Inspirational topics and activities to enjoy during the
‘School Summer Holidays’
☀️ Get ready for an unforgettable summer with our amazing collection of inspirational topics and activities for the school holidays! Whether you're planning exciting adventures or quiet moments of creativity, we have everything you need to keep little (and not-so-little!) ones engaged. Dive into imaginative play with our fantastic Role Play Packs, including a Holiday Hotel, Aquarium, Pirate Ship, Teddy Bears' Picnic, Ice Cream Shop, and Zoo.
Summer Holiday Inspiration
Spark ideas with our 30 Days of Summer Inspiration Poster, help children plan their break with My Summer Holiday Checklists and My Summer Activity Booklets, and dream big with a Summer Bucket List. You'll also find delightful Summer Colouring Sheets for those quieter moments.
Outdoor Adventures & Essential Safety
Looking for outdoor fun? Browse our 'Outdoor Area' pages for ideas on Water Play, Sand Play, Mud Kitchen, Outdoor Maths, and Outdoor Mark Making. Don't forget to explore our dedicated sections on Sports and PE Games, Gardening, Forest School, and Beach School. Plus, ensure a safe summer with our vital Road Safety and Sun Safety resources.
Fun and Games for Everyone!
For endless entertainment, explore our 'Fun and Games' page packed with puzzles, masks, colouring, party packs, snap cards, art & crafts, scavenger hunts, and more! You can also browse our general 'Summer' themed resources for a wide range of seasonal activities.
Topics to Engage All Ages
Many of our topics are perfect for mixed-age groups, encouraging older children to play and learn alongside their younger siblings or friends. Discover resources on Active Journeys, At the Seaside, Construction, Dinosaurs, Emotions and Feelings, Fairies, Food, Life Cycles, Minibeasts, Nursery Rhymes, On the Farm, People Who Help Us, Pets, Pirates, Plants, Recycling, Space, Under the Sea, Weather, Wildlife, and Zoo. Role-play areas are also fantastic for collaborative play across different ages – older children often thrive helping younger ones!
Inspire with Special Dates
Finally, let our updated Special Dates Calendars for July, August, and September 2025 inspire your holiday planning with exciting events and themes! We even have an inspirational blog post for each awareness date, jam packed with activity ideas and resources! 🗓️
On this page you will find Free Sample Resources alongside our core Premium Printable Provision for this theme. In addition, you will find some Professional EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy Suite Planning Documents. Explore membership options here.
Sections on this page:
Free Sample Resources
Featured Resources
Searching for some garden/outdoor area inspiration? Browse our ‘Outdoor Area’ pages - Water Play / Sand Play / Mud Kitchen / Gardening / Maths / Mark Making / Wildlife Investigation / Picnic Area / Sport and PE Games / Beach School / Forest School / Science Investigations
Help your children to stay safe during the summer holidays - Road Safety - Sun Safety and Heatwave
Looking for some fun and games?…Enjoy our collection of puzzles, masks, colouring, party packs, sport and PE games, playdough and loose part mats, snap cards, art & crafts, scavenger hunts and more on our ‘Fun and Games’ page
Or browse our ‘Summer’ themed resources
Summer Holidays Theme & Project Planning Support
Searching for a topic which interests everyone? Many of you will be caring for some older children alongside your early years children at this time of year. We think you’ll find that many of the resources within the following topics inspire young and old alike to play and have fun! Active Journeys / At the Seaside / Construction / Dinosaurs / Endangered Animals / Exercise / Expressive Movement / Fairies / Food / Goldilocks and the Three Bears / Jack and the Beanstalk / Life Cycles / Little Red Riding Hood / Medicine - Doctors and Nurses / Mermaids and Mermen / Minibeasts / Nursery Rhymes / On the Farm / Out and About / People Who Help Us / Pets / Pirates / Plants / Recycling / Space / Sport and PE Games / Teddy Bears' Picnic / Teeth and Oral Health / The Environment / The Three Little Pigs / Transport / Under the Sea / Water / Weather / Wildlife / Woodland / Zoo
Equally, young and old often love the opportunity to play together within a role play area. We’ve always been surprised at how much our older children have enjoyed this. Many also thrive with the opportunity to help the younger children!
Allow our ‘Special Dates Calendars’ to inspire you
‘Get Organised’ pages you may be interested in
Free ‘Summer Holiday Activities’ Printables | Early Years
Join for free and download our inspirational ‘Summer Holiday Activity’ educational resources in this ‘Free Samples’ section!
(Click on the images below to find out more)
Please note that more free resources can be found on each of the individual topic pages. Have fun browsing! We hope it helps! 😊
If you are not a member already, become a ‘Free Access’ member here. This will give you access to resources within the ‘Free Sample Resources’ sections at the top of most pages and ‘Special Dates Calendars’. Some whole topics are even free! Find out more about all of our membership options here. If you are already a member… thank-you!
Please note that both Editable (docx file) and non-editable (pdf file) versions are available for all ‘School Summer Activities’ topic resources. (Editable files require Microsoft Word to work at optimum level and Non-Editable files require a pdf viewer.)
Featured Resources
Click on the images below to find out more (if you are a member)…
Transform your outdoor water area into a space for curiosity, investigation and problem-solving with our wonderful Outdoor Water Play Challenge Cards!
These engaging printable challenge cards encourage exploration, experimentation and meaningful conversations through…
Searching for some garden/outdoor area inspiration? Browse our ‘Outdoor Area’ pages…
(Free Sample resources available on most pages)
Help your children to stay safe during the summer holidays…
Looking for some fun and games?…Enjoy our collection of puzzles, masks, colouring, party packs, sport and PE games, playdough and loose part mats, snap cards, art & crafts, scavenger hunts and more on our ‘Fun and Games’ page…
Summer Holidays Theme & Project Planning Support
Our mini-projects are perfect for holiday provision planning. What are your children interested in?
A sensory-rich exploration of weather, movement and material change, designed to build early scientific thinking, descriptive language and whole-body learning.
A high-impact week of songs, action rhymes and sound play designed to strengthen early language foundations through rhythm, repetition and movement.
A relationship-centred mini-project that places children’s identity, preferences and sense of self at the heart of learning.
A high-impact, play-rich mini-project that uses water as the vehicle for developing physical control, early maths (capacity), schema play and simple scientific thinking.
A highly engaging, creativity-led mini-project focused on colour naming, sorting and matching, and the “wow” science of colour mixing—ideal for building early maths thinking, language and fine motor control through playful exploration.
A gentle, emotionally rich mini-project that uses familiar comfort objects to support social development, early role play, language for manners and routine, and practical self-help skills.
A focused, sensory-rich mini-project that uses food, cooking play and preparation routines to build independence, fine motor strength and rich descriptive language through child-led exploration.
A professional mini-project planner designed to harness toddlers’ fascination with vehicles, power and construction — supporting schema play, physical development and language through high-impact, child-led provision.
A two-week, low-prep mini theme designed to support body awareness, emotional literacy and wellbeing through play.
A two-week, low-prep mini theme designed to spark curiosity, investigation and imaginative thinking through play.
A two-week, flexible mini theme designed to strengthen oral storytelling, empathy and imagination through play.
A two-week, flexible mini theme designed to spark curiosity, imagination and early STEAM thinking through play.
A two-week, low-prep mini theme designed to support empathy, responsibility and language development through play.
A two-week, low-prep mini theme designed to support belonging, inclusion and cultural understanding through meaningful play.
A two-week, low-prep mini theme designed to deepen problem-solving, collaboration and early STEM learning through play.
A two-week, low-prep mini theme designed to enrich provision and respond to children’s emerging interests.
Searching for a topic which interests everyone? Many of you will be caring for some older children alongside your early years children at this time of year. We think you’ll find that many of the resources within the following topics inspire young and old alike to play and have fun!…
(FREE Sample resources available on most pages)
Equally, young and old often love the opportunity to play together within a role play area. We’ve always been surprised at how much our older children have enjoyed this. Many also thrive with the opportunity to help the younger children!…
Allow our ‘Special Dates Calendars’ to inspire you…
Welcome to August! This month offers rich opportunities for imaginative play, outdoor exploration and connection with the natural world, all within a relaxed summer rhythm. Below are possible connections and enhancement ideas.…
Welcome to July! This month is all about summer, movement, nature and relationships, with strong opportunities for outdoor learning, physical development and exploring the natural world…
Read our new Educational & Informative Event Blog Posts. Browse awareness dates below using the arrows and click through to our dedicated blog post pages to read more.
Sunday 30th August 2026: Splish, splash! National Beach Day, observed annually on August 30th, is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our beautiful coastlines, sandy shores, and the vibrant life found in and…
Wednesday 26th August 2026: Woof woof! International Dog Day, celebrated annually on August 26th, is a heartwarming global day dedicated to celebrating dogs of all breeds, pure and mixed. It aims to raise awareness about…
Saturday 29th - Sunday 30th August 2026: Swoop into action! International Bat Night is an annual event that takes place at the end of August across more than 30 countries to raise awareness about bats and their conservation…
Wednesday 19th August 2026: Swing into action! International Orangutan Day, observed annually on August 19th, is a crucial global day dedicated to raising awareness about the critical threat facing orangutans and the…
Wednesday 12th August 2026: World Elephant Day, celebrated annually on August 12th, is a significant global event dedicated to raising awareness about the urgent plight of elephants worldwide. It was launched in 2012 by the…
Wednesday 12th - Thursday 13th August 2026: Get ready to look up! The Annual Perseid Meteor Shower, often considered one of the best meteor showers of the year, takes place every August, typically peaking around August 12th or…
Monday 10th August 2026: Roar! World Lion Day, celebrated annually on August 10th, is a powerful global initiative dedicated to celebrating the majestic lion and highlighting the urgent need for its conservation. It…
Saturday 8th August 2026: Meow! International Cat Day, celebrated annually on August 8th, is a purr-fect opportunity to celebrate our feline friends and learn all about them! It's a day dedicated to raising awareness about…
Tuesday 4th August 2026: International Owl Awareness Day, observed annually on August 4th, is a captivating opportunity to introduce young children to the fascinating world of owls! It's a day dedicated to highlighting…
August 2026: Ahoy, mateys! International Pirate Month, celebrated throughout August, is a fantastic, swashbuckling opportunity to inject adventure, imaginative play, and a whole heap of learning into…
‘Get Organised’ pages you may be interested in…
Search ‘Little Owls Resources’ using the following menu buttons…
Encourage curiosity, creativity and problem-solving with our wonderful Outdoor Sand Play Challenge Cards!
These engaging printable challenge cards help transform your outdoor sand area into a rich environment for exploration, investigation and imaginative play. Each…