9 Fun Summer Activities for Kids That Incorporate Language Learning

For most kids (and some adults) summer means one thing: fun! Whether your family is going on a road trip or making sandcastles on the beach, summer offers some great opportunities for family time — and you may be able to sneak some language learning into your activities with the kiddos!

Here are 9 fun summer activities that you can do with your kids that incorporate language learning. Feel free to add your own spin to each one!

Road Trip Games

1. Name the Color/Object

Road trips can be a lot of fun, but even the most patient of children will get bored after several hours in the car. Keep your kids engaged by playing some simple games! One easy game is "Name the Color." Ask your kids what color a passing car is, or ask which colors are on a road sign. Give them a point for each color in the target language they get right! Then, mix it up by playing "Name the Object," and ask them to name things that they see along the road.

2. Made-up Lyrics

Are your kids musical? Do they like to sing? If so, help them to make up lyrics in the target language to one of their favorite children's songs. Pick simple songs, and make the translation as simple as possible. For instance, change the English words in "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to French or Spanish words. Then, once you have the lyrics, sing out together!

3. Scavenger Hunt

Every kid loves a scavenger hunt! Keep your children engaged by giving them a list of objects in the target language to look for. Then, when they spot one they have to say the word out loud. It's super easy and will make your road trip that much more fun. Best of all, your kids will learn a bunch of new words!

Outdoor Activities

4. Playing Catch

When people think of summer, they may think of playing ball. If you want to enjoy the outdoors with your kids, play a game of catch with them. Here's how you can incorporate language learning into this pastime:

• Pick a logical sequence of words in the target language (such as numbers, the days of the week, and so forth).

• Say the first word in the sequence out loud, and then toss the ball to your child.

• Have him or her repeat the word, and toss the ball back to you.

• If he says the word correctly, go to the next word in the sequence. If not, repeat the first word until he nails down the pronunciation.

• If you are playing with more than one child, have the first child toss the ball to the second, and then have him toss the ball back to you. Or have each child toss the ball back to you, and alternate between them.

Scientists believe that incorporating language learning into physical activity can aid memory and increase the speed of comprehension. This is a great way to entertain your kids and get in some language learning at the same time.

5. Name that Animal!

If you are on a hike with your kids, point out any animal that you see and ask them to name it. This activity will make your walk more exciting for the kids. It will also teach them common animal names, like bird, butterfly, goose, or other animals that live in your area.

6. Charades

Kids love charades! If you're relaxing in your backyard, then spend some time playing charades with your children. Tell them that if they guess what you're pretending to be, they have to say the word in the target language. This is another great way to teach your children animal names. Depending on the age and knowledge of your child, you can also pretend to be historical figures, or even re-enact well-known events in your family's culture.

Fun at the Beach

7. Counting with Seashells

For many people, the beach is the ultimate summer destination. If your family is soaking up the sun and strolling on the sand, use this opportunity to teach your kids how to count in the target language. As you walk along the beach, ask your kids to count how many seashells they see on the shore. Count out loud, and keep counting until your child gets the next number wrong. Then you can correct him or her, and start over. It's simple, relaxing, and fun!

8. Comparisons with Sand Castles

Building sandcastles is a time-honored beach tradition for families. Work with your children to build a sandcastle. Then, once the sandcastle is done, use it to teach them some concepts in the target language. For example, you can teach your child the difference between "over" and "under," "on top" and "below," "through" and "around," and so on. This is a great way to give your child a jump on more abstract language concepts, like directions.

9. Speed Writing in the Sand

One other fun activity with your kids that you can do on the beach involves sand, the tide, and teaching them how to write. Show your child how to write certain words in the target language (you may need to do this beforehand). Then, have your child practice his writing skills in the sand. When you think he's ready, tell him that it's time to race against the water! Go out to the tideline, and when the wave recedes have him trace out a word in the sand before the next wave comes in. Give him a point for each word he completes before the water washes it away. It's a fun and pain-free way to develop your child's writing skills!

The above 9 activities are great ways to have fun with your children — and sneak in language learning at the same time. Of course, you don't have to go "low-tech" with all of your games and activities. Try out Little Pim's award-winning foreign language program with our free 3-day trial offer. It's specially designed for kids aged 0-6, and is perfect for traveling and road trips. You can download Little Pim on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. Check us out today!

(Featured image via Unsplash - Leo Rivas)

Staycation: Messy Summer Fun for Families

Summer is in full swing: long sunny days where the sun doesn’t set until late in the evening, and lots of hours to fill entertaining little ones. In some Scandinavian countries, in fact, the sun barely sets at all during July!

But never fear, we have LOTS of great ideas on how to fill those summer hours with plenty of messy summer fun for families, with the added bonus of a small price tag to boot.

In this round up, we have messy projects – the kind kids love, and parents are usually afraid of – but all of these are easily cleaned up as long as they’re done outside. Whether you have a balcony, picnic table in the park, or a grassy yard, we’ve got some messy fun for everyone!

MESSY STAYCATION FUN

Fun Foam Twister

What you’ll need:

• * Plastic Twister board
• * Foam soap in a variety of colors or shaving cream and food dye

Honestly, Twister is fun in any season. But you can amp up the laughs for your little ones by using colored foam soap (look for kid-friendly versions usually used in the bathtub) that coordinates with the colored circles on the board. Fill in each circle with the soap.

Then play away! This is guaranteed to be slippery, squeal-worthy, laugh-out-loud fun.

(Can't find foam soap? Simply buy shaving cream, dispense into bowls, then add drops of food coloring to create colored soap foam. Warning: this version may stain light clothing.)

Finish up the game by having everyone run through the sprinklers, hose, or even the shower to clean off.

Variations:

Are your kids too young to know left from right? Use a washable marker to make a red circle on their right hand to differentiate the two.

Make it a bilingual, or trilingual, game by using a language such as French to yell out commands.

Here’s a quick French Twister cheat sheet:

• Right— Droite
• Left— Gauche
• Circle— Cercle
• Foot— Pied
• Hand— Main
• Red— Rouge
• Blue— Bleu
• Yellow— Jaune
• Green— Vert

Ice fossil hunt

What you’ll need:

• *Large plastic bowl
• *Cooking Spray
• *Small toys
• *Water
• *Plastic and/or wooden spoons

Note: Make sure you start this one the night before so you’re ready to play on a hot day:

Take a large plastic bowl (make sure it will fit in your freezer) and spray with cooking spray.

Then add an assortment of small plastic and rubber toys; think: dinosaurs, rubber duckies, anything you’d get in a party gift bag or at an arcade.

Then fill the bowl with water and freeze overnight.

The next day, take the bowl to any outdoor location. Unmold (this should be easy after the cooking spray). Hand out plastic or wooden spoons to the kids and let them dig for treasure.

Good, cold, wet fun!

DIY Slime

OK, you’re probably not going to like this one as much as your kids are – but remember, do this outside and clean up will be a breeze (consider lining whatever table you’re using with newspaper or wax paper).

There are a number of DIY Slime recipes around, but the ones that make plastic-y slime usually contain Borax, which isn’t safe for little mouths. This recipe is completely edible (although we don’t recommend eating it – yuck!), and plenty of fun to play with, too.

What you’ll need:

• Plastic bowls
• Water
• Cornstarch
• Food coloring

In a bowl, combine 1 cup of cornstarch and 1 cup of water. Mix until you have a good and slimy mixture.

Add 1 to 3 drops of food coloring (classic green is always a great starting point).

Repeat with other colors.

Then play away.