8 tips to help your family rock this summer

Summer is so fun. It is the season that your kids get to be home more and you get to spend more time with them. Making beautiful memories that will last a lifetime. However, that free time also comes with sibling arguments, boredom, and usually a lack of routine. It doesn’t need to be that way.

There are tons of great ways to keep your children within a schedule. So there will be less fighting, also less boredom, and keep the kids off of electronics.

1. Set a routine. Write it down for older kids or draw it for littler kids to understand. Some things that can be on the morning routine include.  
   • Making sure they get dressed, make beds, and brush teeth in the morning.

1. • Eating breakfast- Some great quick breakfasts include smoothies, breakfast burritos, and sausage biscuits. All of these are great freezer meals you just need to unthaw the night before and just warm up the next day. Wonderful for the days that you are in a hurry to get out of the house or it is just too hot to cook.
   • One chore- little kids can pick up their toys, or help you out wiping down surfaces, sweeping or just about anything you are doing. Bigger kids can clean their bedrooms, sweep floors, or do dishes. There are tons of more chores out there if you think of one feel free to let me know in the comment section.

My girls are going into this routine this summer. I will be pre-making smoothie cups and putting them in the freezer for easy grabbing. Then they will head into chores Daisy will be helping rinse off and put away the dishes and Bobbie will be wiping off the table and sweeping the floor.  Then I will give them about a half hour of free play time then they will do some homeschooling.

2.)  Make sure they learn something over the summer so they never stop learning and aren’t having to readjust themselves when the school year starts some ideas are

• Workbooks for their grade level- These are available on amazon for you convenience but they are also available at dollar or discount stores for a great savings. There are so many different kinds that if you buy them for a cheap price you can really stock up and learn a lot over the summer. My Daisy will be working on the Schoolzone Big Preschool Workbook  and my Bobbie will be doing the Schoolzone Big First Grade Workbook. It is about the same book but different grade levels to eliminate fighting.
• Books- Assign your kids a book that is at their reading level. When they are done move on to the next. Littles can be read to or look at pictures independently. I find that my Bobbie tries to read books by herself as a kindergarten graduate and I still read to my Daisy daily.
• Nature Study- Summer is a great time of year to get your kids out in nature and teach them about the outside world. Some great ideas for this are bug collecting, bird watching and identifying, and plant studies.  My girls will be doing all of these units and spending a ton of time outside this summer. 
• Growing a garden- There are so many lessons that can be taught by growing a garden. It also helps them fall asleep better, and eat healthier.

3.) For your sanity, I suggest this one. Let your kids have a quiet time or an alone time. They can do anything they want as long as they are in their rooms and being quiet. My Daisy still normally takes an afternoon nap, and my Bobbie colors and watches Monster High or some other cartoon in her age group. She is really starting to like the 1980s version of Inspector Gadget. This will enable you to reset your mind and get some things done or take a break while they are resting.

4.) Afternoon chores. Afternoon chores are great for getting toys picked up by littles and the table set by bigger kids while you are making dinner. It will totally help pass the witching hour with minimal complaints. My girls are each assigned one of these chores. The only thing I do not let Bobbie put on the table are the plates because I am scared that she will break them and feel bad or hurt herself.

7.) Stock the Fridge- There is nothing worse than going to make lunch and realizing you are out of something or barely have any food left. I usually feed myself and Daisy leftovers during the school year. But I totally stock the fridge in the summer. For drinks, I buy a ton of juice boxes and water bottles and put the on the inside of the fridge door. For lunches, I premake two kinds of sub sandwiches turkey and ham. I also cut up and bag up fruits (strawberries, apples, and pineapple) I also do this to veggies (carrots and green peppers). Sauces are great for kids to dip veggies in so they will eat them so I make homemade ranch dressing for them. We also keep chips, goldfish, and trail mix bagged up for snacks. This keeps my kids eating healthy and being able to grab their own lunches or snacks when they are ready for them.  

8.) Remember to have fun and go some places during the summer to get out of the house. Some of my favorite places to go include the mall, and the pool. We will also have one family vacation this summer to their Uncle Matt’s house. They love their uncle and his wife and they have a son that is ten but he still loves to play with the girls. They have so much fun there. Are you planning a summer vacation? I would love to hear about it in the comment section.

My girls and I are going to rock this summer having so much fun together learning and playing. I hope these tips help your family do the same. Do you have any tips that may be helpful to other families? If so feel to share them below.