I used to dream of summer as a kid – no school, no homework, and freedom. I still love the summertime, but as a mom, I found that summer had its challenges. Suddenly, the school year routine was out the window, and I had to figure out a new routine. That idyllic sense of freedom in childhood often translated into hearing the word “bored” from my kids more times than I could count.
My boys are older now, and in many ways, our summers are often as busy as the school year. But here are a few tips I learned along the way for how to plan for an enjoyable summer, especially with younger children.
Find ways to keep some of your same routines. Consider getting up at the same time, and going to bed at the same time. Keep nap times consistent. Have a regular quiet time once or twice a day. Young children especially thrive on predictability and routine, and you’ll likely find there are fewer behavioral challenges to deal with when there is the security of daily routines.
Find ways to keep some of your same routines. Consider getting up at the same time, and going to bed at the same time. Keep nap times consistent. Have a regular quiet time once or twice a day. Young children especially thrive on predictability and routine, and you’ll likely find there are fewer behavioral challenges to deal with when there is the security of daily routines.
Keep some of the same activities from school year to summer. A lot of our Kindermusik® families love the fact that we have summer classes for this very reason. “Kindermusik day” is an important mark in the week for even our littles musicians, and keeping that the same in the same adds some comforting predictability at a time when other things change.
Plan out a weekly meet-up schedule with a group of friends. It can be a casual, whoever-can-make-it-this-week kind of standing plan. Maybe the first Thursday of the month, it’s Chick-fil-A. The second Thursday, it’s the park at the downtown airport. Maybe the third Thursday, a playdate at someone’s home. You get the picture. And of course, you can always find great ideas on Macaroni Kid!
Set aside time each day to play with your child. There’s nothing a child craves more than reassurances of your love and affection. One of the most beautiful and meaningful ways to say “I love you” to a child is to spend time with them – to put down the phone, forget about the dishes in the sink, and just enter his or her world of play. Even 15 or 20 minutes a day will forge bonds that will make every day, not just summer days, that much stronger.
Shared by Theresa Case whose award-winning Kindermusik® program at Piano Central Studios has been making a difference in the lives of children and families in the Greenville and Simpsonville area for over 20 years now.
