Summer Math Activities to Get Kids Outdoors
June 18, 2025
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School leaders, teachers, and parents are likely familiar with the concept of the “summer slide” – an annual loss of academic skills during summer break, when kids are disengaged from structured learning at school. In fact, the average US student loses 25-34% of their school-year math progress during the following summer!
But summer doesn’t have to be a time of learning loss. It can be a chance to reinforce skills through play and low-pressure tasks. Whether you’re a teacher looking for summer school math activities or a counselor leading summer camp activities, outdoor math games are ideal to keep kids active and engaged in learning.
We’re sharing some fun summer math activities for your elementary students to do outdoors! Your students don’t have to sit inside at a desk for summer math practice. Instead, prevent the summer slide and get your kids outside and moving with these summer math games.
Summer learning loss is a prevalent problem. In fact, 70-78% of elementary students experience the summer slide in math every year.
The summer slide also contributes to achievement gaps with long-term consequences. According to the National Summer Learning Association, by 5th grade, summer learning loss can leave low-income students two-and-a-half to three years behind their peers.
A study by the RAND Corporation found that by the end of elementary school, students who consistently experience summer learning loss can be nearly three years behind their peers who continue to learn during the summer.
This is why regularly engaging students in math is so important. Even informal summer math activities can help young learners stay on track and prevent summer learning loss.
Administrators and teachers can support summer learning by sharing the following ideas or by incorporating them into their summer school math activities. Parents can rest assured knowing that preventing the summer slide doesn’t require formal lessons – just small, frequent, fun practice.
Summer math activities that incorporate physical activity are extremely beneficial and effective for elementary students. And there’s science to back it up!
Physical activity increases oxygen levels in the blood and blood flow to the brain. As a result, the brain can function at optimal levels for learning.
Additionally, exercise stimulates the brain to produce a protein called BDNF, which supports the development of new neurons and their connections.
Physical movement also supports the growth of the hippocampus, a region of the brain responsible for learning and memory.
All in all, when the body is moving, the mind has the greatest potential to learn. Adding movement to summer math games enhances comprehension, in addition to physical wellness. It’s a win-win!
Exercise reduces stress, including the stress associated with academic challenges. Adding movement to summer math practice creates a low-pressure situation for students to demonstrate their skills.
A study by the National Math Foundation revealed that movement-based activities increase student engagement levels compared to traditional sedentary classroom activities.
Combine movement and the outdoors, and you have a highly engaging, low-stress setting for students. Kids often associate the outdoors with play, exploration, and full-body exercise – all things that can be incorporated into summer math activities.
Related Reading: 7 Ways to Practice Math Over the Summer
Want to head deeper into the research and results behind Math & Movement? Explore our Program Data page to see how schools across the US are transforming student achievement with our kinesthetic learning strategies.
Add these to your list of summer math camp ideas or summer school math activities.
One popular outdoor activity for many kids is drawing with sidewalk chalk. The Chalk Number Line Race is a great summer math activity for practicing addition and developing number sense.
First, instruct your kids to draw a number line to 20 (or however high you would like to go) with chalk on the blacktop. Place a stack of number cards near the start of the line. Have kids take turns drawing a number card. If a number “3” is drawn, the player will start in front of “1” and hop three times on the number line. They will stay on the number “3” until their next turn.
On their next turn, the player will draw another number card and add that number to the number they are standing on. Players will rotate drawing cards, adding, and racing to the end of the number line. Whoever gets there first wins!
Play this game in reverse, starting at the end of the number line, to practice subtraction.
This summer math game is possible at home in the backyard, at camp, or at the park – anywhere with trees! Kids will find sticks and sort them by size. They may use a small container, bag, or basket to carry sticks in.
Begin the game by telling players they have ‘x’ amount of time (say 10 minutes, for example) to find as many sticks as they can. Set a timer and watch the kids begin gathering.
Once the timer is finished, players will come together and lay out their sticks from shortest to longest. Parents or teachers can challenge kids further by asking them to sort all of the players’ sticks together by length. This outdoor math game is a great way for elementary students to practice making comparisons and develop teamwork skills.
Hula hoops are another fantastic tool to use in summer learning activities. To play hula hoop addition, you need three different hula hoops, two notecards, and a bag of balls, bean bags, or rocks.
Lay the three hula hoops on the ground in a row. Write a “+” and “=” sign on the notecards and place them between the three hula hoops. Your layout should be hula hoop + hula hoop = hula hoop.
To play this outdoor math game, you can either call out math equations (ex., 2+3) or write them down on notecards for players to draw from.
Give a player a math equation and have them place the corresponding number of balls into each hula hoop on either side of the plus sign. Then, the player will add the numbers together and do that number of jumping jacks in the third hula hoop. (For example, if the equation was 2+3, the player would do five jumping jacks.)
This game can also be adapted to different operations that kids need practice with, including multiplication and division. To add even more variety, try switching up the exercise in the third hula hoop. For instance, instead of jumping jacks, have students hop on one foot or clap with their hands above their heads.
Make basketball into a fun summer math activity! To play Math Fact Basketball, you can either call out math equations or write them down on notecards for players to draw.
To start, give a player a math equation, and they will answer it aloud as quickly as possible. Once the player correctly answers the problem, they get a chance to shoot the basketball. The player earns two points if they answer correctly AND make the ball into the hoop. Take turns with the other players.
The goal of the game for players is to correctly solve as many math problems as possible so that they get more chances to shoot the basketball. The player with the most points wins!
Like Hula Hoop Addition, Math Fact Basketball can be adapted to any operation your kids need to review. You can also include comparison problems or number patterns for kids to complete.
This fun math activity is perfect for summer camp – it’s adventurous and requires some exploring! Similar to the sort and measure sticks activity, kids will find bugs and count them. Emphasize to kids who may be a bit squeamish about bugs that they do not have to touch them to participate in this game!
Kids will use a notepad and a pencil to keep track of the bugs they count with either tally marks or numerals. Play this game with a time limit on a stopwatch, and see who finds the most bugs.
When time is up, players will come together and discuss how many and what kinds of bugs they found. Not only is this hunt a great outdoor math game, but it also offers a hands-on science experience while moving around.
Consider adding these ideas to your summer school or camp math activities. Even short games and tasks will benefit students. Plus, with these outdoor math games, kids will have so much fun that they might not even realize they’re practicing math!
Related Reading: How to Create the Ultimate Summer Math Program for Your Students
With the summer slide being a prevalent issue, students should consistently participate in fun summer math activities. Educators and parents should focus on making summer math practice enjoyable and practical. Movement-based learning outdoors is an extremely effective way to reach kids when they’re simply excited to be on summer break.
Avoid the boring worksheets and tedious drills this summer and incorporate movement-based resources into your summer math activities for elementary students at home, camp, or school.
Consider one of Math & Movement’s Summer Learning kits for your summer school program or summer camp. These kits include a collection of vibrant, adaptable kinesthetic learning materials to support effective, fun summer math learning. With immersive, full-body activities on our heavy-duty floor mats, kids can stay active and keep up on their math skills all summer long!
Enrolling students in a summer learning program is a great way to keep them practicing their math skills. Parents and camp counselors can encourage kids to practice math with outdoor games and activities. These activities are low-pressure and enjoyable, making math practice a fun experience. Teachers and administrators can share a list of summer math activities with students’ families to give them ideas on how to practice skills at home.
The summer slide refers to the loss of academic skills that many students experience during their summer break from school. Preventing it helps students return to school ready to learn new concepts. It also stops widening achievement gaps. Summer math activities, especially movement-based ones, can keep skills fresh in a fun, low-stress way.
As little as 10-15 minutes a day, a few times a week, can make a big difference for kids’ retention. The goal is consistency. Short, engaging activities can help students maintain and even build on what they learned during the prior school year.
No problem! Our summer math activities are designed to be easy, intuitive, and hands-on. Movement-based math makes learning more about play than instruction, so adults can simply provide directions for a game, without needing to be experts.
Research shows that kinesthetic learning enhances how areas of the brain responsible for comprehension and memory process new information. Movement is especially helpful for students who struggle with traditional worksheets or lectures, as the physical activity increases engagement. It’s a great way to make summer learning feel like fun, not schoolwork.
Suzy Koontz, CEO and Founder of Math & Movement, has spent over 25 years helping students achieve academic success. She has created over 200 kinesthetic teaching tools adopted by schools nationwide and has authored over 20 books. As a sought-after national presenter, Suzy shares how movement can transform the way students learn.
Movement isn't just for recess
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