7 Summer Enrichment Ideas for your Preschooler in San Diego

Summer is a great time for families because they have more time to spend together. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long before most parents start to run out of ideas for how to fill up the time. Parents may become concerned about keeping their little ones active so that they avoid the “summer slump.” But if you live in or near San Diego, there are hundreds of ways you can both entertain and teach your preschooler. Here are a few of the most popular and fun summer enrichment activities for preschoolers.

Enrichment for your Preschooler in the San Diego Zoo

summer camp | Wee Care Preschool in San Diego — Take kids to the zoo for a fun experience

Taking kids to the zoo is a classic way to entertain them and get them out of the house for the day. The San Diego zoo comes with a bonus: it provides many amazing opportunities for summer enrichment. You can take a DIY approach by doing a little research on the animals before your visit. Be sure to make use of the zoo’s itinerary tool to stay ultra-organized! There is also organized programming. Would your little one enjoy a guided bus tour or an inside look tour?

Preschool Enrichment your Child will Love

If you’re looking for a convenient, one-stop shop for your preschooler’s summer enrichment needs, a high quality preschool is the way to go. Good preschools offer enrichment for your preschooler in San Diego. Parent-friendly preschools offer nutritious and kid-friendly meals and flexible scheduling options. Education-focused preschools may also offer supplemental programming. Wee Care preschools offer enrichment classes for your preschool student including dance, foreign language and athletics.

Make the Most of Summer Camp

Camp doesn’t have to be all s’mores and crafts, and inGenius Camps are a great example of this. If your child will be in kindergarten next year, you can send him or her to a week of enrichment camps run by experienced educators. These camps focus on STREAM learning. (STREAM stands for science, technology, reading and writing, architecture, and math). One-week camp topics range from Chinese folk songs to entomology to cooking, and everything in between. They’ve got great camps for older brothers and sisters too!

Enrichment Opportunities at your San Diego Public Library

preschool student | Wee Care Preschool in San Diego — The library is a great place for kids

Many parents don’t realize how many resources the San Diego Library offers. Of course you already know you can borrow books for free. There are also great suggested reading lists on the library website for kids of all ages. Additionally, the library provides events for young children and their parents. You can check out the library’s magazine for an updated schedule of children’s events. Past offerings have included

Dr. Seuss parties
Hands-on science lessons with fun themes like bubbles and superheros
Hands-on architecture and engineering workshops
Multi-sensory workshops to teach the five senses

There are many more! Do a little browsing and figure out which summer enrichment activities will interest your child.

Learn About Other Cultures at the International Cottages’ Lawn Programs

The museums, gardens, and theaters at Balboa Park offer plenty of amazing summer enrichment activities. Especially fun (and free!) treats are the lawn programs put on by the International Cottages. They celebrate a particular culture with traditional food, choral groups, and dancing. Use these events as a spring board to talk about geography, other cultures, or history.

Find a Farmer’s Market

Don’t wait for special programming to offer your preschooler summer enrichment. Everyday experiences are great opportunities for teaching your preschooler new concepts and skills. Here are some topic suggestions for what you can teach you little ones at your next visit to the farmer’s market or grocery store.

Math skills
Money management
Nutrition
Vocabulary and other literacy skills

Science Learning at the Young Scientists Program

The Fleet Science Center offers a great Young Scientists program that your little one will love. This is a quicker option for summer enrichment than a traditional summer camp. You and your child enroll for four weekly one-hour sessions. You get to attend with your preschooler, so it will be fun for you as well. It also allows you some great bonding time and fun memories together.

San Diego offers thousands of teachable moments for your preschooler. There are also plenty of top-notch enrichment programs with professional educators. Summer days napping by the pool are great, but don’t forget to take advantage of all the summer enrichment opportunities too.

Alex Kahn

20:09 18 Sep 23

Maziar Sefidan

05:40 31 May 23

After 6 years (2 kids) at Wee Care we say with high certainty that this is a solid childcare/preschool.Things we like:1. Staff is great. We've had a number of teachers as our kids have progressed through the age groups and we haven't had one that we haven't liked.2. Director (Diane) is a great communicator and generally runs a tight ship.3. Lunch is included. Thank goodness; one less worry in the crazy morning.4. Excellent hours and schedule. Something like 6:30AM to 6:00PM daily with only a handful of holidays unlike many other preschools where the hours are unfriendly to working parents and preschool is out for extended periods during the holidays.5. Reasonable prices (although some increases lately but i don't mind the staff getting raises and cost of living adjustments). Still a pretty good deal.Things that could improve:Not gonna sugar coat it, but the location behind a strip mall was a little off-putting at first until "we got over ourselves". It's about the kids, not how fancy the facilities look. Our kids liked it there and never complained; both fully prepared for kinder socially and academically. They are fully accredited and certified, staff is great, turnover is low; these are what's really important.

Jared Marais

19:25 19 May 23

Grant Weaver

16:23 03 Apr 23

With two kids and both me and my wife working full time - I have a lot of experience with Preschools and Daycares, and WeeCare consistently has provided top tier education and service at an incredible price point.I am consistently amazed by the things my son learns and brings back each day: he loves the alphabet, learning, and will know the proper names of animals that even I have trouble remembering. My daughter was in a different WeeCare years ago, but I was likewise always impressed by the things she was learning and the skills she gained here - it certainly gave her a huge leg up when she joined Elementary.WeeCare in Rancho Bernardo (now a different company) was my first preschool, so I didn't realize what I had until they left, and I went through several other schools trying to find the quality that I originally had.The biggest factor (in my opinion) is that both had the excellent guidance of Preschool Director Diane Martine. She has always been responsive, helpful, and I think she does a great job picking the best teachers for the kids. She was also very helpful and understanding during the time when my son was lagging a bit on potty training, and helped to catch him up with the wonderful teachers she has employed. Big shout out to all the incredible teachers who are patient, always on top of informing us if there is owies, or things to help our kids grow and learn, and are always available and responsive to our questions.Thank you WeeCare - it's tough being a parent right now, and it's a HUGE worry off of our shoulders to know our kids are being taken care of.

Naomi C.

20:30 23 Mar 22

It is more affordable than other day cares in San Diego. They also have more availability than other day cares. My daughter loved going to Wee Care! She had so much fun and made so many friends. She enjoyed going to Wee Care and loved her teachers and teachers assistants. Whenever an issue was raised, the staff was quick to resolve it. My daughter is in Kindergarten now, but she always remembers this school and talks about wanting to come back for a visit. Thank you Wee Care for nurturing growing minds.

Melissa Manns

17:21 16 Oct 19

We love WEE CARE! The facility is nice and clean. We love that they provide their meals. Our son loves his teachers and looks forward to going to school. The new director seems very sweet and we've always had positive interactions with her. Definitely recommend!

April Gossett

05:25 18 Dec 14

Our daughter has been going there since April. We absolutely love this place. They are so engaging with the children and they actually TEACH the children during classroom time. When I picked my daughter up a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving she was telling me all about cornucopias...I was blown away because she completely knew what it was and she is only 4!! Because of Wee Care she enjoys learning and doing crafts. They also offer Spanish class, dance class, as well as other programs for a really good price. My daughter is actually taking Spanish right now and is on the wait list for the dance class. I am really really happy we found this place and I know that she will be beyond ready for kindergarten.