It’s so important for our kids to remain engaged and learning throughout the summer to prevent summer learning loss. The average student loses 1-3 months of knowledge by the time they go back to school in the fall and we’re here to help you change that! Summer is a time of fun, relaxation and hopefully a vacation or two. So this Supply List only contains items that are stress-free and require no preparation on your part. I know those Pinterest activities look so cute and fun but many of us do not have the time to pull those off- so let’s dive in!
Our list only contains our tried and true favorites so you can trust that these are well-vetted. This post contains affiliate links.
Our favorite books of the summer
PreK Summer Books
Am I Yours– A cute book about dinosaurs who find an egg and try to solve the mystery of who it belongs to.
Not Norman A heartwarming story of a boy who wishes for a different pet but eventually sees how special his goldfish really is.
Pirate’s Lullaby: Mutiny at Bedtime A fun rhyming bedtime book about a pirate boy and his pirate dad trying to get ready for bed.
A Good Day for a Hat– Fun and engaging story that will keep kids guessing what comes next.
Curious George Collection– Simple illustrations, a little mischief, and always a happy ending. This collection book contains 8 stories that you will read for years to come.
Hiking Day– A lovely fictionalized story of a family going hiking. Check out other “My First Experiences” books in this series as well.
The Caterpillar and the Pollywog– Another great story like Hiking Day which introduces real concepts (metamorphosis) but in a fun, fictionalized way
Elementary Summer Books
Dragon Masters Series– Easy to read with 26 books now in the series. Great for grades 2-4 to read independently or a fun read aloud for the whole family.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory– Great to read aloud to your elementary child. This one hooked my 4 and 6 year old. While some Roald Dahl can be inappropriate for younger children, this one was pretty safe.
Magic Treehouse Series– These are wonderful to read and the audiobooks are great for bedtime and long car rides. There are nonfiction elements woven into each story for an added learning bonus.
Mercy Watson Series– Great beginning chapter books with bright, colorful pictures and short chapter to keep kids engaged.
The Wild Robot Series– Great read aloud for 1st-3rd graders. A charming story about an abandoned robot who learns how to live in the wild with friendly animals.
Nonfiction Summer Books
You can use these books as a fun starting point to learning about something new that you can explore more deeply if your child is interested.
Surprise Trojans!– The true story of the Trojan War .
Rocket Says Clean Up– If you’re headed to the beach this summer, this book about ocean pollution shows how plastic is hurting ocean animals and how we can help.
Pompeii- Buried Alive The story of Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. There’s a great Magic Treehouse companion book for this as well.
The Street Beneath My Feet– Has your child ever asked questions about what’s under the ground? This book explores things like sewers, fossils, even the earth’s core in a way that’s easily accessible for early elementary children.
The Titanic- Lost and Found– Learn the true story of the Titanic an explore with Magic Treehouse in a fictionalized story to further enhance the learning.
Our Favorite Board Games for Summer
Games With a Math Focus
Sum Swamp– Work on simple addition and subtraction. Great for K-2. Also practices skills of knowing even/odd numbers.
Monopoly Junior– A kid version of the classic. Work on counting spaces around the board and counting money.
Skip bo– Number recognition, counting in sequence.
Telling time bingo – Fun way to practice telling time.
Dragonwood– Addition (up to 5 dice to add), making number sequences, number pairs, and attacking ogres and trolls for fun while you’re at it!
Yahtzee– A classic. Tons of dice rolling fun, addition practice, and critical thinking skills.
Sleeping Queens– Create math equations with your cards to rescue queens and defeat knights.
Games With a Reading Focus
Alphabet Bingo– Perfect for your PreK and Kindergarten kiddo.
Zingo– Begin to recognize basic words, matching words and pictures.
Zingo sight words– One level up from the traditional Zingo game. This one doesn’t have pictures so your child needs to be a beginning reader. Great for kingergarten-1st grade.
Snap It Up– Another fun basic spelling game for 1st-3rd graders.
Games for Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Skills
Spot It- A quick-thinking, brain-building game.
Race to the Treasure– A cooperative game to build paths while defeating the ogres.
Sequence for Kids (PreK) – A great game for your young child who’s just starting with board games.
Blokus– A great game for the whole family. Can be played with 2 people to make it easier, or up to 4 for a real challenge.
Carcassone– Involves planning and strategy and math for scoring points.
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