically for summertime.
We’re year-round homeschoolers and prefer seasonal rhythms over schedules, however sometimes a schedule is necessary if both you and your husband work. As always, do you x 2 boo!
Want a free tutorial to a fun DIY Watercolor Summer Schedule? Type your email in the box below!
Summer Activity #2 – Conduct Hajj Activities
Since Dhul Hijjah starts smack in the middle of summer, it is the perfect time to teach children about Hajj.
You’ve asked for a parent guide to help teach your young child about Hajj and we’re almost done with it, inshAllah! Be on the lookout for The Happy Hajj Guide™ any day now inshAllah!
Until then, try out these fun Hajj Activities for kids!
Want a free printable pack of Hajj pictures? Simply type your email address in the box below!
Summer Activity #3 – Sensory water play
Take out a plastic container, fill it with water, and toss in random items. Watch your littles play for hours! *Be sure to stay next to your young child the entire time.
Summer Activity #4 – Play in the hose
Summer is the perfect time for the kids to water your plants… and themselves!
Better yet, pull out a bucket and…
Summer Activity # 5 – Wash the car
If your car is like mine, it’s dirty right now. 🙂
Pull out the bucket, soap, sponges, etc. and get those kids working! Most children love to wash cars, and if they’re anything like mine, they’ll climb to the top and wash that as well.
Pro tip: Tell your kids to rinse the car when they’re done. You don’t want a white car after all that washing. Ask me how I know. 😉
Summer Activity #6 – Play in the sprinkler
If you use a sprinkler to water your grass, etc, you might as well water the children. 🙂 They’ll have a ball!
Summer Activity #7 – Swim
My children are super disappointed that we can’t go to our swimming lessons this year, due to the pandemic. Alhemdulilah a8la kulee hal.
I didn’t grow up with a pool, but if you have one I’m sure you’re already swimming in it!
If you don’t have a pool, you can purchase a baby pool. If you have a lot of space in your backyard you can purchase the large option. * Adult supervision required.
Click on the images below to check out where to purchase pools.
Summer Activity #8 – Sensory Play Water Beads
Water beads are fun all year round. In the summertime you can keep them out on your deck, porch, or yard. Click on the image below to see where we purchased our water beads.
Summer Activity #9 – Have a water balloon fight
Now this brings back great childhood memories! Just remember to purchase balloons meant for water balloon fights or else there will be tears over the fact that they keep getting hit (ouch!) without getting wet. 🙂 Click on the image below to purchase the correct water balloons.
Summer Activity #10 – Have a squirt gun fight
Another fun memory from my childhood, alhemdulilah. Click on the image below to purchase water guns.
Summer Activity #11 – Conduct simple science projects using household recyclables
We conduct science projects year-round, but some are crazy messy, and although I don’t freak out over messes (the way I used to), it’s smart to save some just for the summer.
Summer Activity #12 – Make a bouncy ball
Supplies
- borax
- corn starch
- yogurt cups
- white glue
- warm water
- measuring spoons
Instructions
- Container 1 – Add 1 tspn borax to 2 tblspns of warm water. Stir to dissolve.
- Container 2 – Mix 1 tblspn glue w/2 tspns cornstarch
- Add 1 tspn of borax mixture to glue/cornstarch mixture. Stir well. It will become stiff. Tip it out of the container and knead into a ball.
- Play with your bouncy ball!
My kids make this all of the time without my help; super simple and fun. Alhemdulilah.
Click on the images below to see where you can purchase each item
Summer Activity #13 – Build a birdbath
Supplies
- plant saucer
- terra-cotta pot
- rocks
- water
Instructions:
- Rest a plant saucer on an inverted terra-cotta pot.
- Place rocks into saucer.
- Fill with water and replace regularly.
Summer Activity #14 – Needle Felted Flowers
Supplies
We have this needle felting kit.
Instructions
My five year old is allowed to needle felt on her own. This is only because she (for the most part) moves slowly and wears gloves. If you have a (calm) child that already knows how to needle felt, they will teach you all the steps you need to know to make a flower.
Here is my five year old’s tutorial, mashAllah Allahuma Barik. 🙂
- Place wool roving on a needle felting sponge.
- Begin felting.
- Add a long piece of green roving for the stem. Felt.
- Add a piece of brown roving for dirt. Felt.
- The end. 🙂
Summer Activity #15 – Raise butterflies and read butterfly themed books
If it isn’t too warm in your area, you can raise butterflies. We purchased our kit here.
It’s the perfect time to read butterfly themed children’s literature such as the classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. We also purchased the Arabic version as well as the coloring book version.
The last time we raised butterflies, we rowed the book Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear . I forgot to pull it out for the littlest bean this year. #mombrain
Click on the images below to see where we purchased them.
Summer Activity #16 – Buy a pet
It might be a great time to buy a pet if you don’t have allergies. I have severe asthma which is triggered by allergens so we are limited. Wa Rabi yeshfeena. Ameen.
My children considered their butterflies as ‘pets’ and were sad to see them go. Now they’re like, “Well if we can’t have a cat, let’s buy a tiger!” {Yea kid.}
Summer Activity #17 – Fly Kites
Classic. Don’t forget to fly it in an open space.
Summer Activity #18 – Collect and press flowers
You don’t need a flower press to press flowers!
Grab a really heavy book. The first thing that comes to mind is a phone book. Remember those? No? You are young, dear sister. ;).
Anyhow, grab your dictionary.
Place a piece of parchment paper inside and place your flowers inside as well. Close the book and wait at least 10 days.
Bam. Pressed flowers. So pretty.
Want to know what to do with your pressed flowers. Read below!
Summer Activity #19 – Pressed Flower Crafts
Perfect Eid-ul-Adha gift alert!
While I’d like to make all.of.the.flower.things, I’m allergic and need to take it easy. 🙂 We’ll probably just make clay pressed flower jewelry holders and pressed flower bookmarks or cards. InshAllah.
Read this awesome post for awesome pressed flower craft ideas!
Summer Activity #20 – Take your schooling outside
If you school year round like us, you will be conducting formal studies throughout the summer. Who says you have to stay indoors!
Take your formal lessons outside and enjoy the weather. (Practice social distancing as needed.)
Summer Activity #21 – Have a picnic
It wouldn’t be summer without a picnic! *Practice social distancing as needed.
Speaking of picnic, it’s the perfect time to teach older children to…
Summer Activity #22 – Teach older children how to grill
Summertime is the perfect time to teach your older children how to use the grill AND clean up after themselves.
Summer Activity #23 – Play outdoor games from ‘back in the day’
If you’re as old as me 😉 and you grew up in the U.S., you’ll remember these throwback games that kept us entertained until the street lights came on!
If you reminisce about your childhood, I bet you’re going to remember the outdoors with loved ones and not your history book in school. 🙂 Think about all of the fun games you used to play outside and do those with your kids!
Freeze Tag
In this version of the classic game Tag, if the person who is it tags a player, that person must freeze in place until tagged and set free by another participant. When the one who is it tags everyone, the last person caught becomes it.
Red light/Green light
One child is it and turns her back to a line of players. When it says “Green Light,” the players move forward trying to reach her. When it says “Red Light,” she turns around to look at the players. Anyone seen moving has to return to the starting line. The first child to reach it wins and takes over that job for the next round.
Mother May I?
The setup for this game is similar to Red Light, Green Light: Players in a line try to reach one child who monitors their progress a few steps at a time. In this one, the kids ask for permission to move forward, as in, “Mother, may I move one giant step forward?” “Mother” either says, “Yes, you may,” or “No, you may not, but you may take two small steps instead,” or whatever substitution the “Mother” prefers—baby steps, steps back, etc. If the game is reaching a stalemate with the “Mother” facing the other players (sometimes that player just doesn’t want to let anyone reach the end), try playing with “Mother’s” back turned, so he doesn’t see how close the other players are getting as they take their allowed steps.
Summer Activity #25 – Read summer themed children’s literature
Time to pull out all of the summer themed book lists and start placing books on hold! Our library has opened up for pick-up, Alhemdulilahi Rabil A8alameen!
Is yours open? Comment below!
Get the Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh by clicking on the image below.
Summer Activity #26 – Increase your time spent in the forest
With the longer days of summer, and the forest being a great place without humans, why not spend more time in the forest?
Summer Activity #27 – Play in the mud
Yes, I said to let your child play in the mud. Dirt don’t hurt! 🙂
Summer Activity #28 – Read-aloud more often
With the longer days, there is more opportunity to read daily for at least 20 minutes each day, which is awesome, alhemdulilah!
Summer Activity #29 – Islamic Studies
I always say Islamic Studies isn’t an activity.
If your child was cyber schooling or crisis-schooling, they are now off and have the time and wonderful opportunity to study Islamic Studies online. Be sure to find a qualified teacher.
Read about our Islamic Studies Curriculum/Resources Here.
The last summer activity – Take care of YOU, mama
Mama you are awesome. You work a lot. And often too much!
Sit down. Stare at a blank wall.
Or get in the bathtub. Whatever you like. Just do it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you recommend we study formal subjects during the summer?
If you feel that is necessary for your child, sure, why not. However, if you don’t feel that it is important, skip it.
We are rear-round homeschoolers. This means we have smaller “vacations” throughout the year, instead of one big vacation in the summertime.
We prefer year-round schooling so that we can take off on Eid and any other important time around the year.
If you were to stick to just one subject this summer, my opinion would be to continue with math. I believe math should be done in short daily spurts.
As always do you x 2 boo!
The last thing you need to know about summer activities for Muslim kids
Swim classes and berry picking might be closed, but there a ton of other things you can do at home with your child! SAVE THIS post!
Helpful Links
The Happy Hajj Guide™ is the perfect way to spend summer with your young child, and it’s almost ready, inshAllah! Want to be the first to know about it? Pop you email in the box below!
New to homeschooling? Read our Beginner’s Guide to Homeschooling for Muslim Families!
Have you already read all.of.the.homeschooling things? 🙂 Want a Quick Guide to Homeschooling instead? Grab it, along with other helpful Freebies, from our Resource Library.