Creating a Summer Choice Board for Young Learners

Summer with little and young ones can feel like a beautiful mix of freedom, snacks, messes, questions, and the phrase “What can I do now?” repeated approximately 47 times before lunch. Another layer is added when you are trying to work from home or manage remote work.

One thing that helps in our home is creating a Summer Choice Board inspired by classroom choice centers. Our five-year-old’s favorite day at school was choice center day because she got to choose her activity. Teachers know the magic of giving children meaningful options. A choice board creates independence, reduces constant decision fatigue for adults, and helps kids move through the day with purpose and creativity.

We are using that joy and excitement from our five-year-old to create something similar at home to help her stay engaged and battle boredom. The best part is that a choice board, or summer activities in general, do not need to be complicated or Pinterest-perfect. A piece of paper, sticky notes, or a simple poster board works just fine. In this blog post, I share our summer choice board as a template, along with additional ideas for those moments when summer vacation does not exactly feel like a vision of beaches, popsicles, and fun in the sun.