You made it through May! Congrats! Now…how do you make the most of summer?
I collaborated with some friends to bring you 9 Tips for summer at home with kids:
1. Keep a routine (#1 answer) – Have you ever noticed how frustrating that first week out of school can be? (I brace myself for it every year!) I think it has a lot to do with family members not having clear expectations. Communicating with family members and making decisions on when certain things will happen help everyone to feel more settled. It also gives some focus so that days are not whittled away without purpose.
Your schedule might include routines for any or all of the following:
- “Tidy Time” – make bed, tidy room
- Independent Time – grow creativity with reading, drawing, building with legos
- Screen Time – I know this one can be hard, but, momma, set some boundaries. What is really reasonable?
- Exercise – everyone needs this and is happier when they have it
- Bible Time – memorize a scripture together or just read a verse or chapter and discuss applications. Just a few minutes each day of discussion can add up to big impact.
- Activity time – work a puzzle together, play a game, do a craft, make a card or gift for an upcoming birthday
- Meal Times – what meals can kids be in charge of?
- Bed Time – sticking with a somewhat normal schedule here pays off in lots of ways, especially when school starts again
2. Choose 1-2 life skills to teach your children – This might include learning to pack their own lunch, tie their shoes, make their own breakfast…even pump themselves on a swing! 🙂 Older children might have the opportunity to create a digital album of the family vacation, open a bank account, or learn how to put gas in the car.
3. Go to the library – It’s a fun outing, your kids keep reading skills sharp, and it’s FREE. [Tip: Keep a designated basket for library books so they are easy to keep track of and easily returned. Set a reminder on your phone to return books before their due date.]
4. Everyone in the family declutter a drawer.
- Empty contents of drawer
- Put back in only what goes in that drawer
- Put giveaway items in a bag
- Put leftover items back where they belong
Do this little exercise a few times a week and by the time school starts, everyone is ready to start their new schedule more organized.
5. Post an “I’m Bored” list – Any time kids complain or are getting into mischief because of boredom, have them pick something off the list to do.
Ideas to get you started:
- Watering plants
- Sweeping the porch
- Gathering trash
- Matching “extra” socks from the laundry
- Cleaning the dog bowls
When I have a long list of things that need to be done, I give my kids fair warning that the slightest little hint of “boredom” will earn them a job. 🙂
6. Movie nights – If you have or can borrow a projector, create a fun family night by hanging a sheet and using a computer/projector to watch a movie. If you have a pool, set it up so you can watch it while floating on rafts. Invite neighbor friends!
7. Set the timer for a half hour and work on home responsibilities – If kids balk at the idea, remind them that there are about 16 hours in the day. If they are not working outside the home, 30 minutes out of 16 hours is not much to ask. (Remind them you are feeding them, clothing them, and giving them a bed to sleep in!)
Depending on the age, here are some ideas:
- Empty the dishwasher
- Gather trash
- Sweep
- Mop
- Assist in cleaning the kitchen
- Wash windows
- Food prep
- Vacuum
It is especially helpful to do this before taking the kids to do that desireable activity — “As soon as we all finish our 30 minutes, we can go swimming…” Rewards for good attitudes are fun to throw in every now and then. And it is rewarding for your kids to feel part of a team, learn responsibilities, and feel gratified with a job well done.
8. Backpack and lunch box shopping – This might be online or a trip to the store, but to me it has always seemed more fun to buy school supplies when we didn’t wait til the last minute when the pressure was on.
Use it as a fun activity early in the summer. If your school has posted the school supply list for the fall, you can even go ahead and make the purchases and fill the backpacks and put them in the top of a closet. It feels so good to just pull down the readied backpack in August.
9. Fill out school registrations online – If you have multiple children, you know how stressful and time consuming it can be in August to get all the paperwork filled out while everything is starting up. There is something about getting things like this done ahead of time that just makes me soooo happy – it’s empowering!
I hope you’ve found at least one or two new ideas to make your summer better. I’m here for you — please email me any topics you would like to see discussed.
Let’s go make every minute count,
Brenna