Ahh, sweet summer. Beautiful weather, no school and not a care in the world…for your kids at least. For moms on the other hand, it can be a panic heading in to the summer.
Your children are home all. day. long.
Bringing such a change in the home dynamic can be a tough transition, especially if you have little, more dependent children. Now that school is out, you are who they look to to be their entertainment for the eight hours that was usually filled with their time at school. But you’re busy! You’re not going to sit in front of your kids and just cast your other tasks aside {because, trust me, if we could we would}.
So, what now?
Here are some tips to help you get through the thick of summer with your sanity intact, and save yourself from the dreaded question of “can’t I just watch tv?” ugh. *eyeroll*
1) Make a Schedule
Kids thrive off of predictability and routine, so make a daily schedule. And make one for each member of your family, even yourself. Type them up, print them off, and hang them somewhere to be a constant reminder. That way, your children will know what to expect each day.
Here you can see copies of both of my kids’ daily schedules (8 months and age 4).
Obviously, life happens and some days just don’t go as planned and that’s okay! But having a framework for your days can help take off the pressure and unpredictability of your days.
2) Give Your Children Chores
…like, real chores! Don’t break your back doing everything for them all the time. They can help. My daughter has a chore chart and knows that each morning she is expected to do everything on her chore chart before she is allowed to play. Plus, she helps me throughout they day with other household tasks and cleaning. If your kiddos are walking, then it’s time to start introducing them to basic household tasks that they can help you with.
Need help making a chore chart? Hop on over to my post about how to make a chore chart in 5 minutes using just your phone!
3) Make Your Children Play
It is so important for kids to learn how to make their own fun. So do that, make them figure it out. If you’re like me, you’ve spent more than enough money on toys, manipulatives and craft supplies for your kids so make them use them. Set up an area for your children to play, create and be busy so you can enjoy your daily tasks without your child hanging on you, asking what you can do for them next.
I took 5 minutes, some glue, contact solution, baking powder and food coloring one afternoon to make Ev a batch of slime and it has literally brought her hours of entertainment. Find what keeps them happy and busy and run with it!
4) Snack Prep
My daughter is a grazer. She doesn’t eat big meals but prefers to eat smaller meals and multiple snacks throughout the day. Which I’ve learned to just accept and roll with {because trying to force a big meal on a grazer is a nightmare}. But I am not going to commit half of my day everyday to making her fresh snacks in my kitchen.
In our refrigerator, we have a drawer of acceptable, mom-approved snacks for any time of the day. She knows that she is free to eat from that drawer at any time during the day. That way, I’m not the on-call chef to my child all hours of the day and I know exactly what she’s eating and know that they are healthy snacks.
Here is our current snack drawer: strawberries, cheese, grapes, cucumbers and bananas.
5) Plan for a Few Special Summer Activities
Search locally for fun summer weeks to give your kids some new experiences. Find a local library story time to attend, your church’s summer VBS {click here for our local VBS guide!}, or a Parks & Rec led sport or activity to enroll in. That way, your kids have something new and fun to look forward to and they also get some extra kid-time during the summer months.
Our favorite summertime activities involve anything happening at our local library! Just a short walk away from our home.
6) Screen Time is a Privilege, Not a Way of Life
This is something that can be very tricky for lots of people because the ease of just plugging your children into a TV, iPad, or some other sort of technology is so easy and can be a form of long term entertainment for your kids. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely given my preschooler an iPad to buy myself time or simply peace and quiet. But I don’t want her to think that that’s the boredom buster of all boredom busters.
Make it known to your kids in their daily schedule when they can or cannot use technology. That way, after a week or so of using the same daily schedule they, too, know the times they can and cannot use technology.
Summer is meant to be fun. So many childhood memories are made in the summer sun and allowing your children to make those memories themselves is one of the best things you can do for them. Don’t be afraid to get in on the summer fun, too! Kick off your shoes, play with your kids, and enjoy this always-too-short season of life.
How do you plan for summer? What are some tips you have to having a house full of kids?
