Your Summer Planning Guide~ FREEBIE
Summer with a houseful of kiddos has the potential to be anything but relaxing. Often we find ourselves looking at the calendar wondering how we are going to fill 60+ days with fun, safety, more fun, special memories, maybe a vacation thrown into the mix, and oh yeah fun. How in the world?!? Well, help is here!
Don’t worry friends, I’ve got something special for ya! Keep reading to find out!
I’m a full-time teacher and make my living understanding what makes kids and their minds tick. So let’s stick together for the next few minutes and 10 weeks to make some serious headway in this thing called parenting hmmm-kay?
Make a Plan
No matter your Myers-Briggs profile this part is attainable. Your plan can be as simple as a checklist, or you can make a spreadsheet…whatever floats your boat. But make a plan you must, or your kids are gonna run circles around you this summer.
You most likely have a few weeks blocked out for vacation, VBS, and maybe a sports camp or two. But, that’s not what I’m talking about. Figure out what you are going to do on every Thursday morning when you don’t have anything going on already. Maybe you block out every Wednesday for a day trip somewhere within driving distance? I have a friend who has a standing plan once a week. She takes her kids to a local reservoir for water, sunshine and fun. Sometimes a crowd joins in, sometimes not. She’s been doing it for years. Either way it’s her thing and I’ve always admired it.
Children thrive when they are given routine and structure.
So providing a weekly template (in a way) that gives some predictability is really powerful. For our family, we try to mountain bike once a week, we have a few day trips a month, and each afternoon when the heat is not worth beating we have down time inside. Our plan does not involve me being a cruise director everyday but it does give my kids the structure they subconsciously crave. If you work full-time, can you take some strategic days off to have a family day? Maybe an obscure Wednesday in June so you can all go to the local outdoor aquatic center? Or, my personal favorite, the zoo. The one your kids have been to a bazillion times? Yep that one. Because guess what, your daughter wasn’t 9 years and 8 months old the last time she was there. Who knows, maybe she’ll read a sign next to the gorilla exhibit this time and it will unwrap a passion in her heart she didn’t know was there.
Set Screen Time Boundaries
If you aren’t careful, your kids will while away the hours in front of a screen this summer. Depending on their age this is a serious challenge. Our kids are 10 and 13, we deal with this regularly. Our children need to be 21st century equipped, but if we aren’t careful they will lose their formative years of people skill training due to the never-ending tug that is the screen. It’s imperative that they learn balance.
Every family is different, every screen time philosophy is different. So I’m going to share a kind disclaimer. What I’m about to say is ONE idea, that happens to work very well for my crew. Please do not comment with why this won’t work for your family or why my idea is wrong. You do you, and let me do me, but we can both agree that our kids losing themselves in front of a screen while they have a growing mind is not ideal. Sound good?
Mine, their daily max is four hours, total (I’m talking every single screen here). Yep, they’re old enough now, they figure it out. We don’t micromanage the screens, they do. The fine print is something you’ll need to work out with your teenager. Because, believe me, they’ll ask. We also require our kids to choose one screen free day a week. My husband and I keep a gauge on-screen time each day very casually. We aren’t completely letting the kids go solo, they know we’re keeping on eye on things. Because the natural consequence for taking in too much screen time one day, is zero screens the next. This little system works perfectly for them. We’ve tried several ideas and for our two, with very different personalities, this has worked the best with the longest consistency.
The age of accountability for your young person is going to be different than their buddy down the street. Screen time maximums from kid to kid will always be different. Do not, for a second, start comparing your kid to the next when it comes to their screen threshold. That is a deep pit that will rob you of all joy. Spend some time considering what is right for your kid, your household, and what you can be consistent with. You’ll be grateful you did.
Budget Early and Budget Clearly
If you aren’t careful, summer fun will run away with your bank account and will only come home when you are out of money. At ‘ol Pine Daisy House our summer always involves chores and projects, cause…uh hello…I’m off. I hit the project train hard as soon as I can see straight, after the glory that is the month of May ends. Also the plan I mentioned earlier, that too will suck the life out of your bank account so keep the budget in mind.
My best advice, set a number, a firm dollar amount, for your entire summer.
There have been years where I have literally cashed out my entire “Summer Fun” budget by June 1 and that’s that. Again, everyone’s number is different here as is everyone’s plan.
The sooner you can get something figured out for your household the better. You’ll be thanking yourself in the fall when it’s time to start budgeting for the holidays and not the credit card bill from your fun and fancy free summer. To help I’ve included a special freebie with this post, a simple planning sheet and list of ideas for your summer.
Be Okay with Bored
I love it when my kids get bored. It’s my personal goal each summer actually. You know what happens when they’re bored? They create. They imagine. They read. They dream. They start to listen to their heart.
The dog days of summer, when your kid lies on their back looking up at the trees swaying in the breeze, can only happen if you let it.
So please don’t misunderstand all this talk about plans and budgets and think I mean, “You better stay busy so you don’t go crazy.” In your mind, set aside time in the schedule for absolutely nothing. Try it weekly, it’ll be so worth it, I promise.
Remember the end goal of parenting is to raise healthy adults. It’s critically important to this goal that we let our children know the pace of slow and for them to learn how to listen to their own rhythm.
In our culture of hyper busy, this idea has never been more crucial.
My family has peacefully and joyfully followed this summer format for years. It’s one the kids and I look forward to every June. What ebb and flow can you help foster in your home for the next two and a half months? Can you take an afternoon, a morning, a swim practice while you watch on the bleachers to figure it out?
Intentional parenting to develop children who live in fullness and health is our hope.
To help you on your way enjoy this FREE Summer Planning Guide , it’s designed to be a great starting point for you on your journey to memory making this summer!
Friend, I hope you walk into these weeks hand in hand with your kids, full of excitement for the potential this summer holds for your family. Let these ideas marinate in your heart as you diligently, and thoughtfully work to cultivate a summer full of lifelong memories for your family. Everyday from now until forever, it’s worth it.
