Free summer worksheets for children, with seven printable activities that use real summer words, from beaches and watermelon to sunscreen, camping and lemonade. Print a word search in three levels, bingo cards, a word scramble, a “how many words can you make” page, an acrostic poem, a writing prompt and a fold-up summer card, each with an answer key where one is needed.
Summer worksheets to print (PDF)
These four pages show what the summer maker prints: a medium word search with a word list, two bingo cards on a page, an acrostic poem for the letters of SUNSHINE, and the fold-up card that says “Hello, Summer!” Click a picture for the PDF.
Prefer one download? Grab the ready-made summer activity pack (PDF), which has every page in one file.
About summer: the holiday at a glance
A little background makes the words on the page mean more. Here are the basic facts that go with these summer worksheets:
| When it starts | Around June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, at the summer solstice; around December 21 in the Southern Hemisphere |
|---|---|
| Longest day | The summer solstice has the most daylight of the year |
| Weather | Warm to hot, with long, light evenings |
| Foods | Watermelon, ice pops, lemonade and barbecue |
| Activities | Swimming, camping, hiking and fishing |
| Safety | Sunscreen, shade, a hat and plenty of water |
The story of summer
Summer begins at the solstice, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and the day is the longest of the year. After that the days slowly shorten, though the hottest weather often comes weeks later because it takes time for the land and sea to warm up.
For many children summer means a long break from school, and a chance to try something new. A few small projects keep minds active: reading a book each week, keeping a journal of adventures, or learning a new skill. Safety matters too, so remember sunscreen, a hat, shade and plenty of water.
Wikipedia’s summer article explains the season and the solstice.
What is in the summer activity pack?
Every activity uses the same list of 24 summer words, so children meet each word several times in different ways. The list is the heart of these summer worksheets: the word search hides it, the scramble mixes it up, the bingo calls it out and the writing prompt asks children to use it.
summer word search: three levels
The word search comes in easy, medium and hard grids, with 10, 14 and 18 words from the list.
The longest summer words are watermelon and sunglasses with 10 letters, and the shortest word is sun with 3.
summer vocabulary: words to talk about
Take a few minutes to talk about the words before children search for them. These eight are a good place to start:
| Word | Letters | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| sunscreen | 9 | A lotion that protects skin from the sun |
| vacation | 8 | A holiday away from school or work |
| popsicle | 8 | A flavored ice treat on a stick |
| lemonade | 8 | A drink of lemon juice, water and sugar |
| picnic | 6 | A meal eaten outdoors |
| sandals | 7 | Open shoes with straps |
| hike | 4 | A long walk in the countryside |
| waves | 5 | Moving ridges of water on the sea |
The other 16 words in the list are sun, beach, ocean, sand, swim, shells, watermelon, camping, garden, butterfly, bugs, pool, kite, sunglasses, fishing and barbecue.
How people celebrate summer
- Swimming at the beach, lake or pool
- Camping, hiking and cooking outdoors
- Eating ice pops and watermelon
- Reading, journaling and learning something new
- Visiting family and going on vacation
Summer activities for kids to do with the worksheets
Pair the printed pages with a hands-on idea, and the vocabulary sticks:
- Summer plan: use the prompt to plan the perfect summer day from morning to night.
- Beach treasure hunt: collect shells and sort them by shape and color.
- Lemonade stand math: set a price, count the cups and make a profit chart.
- Shadow tracing: trace a friend’s shadow in chalk at different times of day.
- Sunshine acrostic: write SUNSHINE down the page and add a happy word for each letter.
How to use these summer worksheets in five minutes
The summer worksheets maker works from the 24-word summer list, so whichever page you print uses the same words. Choose an activity, set the level and press Download PDF or Print, and press New puzzles for a fresh set.
Summer worksheets: frequently asked questions
When does summer start?
In the Northern Hemisphere it begins around June 21. In the Southern Hemisphere it begins around December 21.
How can I stop children losing learning over summer?
Short daily activities, such as reading, a journal, a puzzle or a worksheet, keep skills fresh without taking away the fun.
What ages are the summer worksheets for?
Ages 4 to 9. The bingo, card and acrostic suit younger children, and the word search and scramble suit grades 1 to 3.
Summer printables: find the right page
Summer word search printable
The summer word search printable comes in easy, medium and hard grids with 10, 14 and 18 words, and an answer key page for each, so one sheet can suit a whole class.
More holiday worksheets
- Spring worksheets
- Fourth of July worksheets
- Back to school worksheets
- All holiday worksheets for 22 holidays and seasons
- Word search generator for your own words
- Bingo card generator for custom cards