Nicole and I were recently asked to write another “Family Focus” article for our local community magazine! We are so excited to share it with you! The focus is on prepping for summer: getting organized, setting a summertime routine, planning activities, going on day trips, and adopting a few seasonal traditions for your family to enjoy and remember for years to come!
So, read on for a plethora of fresh summer ideas… and please feel free to add your own personal favorites in our comment section! We’d love to hear from you! Summer is right around the corner… We’re ready, are you?!!
It’s hard to believe that summer is right around the corner! Soon our children will be out of school and we will have the large task of keeping their minds and bodies busy in what we hope will be constructive play, quality time spent with friends and family, and educational outings.
Last summer, we sort of winged it… we hate to admit! Although we had every intention of having more structure during our time off, and sending our kids to a few summer camps, not all of our plans came to fruition. We did have our share of lazy beach days {which was great}, but we could have made a few minor adjustments that would have made a big difference in the functioning of our homes and the daily squabbles between siblings that ensued. We hope with a little more time spent on the planning and organizing phase, we will be able to execute a seamless summer spent enjoying each day with happy children! We hope to give you a few ideas on how you can do the same through setting time each day to get organized, having flexible routines and daily rituals, making a summer wish list of activities to do, and setting seasonal traditions to create memories that will last a lifetime {or, at the very least, will last until the beginning of next school year when they have to share what they did over the summer}!
Getting organized isn’t the most exciting task for most of us. However, it’s important for the functioning of your home and perhaps your sanity! Take a few days at the start of the summer to take inventory of what needs to be done around the house. Each home is different… some more tidy and organized than others. Are your cupboards a mess? Do you have a hot spot in your kitchen that collects piles? How about your closets? After taking an inventory of what needs to be done, have your children help you go through their clothes and belonging to sort which things can be donated, stored, or thrown away. Once you’ve created a more organized space, vow to keep up with it by giving yourself a set amount of time each day to do certain tasks that usually back up… like folding laundry, going through and sorting your mail, and picking up odds and ends. One helpful tip is to give yourself three solid minutes spent tidying before you exit a room in your house. Another way to maintain a tidy and organized house is to assign your children “stations” in your home. This gives them the responsibility of cleaning up their specified area {station} once or twice a day. Lastly, spend a little time each weekend to plan your family meals and snacks for the week. Try letting everyone pick a favorite meal that they would like to help prepare!
We love lazy summer days when you stay in your pajamas half the morning and lounge around on the couch… but a couple of days of this can quickly turn into a summer spent with kids engaging in too much screen time! Not-to-mention, you’re bound to hear complaints from your kids that they are bored. We all typically have some sort of routine during the school year. Also important is a summertime routine. There are great benefits for children, teenagers, and parents. For younger kids, routines create a stable environment that makes them feel safe knowing what is coming next in their day. For teens, routines can help with setting your expectations for them and giving them boundaries. For parents, it means we actually have bedtimes to adhere to so we have adult-time and happy kids when they wake! A simple summertime routine can include set times that you eat meals and snacks {so you don’t feel like you’re in the kitchen all day}, time for learning, reading, making crafts, downtime {allowing your kids to just play and daydream}, and outside time spent doing physical activity or going on a family outing/day trip.
One of our suggestions at the start of your summer is to brainstorm with your family fun activities that they hope to do. This could include places to go for day trips, a family vacation, or simple things to do in the community and at home that don’t cost a thing {it is not the amount of money we spend that creates happy memories, but the quality time spent with our children}. Create a space to write down your ideas and check them off as you go. There are numerous creative ways to do this that we’ve found on Pinterest. One idea is to use a decorative container with clothespins clipped on the outside edge. Print one activity on each clothespin and drop them into your container as you complete them! It will be fun to look back at the end of the summer to see all that you did as a family! If you are looking for ideas, here are some of our personal family favorites:
At Home Activities:
- Cooking/Baking Together
- Movie Nights
- Water Balloon Baseball
- Gardening
- Building Forts
- Camping in the Backyard
- Yoga with Kids
- Fly a Kite
- Dance Party at Home
- Board Games & Puzzles
- Karaoke at Home
- Building with Lego’s
- Hide & Seek or Freeze Tag
- Origami
- Homemade Puppets with a Show
- Stargazing at Night
- Crafting
- Write Stories
- Paper Airplane Throwing Contest
- Lemonade Stand for Charity
Local {Southern California} Places To Go/Day Trips:
- Irvine Spectrum
- Trolley Rides in Laguna Beach
- Balboa Island & Fun Zone
- Ice Cream & a Walk at the Dana Point Harbor
- Bike Rides on Local Trails
- The Library
- The Beach
- San Diego Zoo or Safari Park
- A Children’s Museum
- San Juan Los Rios District & Mission
- Volunteer for a Beach Clean-up
- Irvine Regional Parks
- Home Depot Kids Workshops
- Bonfire at the Beach
- Stand-Up Paddle Boarding
- Train to an Angels Game
- A Cooking Class
- A Matinee Movie
- Farmer’s Market
- Roller Skating & Bowling
One last idea for creating your seamless summer is to plan a few seasonal traditions with your family! Traditions create happy feelings and special moments to remember. They tend to help families bond and grow stronger, while teaching your kids about the things you value. Traditions give families something to look forward to; however, creating too many can dilute their importance. Take inventory of your existing family traditions and don’t be afraid to borrow traditions from other families. You can always adapt them to fit your values and beliefs in an effort to mold them into your own. It’s never too late to create meaningful traditions. Here are a few ideas:
Summertime Family Traditions:
- Plan and attend a family reunion
- Go camping
- Plan a sleepover with grandparents for one weekend
- Go to a favorite summer camp or Vacation Bible School
- Take a short family vacation to the same spot each summer, such as Palm Springs or San Diego
Simple Weekly Traditions:
- Have breakfast for dinner every Sunday night
- Read to your family after dinner at the table
- Have a puzzle out on a card table where family members can swing by and put in a piece or two at a time until it’s complete
We hope that the few ideas provided spark some excitement in you for the season ahead! Hopefully it will be a summer spent soaking up memorable moments with our families and close friends. Getting organized and setting a routine should help ease the stress of each day, while planning a few activities, day trips, and seasonal traditions will provide the much needed ingredient for summertime fun! Wishing you an abundance of sunshine and a seamless summer!
{xo} sara & nicole
