Make This the Best Summer Ever with Your Kids

Summer With Kids

It happens every year. As you count down the last days of school for your kids, you fantasize about how wonderful and fun the summer will be. You start off with great intentions, but one thing leads to another and before you where the summer went. The key to an awesome summer with your kids is to be intentional with each day. Have a plan for the week, or at least the next day, to eliminate aimless days that leave everyone cranky.

Create a Bucket List

Place ideas that multiple people are in favor of at the very top of your list to ensure those activities get done. Going to the pool, the zoo, playing miniature golf, going to the movies, and heading to the nearest park with a picnic are all great ideas for a fun summer. Try visiting your local tourist office or website for fun destinations in your city that You haven't tried before.

Set a (Flexible) Schedule

One of the joys of summer is having free time. Not having to rush out the door to get the kids to school is something to be savored, but having no schedule at all isn't ideal either. Set a loose schedule as to when the kids are expected to be awake and any morning routine you'd like them to do. Keeping some structure to the day allows kids to be secure in knowing what the day will bring.

The weather in the summer may dictate how you spend your days, but it can be helpful to designate certain days for certain activities. If your local movie theater has cheap tickets on Tuesdays, then Tuesdays can become "Movie Day". Your library may hold special kid activities on Wednesdays making it the ideal "Library Day." Structuring your weeks help you take advantage of fun activities while reducing the stress of deciding what to do for the day. Remember to stay flexible though.