I rarely share a “slice of life” post, but I thought this might be helpful as we moms try to navigate the last 2 months of summer with our kiddos. Summer ideas for kids may come easy to some, but to others, (like me), I have to make sure I have a solid plan intact so that we don’t fall into lazy patterns that are impossible to reverse.

As I sit here writing, the words “surviving summer” come to mind. But that sounds so awful to me. Why does summer have a stigma associated with it that needs to be survived?  I really think it has to do with the fact that my kids are still so young. But this summer I am changing my mindset. Want to join me?

I want to embrace this time and take my kids back from the school year and fill them with an outpouring of love that will give them what they need as they approach another year.

But let’s face it, the stresses of life come seeping in and it becomes impossible to give the kids our undivided attention 24/7. Just being able to put my phone down sometimes takes effort. But then I look at those little hands, and think, it can all wait. Because some day “camp mom” will be out of business.

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As working or SAH moms, we have become so overwhelmed that the thought of hours upon hours to entertain our kids takes so much more effort than before. With social media and Pinterest I personally feel like I am less or failing to do some of the things that come so easy for other moms.

BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE!!

I know for me, just the extra work of deciding in advance what and where my kids can eat, while wanting to be out all day everyday in the summer can add some extreme stress.

This is why I have such a desire to take back the ways of when I was a child and bring back some simplicity. So now that the official camps are done, I have come up with a plan to keep my kids busy in a way that will keep us having fun and bonding daily.

I hope that these summer ideas for kids help you too. These hot July and August months, especially in St. Louis are always the hardest. Sometimes you have only too choices, stay inside or go to the pool.

So here are a few ideas to help you with those stay inside days. Or better yet, incorporate one or two ideas during down times in between plans. No matter what, do what works best for you and your family and take some of the pressure off of yourself. I’m planning to!

First exercise the body

Start the morning with 10 minute of morning exercise. It will help everyone get ready to jump start the day in a positive mood.

• Running in place
• Jumping jacks
• Mountain climbers
• Bear crawl
• 10 trips up and down the stairs

Next exercise the brain

• 2-3 worksheets – (ie Brain Quest workbooks) My son just completed the second grade so we will be working in the second grade book. The 3rd grade one has a lot of new material that can tend to cause frustration.
• For my toddler – coloring pages, shapes, puzzles and games (some of our favorites are seek a boo, memory, think fun roll cube, Pop the pig, Ants in the pants)

Do daily chores

• Sort, fold and put away laundry
• Transfer clothes from washer to dryer
• Clean out a designated area of the house
• Collect all of the trash daily
• Empty dishwasher
• Picking up all the toys each night, will ensure a fresh start each day

Stimulate imagination

• 30 minutes of reading for everyone including mom. We usually do this the very first 30 minutes of little brother’s nap.
• read outside for some extra vitamin D

Take part in family activities

• Do a family puzzle- we pick a 200-300 puzzle and keep it on one side of our kitchen table or we use a stow and go to help us pick up where we leave off each time. it’s so fun to put a couple of pieces in a puzzle here and there.
• Have a family game night- We often play games during dinner. We love Headbands, Family Feud, Name That Tune, filling in Mad Libs and Apples to Apples. This also helps when I am serving a less than preferred meal. The focus becomes on the game and without knowing it the meal is getting eaten.
• Have a family movie night- Every Friday night we take turns picking a movie to watch as a family. We recently watched Where the Red Fern Grows, Toy Story 1-3, and Harry Potter 3. It’s something we all look forward to and love waiting to see what will be chosen. We get the sleeping bags out and everything.

Before you begin any of this make sure you do this one important thing for or with your child. Make a list with your child of 25 (or more) things they can do when they are bored. Keep this handy for rainy days or days that you are extra busy and cannot entertain. This list will come in handy I promise! If you don’t have this list you run the risk that video games is the only thing they can think of.

Here are ideas for toddlers

• Color and mail a letter to grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins
• Sensory play
• Write with shaving cream on a cookie sheet
• Use ice cubes on a cookie sheet as well
• Hide little toys in model magic (gluten free) and have your child find them

Provide healthy snacks

I have to confess that we are not huge snackers. I have found that the more snacks I feed my kids, the less they eat the meal I slave over. So we eat a lot of plums, cotton candy grapes, bananas, white peaches and watermelon. And I love to make zucchini muffins (new recipe coming soon).

Don’t forget about quality time before and at bedtime

We end almost every night with a little dance party. My boys love to break out the big speaker and crank up the music as loud as it can go and dance their little hearts out. This helps us get that very last bit of energy out.

After jammies and brushing teeth, we read a book as a family to end the night. Each person takes a turn reading a small book or chapter in a larger book. Even our little one chooses a book he has memorized to read us.

And when the lights are out, my son loves listening to an audiobook to help him with his final minutes before bed. Several years ago he suffered from night terrors and so we started this to help him take his mind off of the fear of going to bed. He has loved it ever since. Some of his favorites include the Magic Treehouse Series, Humphrey, and the Max Stalwart series. He also really enjoyed listening to Wonder, Frindle, and so so many others.

What about electronics?

Good question. I am happy to say that we have just completed 2 weeks without electronics and there is little desire to play them. It’s not that we are sitting home just doing all of the above, but with this list and the summer plans there really isn’t time. None of this comes easy, but my hope is that this list will help me and you be intentional about the next couple of months so that we don’t let this time slip away.

Won’t you join me? Let’s bring back some of the simple things and do without all of the unnecessary distractions that only make us grow farther apart. Building confidence in our kids starts in the home. Filling them with love all summer will get them ready for another year at school.

I don’t want to look back on this summer and not be able to see all of the times I got to hug and kiss my kids because I was too busy. I don’t want to ask myself where did the time go.

So there you have it. This is what we have done and will do the rest of this summer. I would love to hear your ideas as well. There is always more we can learn from each other. I hope you have enjoyed this little slice of my life;)

Until Next Time!