5 Make and Take Ideas for Summer

Here is a fun idea - have kids create their own activities to do over the summer break.  Start now during part of a therapy session to assemble and teach students some games or activities that they can do over the summer for carry over of therapy skills and to keep them busy.  Once you have created an activity and reviewed how to play it set it aside to give to the child the last day of school.  Hopefully, by the time that day comes the child will have created several activities for over the summer.  Here are some suggestions:

1.  Rock Tic Tac Toe - Go outdoors and collect 10 small rocks (or head to Dollar store to buy a bag of river stones for $1).  Paint 5 'X's and 5 'O's on the rocks.  Using sidewalk chalk draw a tic tac toe board.  Play tic tac toe with the rocks - either place the rocks in a square or toss them from far away.  Place the rocks and the chalk in a plastic bag to send home.  Maybe include other games to play with the rocks - hopscotch, hide and find, etc.

2.  Journals - Cut apart a recycled cereal box.  Using two large pieces of cardboard cut two rectangles to make the front and back covers.  Glue colored paper over the cereal boxes.  Cut out 10 pieces of paper the same size.  Punch holes in the paper and covers.  Tie a string through the holes to assemble the journal.  Include several story starter ideas.  Need it easier than this?  Print out Doodle Diaries, staple and ready to go! 

3.  Activity Idea Book - At each session ask every child for an activity idea to do over the summer.  Perhaps a trip to the library, blowing bubbles, hide and go seek, etc.  Once you have documented everyone's answers write or type them all together on a sheet of paper.  Add this hand out on Physical Activities for the Summer.  Makes copies for each student to add to their summer bag of make and takes. 

4.  Printables from Your Therapy Source - Print out fine motor, gross motor or visual processing ebooks activities or from the free stuff page all sorts of activities.  Put out suitable activities on a table.  The child can go through the activities and select some to put in a folder to bring home for summer.

5.  Play Dough - Make large batches of home made play dough.  Give each child a small container of play dough and activity ideas to do with the play dough.  Need activity ideas - check out Creative Clay Activities or Play Clay Mats to print and send home.