My own children have been loving the freedom of summer, even though they aren’t school age yet. I am still having to adjust my routine with them and have been exploring new ways to entertain them.
I’m trying to take advantage of activities that they can only enjoy for a few months of the year, like splash pads, and seasonal parks, while also embracing simplicity in our time and schedule.
I still felt like I could use some help navigating the summer, and decided to turn to local moms who have more experience than I do.
Below are their hints and tips on surviving summer vacation with your preschool and school aged children.
“Be prepared to feed them every hour!” - Trish D.
“ Explore nature. Go bug hunting. Those little critters impress little minds. I would take my boys hunting for salamanders and they learned so much about their environment.” - Rocco R.
“Schedule a ‘do-nothing’ day, otherwise the summer can really get so packed with running here, there, and having people over. It's good to remember how important down time is!” - Stacey M.
“We had issues [during summer vacation] after our second child finished JK. He's one for routine. After talking to some teachers and friends we decided to make a chart with the days of the week on little pieces of paper that were changeable, and then we wrote activities that we were doing that day. Each day the kids know what day it is and what we are doing. We also had our kids doing 15 to 30 minutes of school work in the morning. It made a better summer for us all.” - Belinda G.
“Summer camp.” - Meghan M. & Lisa K.
“I made a day chart and week overview so there's some sort of schedule and predictability. It helps tremendously, especially having limits on the outing days, knowing when cleaning day and mom work days are, and I added magnets to put by things they need to have all done, including "homework" time, before any screen time happens. Also, we get a season’s pass somewhere every year, so once a week all summer we have a pack a lunch day out. This is the second summer going with African Lion Safari because the water park is awesome for young kids. Some other families get a pass to Guelph Lake each year.” - Amanda V.
“Keep cool in pools, splash pads, parks and your backyard with water play, share home responsibilities like preparing sandwiches and snacks with kids, get out for hikes, bike, walks, early in the morning before it gets too hot and buggy.” - Ami M.
“Buy a pass to a local conservation area, find free parks and places to visit at least once a week as an adventure. Hydrate lots. Turn library visits into scavenger hunts for good books. Consider that you'll never get this time back, so try to enjoy it! Send your kids to VBS, kids camp, or plan a staycation. Know your kids well enough to know what they really need.” - Emmy Lou S.
Those are some great suggestions from the community.
Have fun exploring nature, enjoying the library, taking time to rest, playing with water, getting exercise, and unplugging from your devices.
Share your wisdom and advice, how do you, or did you survive the summer with your children? Feel free to add your tips in the comments below.
