 Summer is around the corner - two of my kids are done with school for the year, and the other two will be done in just a few days. Maybe you’re on top of everything and have each day planned down to the minute, or maybe you’ve got your head in the sand hoping that the school will keep your kids for another month or two! Wherever you find yourself, there’s no better time than right now to think about how you want your summer to feel and what you want it to look like. During the school year, our kids experience very predictable routines in their days, at home and at school. They know that they need to get dressed, eat breakfast, brush their teeth and hair all before they get on the bus. At school they know when math, snack, lunch, recess and free time happen and in what order. Having some sort of schedule helps kids feel comfortable and secure. Consistent routines help our children have a predictable day. Creating a schedule doesn’t have to be complicated! It can be as easy as scheduling blocks of time that are vague and can be adapted depending on weather or day of the week; however it looks, its purpose is to provide predictability for our kids. Here’s an example: 7:30am Breakfast & Getting ready for the day 8:30-11:30am Summer School 12pm Lunch Time 12:30pm Quiet activities in bedroom 1pm Outside Time (choose from list of ideas) 2pm Snack Time 2:15pm Inside Time (choose from list of ideas) 3pm Out & About (Trip to the library, bike ride, walk around the neighborhood) 4pm Free Time 5pm Dinner 6pm Evening sports, practices or lessons Before everything is in full swing, we like to sit down and brainstorm a Bucket List of things we want to do at some point during the summer. All ideas make the list (we weed out unrealistic ones at the end - I’m looking at you, Disney World!). This gets our whole family excited about something, whether it’s camping at one of our favorite places or having a water balloon fight in the backyard. Kids come up with some great ideas, so give it a try! Sometimes starting a task is the most difficult. I’m including a couple of lists of indoor, outdoor and bucket list ideas that our family have used in the past to help get the ball rolling. If you feel like you could use some extra support, I have a short webinar “Summer Success Planning for Parents & Grandparents” available on my website. If you’d rather meet in person to talk more in depth, please reach out - I’d love to help!
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AuthorDana Parisi Archives
April 2025
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