As a homeschool family, one of the benefits is that we get to pick when and where we are learning. This means we do not take a big break off school in the summer but instead we tend to do learning activities in the morning before we head outside or on a rainy, summer day. Learning Resources and Educational Insights have a ton of manipulatives, games, activities, and other products that help us have a little more fun while we are doing schoolwork. We would love to inspire you by showing you how we use a few different items to advance our learning this summer.

For an awesome math activity, this MathLink Cubes set from Learning Resources is perfect for pre-k up until about grade 1. We can use this activity daily for addition, counting, sorting, learning colours, and even making patterns. I will use this with Ezri and Kovie for some fun math games and activities in the summer and possibly even Cruz to have him sort the colours and begin counting.

This Rainbow Sorting Activity Set can be used for someone like Cruz (he just turned three) all the way up to someone at Ezri’s level (just finished Kindergarten). The storage compartment on the sides make for easy clean up and the tongs that come with it are perfect for developing a child’s fine motor skills. For Cruz I would have him match the shape’s colour to the rainbow, teach him the names of shapes by having him just add certain ones, or I could simply focus on his fine motor skills and make sure he could transport each shape into the rainbow using only the tongs. For Ezri, I could have her make a certain pattern, ask her to add two different types of shapes to the rainbow and then add together for mental math practice, or I could ask her to use her fine motor skills from her left hand to do the activity.

The Mini ABC Pops are a great activity to teach letter recognition and beginning sounds of words along with fine motor skills. Taking the popsicle letter off again is just as fun for little hands and we love that this activity comes in a great carry and go case for easy traveling.

If you are looking for a product that helps build reading readiness then the Hot Dots Let’s Learn Pre-K Reading is a great option. Using the pen to tap on the book, my kids can learn phonics, rhyming, letter recognition, and early comprehension. They carry many other sets and levels to match wherever your child is eager to learn and this is also great for taking in the car on adventures this summer.

A puzzle game that we have been using lately in our home from Educational Insights is Kanoodle. There are many versions of this for older kids/adults as well as junior for those kids that are just starting out. This is such a good brain activity and one that we can easily set up on a blanket at the park, solve independently in the car, or figure out at the kitchen table. This is one of those games where kids are learning through play and accessing their problem solving skills while completing a level. We love these in our home and we think you will too!

Learning Resources and Educational Insights is a great place to find add-ons for your summer learning. Educational toys and games can spark new and creative ways to learn and inspire curiosity in our kids.