What activités do you sign your preschooler up for in the summer?

[Mama Geek]

Through the school year I take dd to Kindermusik, a gymnastics class and a ballet class.  They are all just for fun and to learn a little something.  She has been having a good time in all three.  I don't think any of them are offered over the summer.  So what is a fun activity to do over the summer?  Dd turns 4 early this summer.

[Maela]

Swim lessons for both kids every summer. One year (I think Dd was four) she did a fun two week long science class on owls through city parks and rec.

[a27mom]

Last summer my 4 y/o went to swim lessons, library reading program, and VBS.

[Kerileanne99]

Age 4 is the perfect age to start day camps!

This year we have plans to travel across the US by RV, and we are planning our trip around a couple of week-long science camps at museums and a week-long chess camp for preschoolers. When we come back she will have swim lessons, Soroban, art and a drama class. Most of them are a week long each.

Last year dd4 did a princess ballet camp, an art class, an animal interaction camp at the zoo, swim lessons, and Sorban lessons. We see it a time to expose her to lots of things and see what she really enjoys:)

[MissKNG]

Summer soccer and "little" recreation at the school.

[Jackie]

For us, gymnastics, swim, and violin are year-round.

[In The Great White North]

Swim lessons.

[Tracy]

We also do swim lessons and VBS.  Our library offers a ton of summer activities, including the reading program, where the kids get prizes for what they read.  They also have lots of classes, like story times and science-y things, usually around a theme.  Check local park districts, forest preserves and nature centers for fun things to do.  When it has been really hot, I liked to take my littles to children's museums.  It is especially fun to go with another family so the kids can play together, and the moms can chat.  My dh likes to "go on an expedition" where they ride around looking for parks they haven't been to before (though he already has an idea of where they are going.)  

[wendyroo]

Our zoo offers week long camps where they do crafts, read stories, visit different exhibits and get to interact with some of the animals.  Both of my bigger boys will be attending a couple of sessions.

 

Wendy

[Wabi Sabi]

Swim lessons and the library reading program

[NASDAQ]

I don't sign my preschooler up for anything. They start day camp he summer before k.

[Wilma]

Activities?  Not really.  My preschoolers don't do activities - they just play and go to the pool and stuff.

[redsquirrel]

I did swim lessons during the summer and my town has a sweet little 2 hour a day 'drama' camp for the little ones. My kids adored that, and did it every summer until they were too old.

[pollo_la]

Yep, swimming lessons! :-) We also have a zoo membership and take advantage of that. We try and go at "themed times" where they have demonstrations and such. We also have a membership to a local spray park.

[kitten18]

Just swimming lessons.  Many, many weeks of swimming lessons.

[fourisenough]

My DD4 (turning 5 in May) will be on the neighborhood swim team's "pre-team". They practice daily for 45 minutes for 4 weeks, then end the season with a "mini meet". She'll also do the library summer reading program. While the big kids are away at sleepover camp DH & I will take her on adventure (last year we did Mackinac Island- biked the island, flew kites, ate ourselves sick on fudge...).

[happypamama]

We do tennis with a local tennis program. Last year, my 4yo participated and had a lot of fun.

[lea_lpz]

This year we'll do swim lessons. When dd was 4 we did a morning day camp at The Little Gym 2x a week.

[Dmmetler]

My local parks and rec had a "summer fun time" for preschoolers twice a week. The kids had a theme each week that followed along with the big kid day camp, did crafts, played in the room, and played outside, with lots of sprinkler/water play (always done so you simply picked up your still damp kid-they went outside and played on the playground and in the sprinklers). It was cheap enough that skipping if something else came up was not a problem, but was a chance to play with other kids regularly.

[matrips]

My kids always did vacation bible school at various churches in the area. Inexpensive and fun!

[duckens]

DD3 is signed up for:

--Gymnastics (Parent-child non-structured time on the beam, bar, and vault).

 

--Little Tennis (She wants to do this.  She saw older sister take tennis last summer.  Older sister hated tennis last summer, so older sister will do golf this year).

 

--A weekly class through Parks and rec.  She's signed up for the science one.  We're on standby for the art one.
 

We also do the library reading program, and we play at our local pool as many days as possible.

 

[Jackie]

I am jealous. I posted our year-round activities earlier in the thread. But EVERY summer activity around here is "entering K or higher" or 5+, so there is nothing for my 4yo.

[Kerileanne99]

I am jealous. I posted our year-round activities earlier in the thread. But EVERY summer activity around here is "entering K or higher" or 5+, so there is nothing for my 4yo.

I know that feeling! Last year when my dd was 3, every.single.camp we wanted to do was age 4 and up. Even now, very few of the summer camp activities she will be doing are local. This is why we are planning out vacation around some in other major cities.

For chess camp we are timing our visit to my parents house in another state to correspond with the dates of the camp (it is only 2 hours/day for 5 days).

But even our regular activities like Soroban and chess require us to drive 2 hours away for weekly class because they either don't exist locally or don't start until they are officially Kindy age...and my kiddo has a Dec bday which means she would wait a Looong time:)

[Mama Geek]

The problem I have is that dd knows how to swim much better than most almost 4 year olds.  She was starting to learn rhythmic breathing at the end of last summer.  She swims above and below water, she floats and she started to learn diving from the side.  It would have to be private lessons for this summer because the classes I have found are for those who have little experience in the water.  The swim teams start at 4 and her birthday is halfway through the swim team season.

 

I would really like something for music or something physical, the parks around here get absolutely mobbed in the summertime because of all the camps.  I don't really want her in a week long camp, just something once or twice a week for an hour.  I think even the sports she is mostly too young to get into still. 

 

I hadn't thought about VBS and haven't really heard anything about it at the church we are attending.  If they have it I will likely send her to that.

 

All of that is why I posted the question.  I was looking for some other ideas.

[My3girls]

Wow, I didn't sign my preschoolers up for anything. They played in the yard. Lol. In K, I signed them up for soccer and dance.

[prissygirls]

Tee-ball, gymnastics and maybe swim lessons.