Partners in Play: Summer Preschool Activities to Support Families in Literacy Beyond the School Year
- Melissa McCall
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Keep Families Engaged in Literacy This Summer
I was recently perusing a local parent Facebook forum, and one question really struck me. A parent asked, “My child doesn’t know any sight words yet, and she’s heading to kindergarten. What’s the best workbook to buy?”
Newsflash: workbooks don’t create readers. Meaningful, intentional, and playful experiences that build connections in the brain do. Yet this question isn’t uncommon—and it’s a powerful reminder. Families want to help, but they often don’t know how. That’s where we come in.
Whether you’re approaching the end of the school year or teach year-round, now is the time to empower families with knowledge. When we offer practical tools and explain the why behind our methods, we strengthen the home-school connection. That kind of partnership doesn’t just help parents feel confident—it drives meaningful learning. And that benefits everyone: teachers, directors, parents, and most importantly, children.
Whether you're wrapping up your school year or preparing for summer programming, this is the perfect moment to send families into the season equipped—not with workbooks, but with impactful summer preschool activities for families that can help them thrive.
Let’s give families what they really need: simple, brain-building ideas they can use for summer success and impactful learning.
Three Simple Ways to Support Families in Summer Literacy
1. Send Home a Summer Calendar
Create a one-page, easy-to-follow “Summer of Literacy” calendar with 30 playful ideas. Each day features a quick, no-prep activity like:
“Clap the syllables in each family member’s name.”
“Go on a letter hunt at the grocery store—can you find a box with an M?”
“Tell a story during bath time using only three toys.”
“Draw a picture and label it with the first sound you hear.”
Or, share our Literacy Pads for even more ease!
Tip: Include a short note encouraging families to complete just a few activities per week—no pressure, just playful practice.
2. Recommend a Book List + Reading Tips
Create a Top 10 Books for Summer handout with a mix of familiar and new titles. Include parent-friendly prompts like:
“Before you read, look at the cover. What do you think it’s about?”
“Stop and ask, ‘What do you think will happen next?’”
“After reading, draw a picture about your favorite part.”
Tip: Drop a reminder about the importance of reading to children and that reading doesn't have to be saved for bedtime. We can read anytime, anywhere!
3. Share Local Literacy-Rich Adventures
Compile and share a list of free or low-cost events and destinations that support literacy development, exploration, and play in your town. These may include:
Library Storytimes (include times/days if available)
Puppet Shows or Children’s Theaters
Farmer’s Markets – encourage children to help write a shopping list or find items that start with certain letters
Nature Trails or Parks – invite children to make a “sound scavenger hunt” (What starts with S? Stick, squirrel, stream!) Grab our Free Nature Hunt HERE!
Community Events – summer concerts, splash pad meetups, or read-alouds at bookstores
Tip: Share THIS blog post for more outdoor learning ideas.
Make a "Summer Sounds" Playlist
Curate a list of playful, literacy-rich songs that families can sing, dance, and rhyme along to in the car or at home. Include favorites that build phonological awareness and vocabulary like:
Down by the Bay
Shake My Sillies Out
Alphardy
Willoughby Wallaby Woo
Tip: Grab our free Little Learner's Playlist, sorted by theme and holiday HERE!
Create an Environmental Print Book
Invite families to create a simple “Environmental Print Book” with their child! This is a fun, low-prep way to help children recognize the words they see every day.
Here’s how to get started:
Cut out words from cereal boxes, snack wrappers, toy packaging, or store flyers.
Go on a neighborhood walk and snap photos of signs (like STOP, OPEN, or restaurant names).
Print the photos and help your child glue them into a little notebook or staple pages together to make a book. Grab our free printable book HERE!
Children love seeing real-world words they can “read”—and it builds both confidence and early reading skills.
Tip: Encourage families to review the book often, saying the letter name, sound, and the words listed. "Tt, /t/, Target!"
Final Thoughts
We often say that it takes a village—but sometimes we forget that we are that village. With a few small tools and intentional conversations, we can empower families to carry the learning forward all summer long.
You don’t need to do it all. You just need to start the conversation and empower families.
Continue Learning with Moving Little Minds!
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We believe that every child deserves a bright future, and this begins with a strong foundation in early literacy skills. At Moving Little Minds, we are dedicated to providing research-based literacy activities in fun and engaging ways! By merging instruction with play, we ensure that children are reaching their full potential and embark on their educational journey well-prepared for the
future! Let's build those KEY emergent literacy skills together.
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