Watermelon Activities for Kids

Watermelon Activities for Kids

Summer season is watermelon season.  Besides eating it, here are several watermelon activities you can do with your kids.

Make Watermelon Shakers

Provide each child with one paper plate, dried beans, red paint, green paint, and dried watermelon seeds. Instruct the children to fold the plate in half. Staple the plate together. Leave enough space for children to add beans to make the shaker. Then, finish stapling the plate together. Tell the children to paint the rippled, stapled portion of the plate green to resemble the rind of a sliced watermelon. Then paint the rest of the plate red to resemble the watermelon fruit. After the paint dries, instruct the children to glue watermelon seeds to the red portion of the plate. After the watermelon shakers are complete, allow the children to shake away!

Watermelon Seed Letters and Counters

Save and dry watermelon seeds. Give each child a piece of writing paper with the first letter of their names already written on it. Instruct the children to glue the watermelon seeds on the letters.

Make water melon name plates. Give each child a short sentence strip with their names written on it. Allow the children to outline their names with watermelon seeds.

Give the children laminated mats with several circles drawn on it. Provide each child with one slice of watermelon and instruct them to save the seeds. After eating the watermelon, dry the mats with a paper towel and tell the children to count their seeds. Then tell them to place two seeds in each circle and count by twos. Do the same activity with five seeds in each circle and count by fives, and so forth.

Measurement

Make watermelon rulers. Cut poster board into strips measuring approximately one half inch wide and several inches long. Glue on watermelon seeds so that they touch end to end. Use the ruler to measure “watermelon seed length” of various objects around the classroom. Students might determine that a crayon measures ten watermelon seeds or the length of a book measures 40 watermelon seeds.

Watermelon Circle Time

Sing watermelon songs and play watermelon games. Before slicing into a watermelon, ask students to guess how many seeds are in the watermelon. Ask the children to save the seeds from their slice of watermelon and then count the seeds. Offer a prize to the student with the closest estimate. Have the children make up a watermelon rhyme using each letter in the word “watermelon.”

Watermelon Snacks

Either bake watermelon cookies at home and bring them to share with your students or ask a parent to bake the cookies and bring them in for a special watermelon snack. Students might also enjoy watermelon flavored lollipops and watermelon punch. Ask students and parents to share their favorite watermelon recipes and make a class “Watermelon Recipe Book.” Send a copy of the recipe book home with each student and don’t forget to keep one for yourself.

These activities not only teach children to appreciate watermelon, but they also provide children with opportunities to learn letters, numbers, counting, measurement, and develop small motor skills. Such basic skills will provide a foundation for academic success. 

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Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove)

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