Making a Plan for Summer

The school year is ending. Summer vacation is upon us. It’s a time of transition from rigid schedules to a more fluid time with fewer commitments.

With this new found freedom can come stress for parents. Here’s a strategy to keep balanced and on track this summer. Begin with a family meeting focused on summertime. Prep family members before the meeting to have a few ideas for family adventures, projects, and activities each would like to incorporate into the family calendar for the summer months. Print out a copy of June, July, and August calendars to use as a draft, reserving dates that are already scheduled for sports, camps, and family events like weddings, reunions or vacations.[Tweet “Summertime freedom can cause stress for parents. #1C13P #RaisingKids”]

At the family meeting, have each family member read off his list. Since this is a brainstorming and planning session, no idea is a bad idea! Choose at least one item from each child and parent to add to the family calendar. In the past, we’ve done things like sailing, attending a movie outdoors at a local park, visiting the arboretum, spending a day at the zoo. One year the boys built a treehouse in the backyard. The sky is the limit to the ideas!

Be intentional about family time this summer. The months can fly by so quickly. Make a plan to put family first and enjoy one another.

Here are a few related posts for summertime fun and learning.

Summer Reading List and Bingo Board
1 Corinthians 13 Parenting has great book title for babies to adults. There’s also a link to a Summertime Book Bingo Board to encourage kids to read.

Finding a Balance with Summer “Vacation”
Megan Stone, founder of Stone Foundations of Learning and member of the 1 Corinthians Parenting team, has ideas for parents to keep children learning over the summer months.

Summer Sanity Savers
If you begin to feel like a cruise director with your children, Jenna Hallock has great sanity saving tips for parents. Jenna works with Family Time Training and is a member of the 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting team.

I’m Bored
Here’s a post with an idea to use when the dreaded, “Mom, I’m bored” is uttered. Trust me, this idea really works!

Enjoy the sunshine and laughter! Make memories! Love deeply!

A glad heart makes a cheerful face…
Proverb 15:13a
[ctt template=”2″ link=”ycH79″ via=”yes” ]Make a PLAN for your family fun this SUMMER! [/ctt]

Copyright ©2015 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.

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