Summer is almost upon us! It’s my favorite season. I live in Minnesota, so you can’t really blame me. I love being able to get outside almost every day! I love to get up north, enjoy the lake, and have bonfires. Summer also has many themes that are perfect for incorporating fun movement based based activities. Below are some of my favorite summer themes that encourage movement!
Summer Themes That Encourage Movement
All of these different themes are great for summer, but can also be used year round. These are great to use in your summer programming, therapy sessions, or at home! These are just some of the theme ideas from Pink Oatmeal.
The list of summer themes…
- Camping
- Baseball
- Insects, Bugs, Creepy Crawlers
- Fishing
- Pirate, Princess, Mermaid
- Picnic
- Amusement Park/Carnival
- Beach
- Ocean
- Summer
Want even more theme ideas? Pink Oatmeal has them for you!
SEE ALL OF THE THEMED RESOURCES FROM PINK OATMEAL
SEE ALL OF THE THEME IDEAS FROM PINK OATMEAL
Camping
Camping is a summer activity that so many people love to partake in. It’s also a super popular theme in schools and summer programs.
One of my favorite ways to encourage movement related to camping is with these camping themed yoga pose ideas. Pose like a tent or a perform fire breathing. A perfect way to start off a camping trip or camping unit with your little campers!
This is also the perfect opportunity to add forest themed movement cards.
Campers love to go on hikes! Add in a scavenger hunt to this theme. There are several FREE scavenger hunts available in the Pink Oatmeal freebie library. The Nature Hunt would be perfect to go along with the camping theme.
The Camping Themed Gross Motor Game is a must-play when doing a camping theme. Kids are super engaged with this digital game. You can play it on it’s own or make it a part of an obstacle course or use it as a reward for hard work. Kids will still be working hard, but they don’t even realize it when in game mode!
GET THE PINK OATMEAL CAMPING THEMED DIGITAL GAME
GET THE MOSQUITO LIFECYCLE GAME
These are just some of the camping themed ideas, be sure to check out the all of the camping themed gross motor and fine motor activities from Pink Oatmeal.
Baseball
Who doesn’t love to get out to at least one baseball game. Whether it is the little league or the major league almost everyone partakes in some sort of baseball activity over the summer. Baseball also encourages really fun ways to move including jumping to catch that fly ball or squatting to field the ball!
Keep the baseball themed going with the FREE baseball measurement gross motor game from the freebie library!
Baseball players need to be good at playing catch. Try the step and catch game.
Baseball players need to be in great shape and train. Try out tabata drills during this week.
This week is a great week to try out some sports themed yoga! Baseball is included in this. Read about all of the ideas! Go digital! Try the Baseball Themed Digital Movement Game! This is perfect to play on a computer, tablet, or interactive whiteboard. Your kids will LOVE this game, and it is a great option for BOTH in person and distance learning.
GET THE BASEBALL THEMED MOVEMENT GAME
Sports themed fine motor activities, there are several, are a must during baseball week. Combine them with your gross motor activities as well.
The kids LOVE the baseball theme. Such great ideas for World Series gross motor and World Series games too!”
Insects, Bugs, and Creepy Crawlers
What kid doesn’t love to investigate insects, bugs or creepy crawlers. Personally, I prefer to stay away from them, but I remember catching them as a kid and my kids LOVE them.
Start with insect, bug, and creepy crawlers yoga pose ideas. These are so fun and no need to be a yogi to enjoy these fun pose ideas! The cards and printables are available in a clip art version and kids version! The bumble bee relay is a fun game to play to get the kids moving!
Use a fly swatter and run around swatting objects. This can be done with the objective of your choice. This may mean you use sidewalk chalk to write different letters and have the kids swat a certain letter. Maybe you opt for numbers. This is a great option for moving and learning! Go digital and work on one to one correspondence while moving. Your kids will LOVE counting ants while moving their bodies!
GET THE ANT COUNTING GROSS MOTOR GAME
GET THE INSECT AND BUGS DIGITAL GAME
GET THE BUTTERFLY LIFE CYCLE MOVEMENT GAME
Bug Collecting – The bean bags are the bugs that you are collecting!
Fine motor skills with an insect theme are the best. The Insect, Bugs, and Creepy Crawlers fine motor skills set has so many (9 different ideas) great ways to work on these activities.
Fishing
I live with a big fisherman. When we are at the lake he is fishing. I go out time to time and try to catch the bigger fish. I will not touch the fish or the worm (I’m a bit scared). My fisherman husband has to help. He is determined to make our little boys fisherman. I am determined to make movement fun with a fishing theme!
This candy can fishing game is the perfect addition to this theme. Fishing in prone (laying on stomach propped on elbows) is another great option. To make a non-candy cane rod, you can use a magnet and place paper clips on objects you are fishing for.
Pirate, Princess, and Mermaid
This is a fun theme that is great to use in combination with each other.
Start with pirate themed brain breaks or yoga.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL OF THE PIRATE THEMED BRAIN BREAK AND YOGA IDEAS
Add princess themed brain breaks to this. These are fast, fun, and effective. They can also be done in small spaces!
SEE THE PRINCESS THEMED BRAIN BREAK IDEAS
Add the mermaids to this theme with this fun and engaging digital gross motor game. Pick a mermaid, get to know their name, and do the movement they ask of you. Your kids will LOVE this game!
GET THE MERMAID THEMED GROSS MOTOR DIGITAL GAME
Picnic Theme
Who doesn’t love a picnic? Some of the best ways to add movement to a picnic is with fun picnic games. Relay games are perfect for this.
SEE ALL OF THE FUN RELAY RACE GAMES FOR KIDS VIDEOS
GET THE PICNIC THEMED GROSS MOTOR DIGITAL GAME
GET THE ANT COUNTING GROSS MOTOR DIGITAL GAME
GET THE WATERMELON LIFE CYCLE GAME
Beach Party
Summer isn’t quite complete without a beach theme! Whether you are going to the ocean or lake this is a fun theme to add movement.
Try island hopping! This is fun with a beach theme. Use pillows or mats to complete this activity.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL OF THE BEACH THEMED GROSS MOTOR AND FINE MOTOR ACTIVITY IDEAS
When you think of the beach how about surfing?!? Pink Oatmeal has an awesome surfing themed gross motor game that works on one to one correspondence along with movement! This game can be played on your computer, tablet, screen cast onto a television or played on an interactive whiteboard. This is a great option for BOTH in-person and distance learning.
GET THE SURFBOARD COUNTING GROSS MOTOR GAME
Kids love the Ocean Themed Gross Motor Game from Pink Oatmeal. Pick different icons from around the ocean and move like them!
GET YOUR OCEAN THEMED GROSS MOTOR GAME
Amusement Parks and Carnivals
Summer is the time for carnivals and amusement parks! It’s also the perfect theme to add to your summer planning.
With this theme it’s fun to use tunnels, hula hoops or Bosu balls.
Pink Oatmeal has an entire post on Circus/Carnival themed ideas that are perfect to go along with this theme.
SEE THE FULL POST ON CARNIVAL AND AMUSEMENT PARK IDEAS
Pink Oatmeal also has a must-play digital Amusement Park Game. People are reporting that these digital games have been SO ENGAGING for kids both in-person and for distance learning or teletherapy. This game would be perfect to combine with your “carnival obstacle course”. Have the kids work through the course and pick a icon at the end!
GET THE AMUSEMENT PARK GROSS MOTOR DIGITAL GAME
Pink Oatmeal even makes it better by having FREE carnival themed yoga cards for you to use in the Pink Oatmeal freebie library.
GET THE FREE CARNIVAL THEMED YOGA CARDS
To make it even better Pink Oatmeal also has a FREE set of Carnival Fine Motor Activities in the Pink Oatmeal freebie library.
GET THE CARNIVAL THEMED FINE MOTOR ACTIVITIES
Pink Oatmeal also has a FULL set of fast, fun, and effective carnival themed brain break cards. These are easy to use in a small area. Pick one card or use many!
GET THE CARNIVAL THEMED BRAIN BREAK CARDS
Summer Gross Motor and Fine Motor
Maybe you are looking for a “general” summer theme. Something perfect to use at the end of the school year or for a week during the summer! Pink Oatmeal has some extras for that too!
Start off with meeting some summer themed beach friends! This game can be played digitally or can be played in-person. It works PERFECT for BOTH settings. Pick a summer friend, get to know their name, and try the movement they ask of you!
GET YOUR SUMMER FRIENDS MOVEMENT GAME
GET THE SUMMER WHEELCHAIR MOVEMENT GAME
Fast, fun and effective are words to descibe the summer breain break ideas. Click here to read about all of the different summer themed brain breaks. Now, go and get your own set of summer themed brain break cards.
How about adding a little fine motor work in with a summer theme!?! Pink Oatmeal has that for you too. Check out all of the different summer themed fine motor acitivies available from Pink Oatmeal.