Six Ways to Enjoy your Kids—and save your sanity—this summer
Summer is here!
As a kid, I loved summer. On the last day of school my best friend and I would run off the bus, jump in her pool in our clothes. It was our elementary and middle school tradition. School was over! Summer had begun!
We spent those long and hot Georgia days running through woods and riding our bikes, coming home for multiple snacks and drinks, and swimming. “glorious summer”
Fast forward a couple decades and I was a mom of several young children. I began to dread summers. The lack of structure made me feel out of control. My anxiety rose as the messes piled up, children bickered, and the soundtrack of “I’m bored!” played on repeat. I counted the days until the first day of school. Those days were long and difficult. I remember thinking : “we only have 18 summers with each child, give or take…I feel so guilty! I want to enjoy it, but I also feel so conflicted.”
But as my children (and I!) grew, I learned this was not the way to live. Summer was meant for fun. Summer was meant for enjoyment. In fact, in the Bible ancient text, we are actually given this wisdom:
“However many years a man shall live, let him enjoy them all.” —Ecclesiastes 11:8a
Let us enjoy them ALL. Even those long seasons! Even those hot seasons! Even those difficult seasons! I can say that today, as a mom to five kiddos aged 16 to 6, we are actually learning to enjoy those long summer days!
Because I struggled for many years with this first hand, I wanted to share some tips I’ve picked up along the way to come alongside you when that final school bell rings and your children come running home:
Six Ways To Enjoy Your Kids this Summer
Structure Your Days. Break up your day into three parts: morning, noon and evening. Then, plan activities accordingly. For example, morning already has breakfast, afternoon already has lunch (and maybe a nap or quiet time for your children), and evening already has dinner. I recommend picking 2 or 3 other easy activities (i.e. taking kids to the pool, library story time, having a dance party, baking together, making a blanket fort, watching a movie, crafts, etc) for each section of the day and fill in the blanks. ** taking into consideration meal and snack times. (Days with Grey has some fantastic ideas for small children!)
Figure out expectations. It can be easy to make a pinterest board with a million fun plans but remember…summer is a marathon. Start out too fast or with too high expectations and you might run out of gas on week two. If you find a few good basic ideas, stick with them and take the pressure off. Remember, summer is for you too! For older kids, ask them about their goals for the season. My high schooler wanted to build a babysitting business. My youngest daughter desired to learn about taking care of animals so she could one day launch a pet-sitting business. My teen son wanted to sleep as much as possible (teen boys!) and become more skilled in his music and film hobby. None were expecting me to plan a magical summer. The magic of summer is already there: free time to explore the things we love and extra time to spend with those we love. The fun of summer does not rest on your shoulders, so take it easy.
Simplify lunches. Unless you really want to branch out to try a new recipe (that can be fun!) make a list of rotating meals: PB&J, kid charcuterie board (don’t worry about making it pretty…I just put crackers, cheese, cut up veggies, fruit, nuts and raisins on a platter with some dip), grilled cheese, chicken salad, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs with mac and cheese. For crowds of kids: serve up nachos, a big pot of fresh popcorn (cheap and makes a lot), goldfish with raisins mixed in, and Ritz crackers with peanut butter. For drinks we just have water, unless I decide to buy juice or the occasional soda. Having a list of options can reduce kitchen anxiety. “paper plates”
Downtime. Rest is essential to everyone. In the afternoon, structure some downtime for your crew and for yourself. Try to get at least 30 minutes. Reward them as they learn to increase the amount of time they can entertain themselves (without screens!). Supply them with audiobooks, legos, craft supplies, dolls, whatever matches their interests! Let their imaginations get a good stretch and you get a break to yourself. money
Teatime. We started teatime when my kids were young, inspired by Sally Clarkson (if you don’t know who she is, check out her website! She is wonderful!) Sometimes we serve tea, often it’s water with store bought cookies or crackers and cheese. For a special treat, serve teatime in Mom’s room! You can read aloud to the kids, or just take the time to enjoy one another. This is a great way to end downtime.
Learn how to manage conflict. This is a big thing we talk about in Parent Coaching. There is also a fabulous course on Sibling Conflict through Connected Families (get 20% off with my code TICOACHING20). Summer provides some unique opportunities to help your kids learn to navigate conflict. Imagine a world of adults who knew how to do that!
And there you have it. 6 ways to enjoy your kids, and keep your sanity, this summer. What are your ideas? How do you make summertime enjoyable? I would love to hear, drop me an email!
