Keeping Summer Simple – Tips to Achieve Your Ideal Summer with the Family
As we transition to summer break, I wanted to share some ideas on how to keep summer simple and hopefully a bit more care-free than the school year. I don’t know about you, but I am ready for a more relaxed pace and some sunshine. Here are tips to achieve your ideal relaxing summer while organizing your schedule and household tasks.
Summer Bucket List
To achieve your ideal summer, first you must envision it. What is on your family’s summer bucket list? What is on your must-do list to have a no-regrets summer? Have a fun brainstorming session and talk as a family about how you would like to spend your time. Get the input of all the kids and discuss as a group what is feasible. For us that means camping, going to the beach, going to the pool, and eating lots of ice cream. Once you’ve come up with your list, write it on a chalkboard, poster, or piece a paper where all can see it and the kids can have fun marking off when they have done one of the activities.
Summer Schedule
The summer schedule can be a bit more disjointed than the school year with different camps and activities. It helps to use a shared family calendar so that everyone knows what is going on. I recommend apps so you can see your schedule on the go and quickly make changes on your phone. Take some time to enter all the activities you currently have planned and discuss who is taking care of transportation. Assign the appropriate people’s name to each activity. It also helps to add the address of the camp or activity so either parent can quickly know where they are going.
Summer Meals
Cooking is a hot activity and nice to keep simple during this time of year. Keep meals easy by having them on rotation every week so you don’t have to do much meal planning. Have burgers, tacos, nuggets, pizza, and grill night on the menu every week. Add a leftover and take-out night and you have all 7 nights planned. Grocery shopping is easier because you buy mostly the same items each week. The kids will be happy with their favorite selections and the parents will be less stressed!
Summer Chores
Summertime is a great time for kids to learn essential life skills, including chores. Think about what age-appropriate household tasks your kids can take on and set aside some time to teach them. Parents may have more time to teach them how to fold laundry (we are still working on this!), make dinner, vacuum, put away toys, etc. It’s also a good activity to keep them busy and contribute to the work around the house.
Summer Organization
During the summer, we often take more trips. To keep things organized, make yourself a packing list that you can reuse for each trip. Save it on your computer so you can reprint it each time. Also keep your pool or beach bag packed and ready to go in the same place. Keep it stocked with sunscreen, goggles, toys, and towels so you are ready to go anytime. I hang mine in the hallway closet and re-stock it with towels and suits after they’ve dried from our last pool visit.
Summer Rest
We all need to take a break, and summer is a great time to do it. It can be a week-long break or long weekend. Figure out when is a good time to take time off from work; for me it’s usually in August when other people are on vacation. Block out that time now to protect your calendar. Also figure out what you don’t have to do during the summer. Is there anything that doesn’t need to happen around the house, volunteering, or at work? For example, can you clean the house less since the kids will be spending more time outside? I’ve decided to take a break from my newsletter in August while we are on vacation and not post on social media for the last half of the month. This will give me a chance to recharge and refresh.
I hope these tips will help you have a more carefree and relaxed summer. They are all based on professional project management principles that you can learn more about in my book Project Management for Parents – a great summer read! Now it’s off to the pool!
