Summer theme for 2 year olds: a week of activities
A summer theme lesson plan for 2 year olds: what a day looks like, then the week's circle time (about five minutes, standing up for the song), books, craft, song, snack, letter and outside time, each with what changes at this age.
A day of the summer theme with 2 year olds
- Arrival, hands washed, free play.
- Circle (about five minutes): hello song, then “How do we stay cool when it is hot?” and sing “row, row, row your boat”.
- Craft with a grown-up pouring and cutting: paper-plate sun.
- Snack: Ice Cream in a Bag.
- Outside: shade or sun.
- Read Kip and the Crab, the same book again tomorrow.
- Rest, then color the letter S picture page.
Summer circle time
- Good morning song, then say each name together.
- Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
- Ask: “How do we stay cool when it is hot?”
- Sing: Row, Row, Row Your Boat.
- Read: Kip and the Crab (level 3).
Twos: about five minutes; stand up for the song.
Summer theme books
- Kip and the Crab (level 3, free on peabody.kids): A summer day at the beach.
- Fish in a Dish (level 2, free on peabody.kids): Water and something kind.
- The Sun Is a Star (read aloud, level 5): A read-aloud: true facts about the sun.
- Tom and the Big Fish (read aloud, level 6): A read-aloud: a silly fishing day.
Summer craft: Paper-plate sun
You need (4): paper plate, yellow paint or crayon, yellow and orange paper strips, glue stick.
- Color the plate yellow.
- Glue strips all round as the rays.
- Draw a face on your sun.
With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.
Twos: a grown-up pours the paint and holds the glue.
Summer song: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
The words
Row, row, row your boat, Gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream.
Traditional; public domain. From Top 52 nursery rhymes with lyrics.
Summer snack
Ice Cream in a Bag from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.
Letter S activities
SsS is for sun. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).
Twos: the picture page only; color it and say the word.
Outside activity: Shade or sun
Call "Sun!" and everyone runs into the sunny part; call "Shade!" and everyone runs to the shade.
Summer theme for toddlersSummer theme for 3 and 4 year oldsSummer theme, all ages
Checked 2026-10-30