How ready are you for summer? The long break between school years can feel pretty daunting at times which is why I’ve created this summer scavenger hunt printable for you to download and print.
There’s something very organic about observing the coming and goings of the new seasons. The children are naturally curious, asking questions about what is happening to the world around them and therefore it makes sense to celebrate and acknowledge what is happening.
Spending plenty of time out in nature is a vital part of our daily rhythm. Not only is time in nature good for everyone’s wellbeing, but I’ve observed that my youngest son really thrives when he’s had hours of time outdoors each day.
Undoubtedly getting outside for longer durations feels more possible in the summertime. The weather is warmer (without being too hot!) and you usually don’t have to dress in quite so many layers. If you currently don’t spend much time outdoors, now is a great time to build up to longer durations of nature play.
With all of that in mind, I have created this free Summer Scavenger Hunt printable pdf which you can download without having to sign up to the mailing list.
Summer Scavenger Hunt
This simple Summer scavenger hunt is aimed at toddlers and pre-schoolers. Whilst I have tried to make the list as general as possible, the nature treasures you see during Summer will depend on where you live in the world. If the list isn’t quite relevant to you, I recommend taking inspiration from the Summer scavenger hunt printable and using a free app like Canva to create your own version.
How To Use Responsibly
Whilst a scavenger hunt often implies taking and collecting items, in this case I recommend simply taking a photograph. Please don’t disturb the animals or pick flowers – leave those for the bees and bugs. This can be tricky with very young toddlers who are hands on with their approach to learning, but I find that the more children are exposed to nature, the easier it becomes for them to simply observe their surroundings.
Phrases To Use Instead Of ‘Don’t Touch’
Are instinct is often to exclaim ‘Don’t touch!’ when your child is grabbing at flowers or poking at a bug. However, often our child then fixates on the last word (touch) – so our well meaning phrases can often have the opposite impact.
Instead try:
‘Smell with your nose’
‘Look with your eyes’
‘Listen with your ears’
‘Imagine with your mind’
or you can even make it more playful:
- ‘let’s take an invisible photograph!’ (press down your finger on the pretend camera and say click! click!)
- Can you pretend to be a bee and gather the nectar?
- I wonder how many red flowers there are…
- I wonder what the crabs’s name is…
Download The Summer Bucket List + Summer Scavenger Hunt Printables For FREE
You can access a printable version of this summer bucket list here along with a Summer Themed Scavenger hunt here. Save it to your phone or share it with your friends 🙂
Related Articles That You Might Enjoy:
Why Be Careful Doesn’t Work and 15 phrases to try instead
5 Reasons Why your Child Needs Plenty of Outdoor Play
You can also follow my Instagram and Pinterest pages for daily play inspiration
