Summer is upon us and I am determined (prayerfully and by God’s grace!) to make this summer the best yet. With the littles in school or pre-school now, summers are just so much more meaningful and special to me and I’m excited to make the most of the time we have together! Here are a few tips for ways to make the most of your summer.

1. Make a summer bucket list. Simply list out all the things you want to do this summer. Have your kids help you create the list. Write down the ideas and as you do the ideas on the list check them off. You could even use the bucket list to make a summer journal by printing off photos and journalling about the fun thing you did!
2. Plan the week ahead on Sundays. Take a few minutes on Sunday afternoon to plan your week ahead. What activities do you want to do, places you want to go, errands that you need to run, tasks that need to be accomplished. Write them down and find space in the week to make it happen. This way you are prepared when the week starts and you aren’t fumbling around on Monday morning trying to figure out what you should do today with all these crazy kids. Not that I’ve experienced that…. 🙂
3. Create a daily schedule. Have your kids participate in the schedule making and write in a place they can see. Routine is your friend when you have littles, even in the summer, and will make for more fun days. I promise!
4. Build in learning time. As a part of the daily schedule, make sure to incorporate time for learning. If you have readers, give them a portion of time they are to read every day. I recommend these workbooks that we have used every summer as a small way to keep the littles’ minds active over the summer. You can also contact your child’s school or teacher for summer work. If you build learning time into the schedule and it’s a part of the routine it won’t be a challenge but just a normal part of your day. Remember to try and make it fun and plan it for a time when your child isn’t exhausted or irritable.
5. Communicate expectations & set boundaries. Create a list of ‘house rules’ for summer and again, have your child participate in creating those rules. For example, only 30 minutes of tv watching a day or 30 minutes of video games a day. I would recommend assigning your child chores as well that are built in to the schedule. Doing so, gives you time as mama to tackle household chores like cleaning the kitchen or meal prep while they are busy doing simple tasks like cleaning their room or watering the plants. Have the children help you create the chore list, giving them ownership and creativity over the ways they serve the family and home.

All of the above is doing a variety of things all at once. You are teaching your children the value of planning and time stewardship. You are teaching them the value of self-discipline. You are teaching them the value of creativity and fun and rest. You are teaching them responsibility and the value of serving others. All while loving and enjoying one another. Now that is an intentional mama.

Lastly, I pulled together some of my favorite summer activity ideas I had collected via Pinterest and thought I would share those with you as I am sure you are making your summer plans and bucket lists. I chose activities that could work for a variety of ages and since my littles represent 2 year olds, 4 year olds and 7 year olds I am thinking with just a little adaptation these activities could work for your family, no matter the ages! I chose a few outdoor activities as well as ideas that would be perfect for indoor rainy days too!

1. Sponge Water Bombs via House of Hepworths & Positively Splendid
2. Solar S’mores
3. Frozen Fun (I really want to try this with the boys lego guys. They may freak out if they see them all frozen but how much fun!!)
4. Chalk Spray (a fun twist on sidewalk chalk)
5. Rubberband Art
6. Printable Coloring Books (Superheros, Disney Princess and TV Characters, & More! Find your child’s favorite and surprise them with new coloring books every week!)
7. Nature Scavenger Hunt (via The Taylor House)
8. Imagination Workout
9. Glow Stick Balloons