Summer Learning is Child’s Play!

Summer is here and you want your child to continue learning even though it may be time for a vacation from school or child care. The Division of Early Learning’s Summer Learning Page will provide you with activities and resources to support your child’s learning as they continue exploring their world through play.

Sunshine & Standards

Find playful activities and resources specifically for your child’s age and stage of development. The Division's Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards page for families lets you choose an activity that fits the daily routine or exciting new adventure to plan with your child today. Find a book, an activity, an app, a video or a new website to explore with your child that supports one of the standards they need to learn or practice. Select your child’s age and find all of the resources you need to help them learn throughout the summer on the Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards Page for Families.

Birth to 2 Years:

As a parent, you are your child’s first teacher and favorite playmate. Beginning at birth, your child looks to you for clues on navigating their environment and on knowing what skills and concepts are important for them to learn. Whether they are watching your face as you feed them or listening to your voice as you sing to them while changing their diaper, your baby is learning and exploring their world. As your child grows, play becomes more important. Many experts on child development refer to play as a child’s work. Babies and toddlers learn important skills and concepts through play.

Here are some resources to help your baby or toddler begin learning new concepts and skills as you play with them:

Discover ways to support your child’s curiosity and learning through play. STEM skills help children to develop an understanding of science, technology, engineering and math. Children develop STEM skills beginning at birth through daily play, exploration, and interactions with you.

So much of STEM learning is what young children already do quite naturally: Ask questions, be curious, play, wonder "What will happen if…," build and create, use tools to solve problems, and explore the people, things, and creatures in the world around them. Supporting STEM skills in the early years is really about nurturing your child’s curiosity and inborn drive to explore, learn and discover through play.

3 to 5 Years

Your preschooler asks questions and wonders about everything in their world. When they learn new facts or new skills or discover something they think is amazing, they practice these skills through play. Encourage their play and find ways to interact with your child through play. Use these resources to provide your child with playful activities that enhance their learning during the summer.