Recently on our Facebook page, I asked, “How are you feeling about summer?” Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the activities on your calendar? Or are your kids feeling bored with all their free time? Read on for summer activity ideas for your family!
Today’s post is for the parents wondering how to fill all the down time during the school break!
Click here to grab our FREE Summer Boredom Busters download or scroll down to the bottom of this post for our FREE Flexible Family Schedule Guide.
Preschoolers and school-age children who have spent the last nine months on a schedule may need a time of adjustment to re-learn how to play freely and even be bored at home.
(Note: I’m not saying a family schedule is bad, but my advice–as a mom and a teacher–is to make sure to include some”down time” for all family members to recover from a busy school year. And then, after a time of “de-schooling,” families may want to start easing back into a routine.)
Here is a sample summer routine that works well in our family:
- Morning chores: get dressed, make bed, personal hygiene
- Breakfast (children help set the table, prepare the food, and clear the table–as able)
- Morning time: music, religious studies, memory work, read-aloud time
- Free time!
- Lessons (we will be doing some math fact review and writing during the summer–no more than an hour on weekdays!)
- Lunch
- Outside time/pool/playdates (we will alternate ‘at-home’ time with ‘away from home’ time)
- Rest (when needed)
- Screen time if it gets too hot outside
- Dinner
- Family time
- Bedtime
*As the weather starts getting hotter, we will likely do outside time in the morning.*
Since we homeschool, our girls are really experienced when it comes to using their free time (although they do everything so s-l-o-w-l-y). We do use our activity “menu” on the days when it seems like all they really want to do is watch T.V.
The activity menu has 20 different summer activity ideas, such as art, board games, playdates, puzzles, and more. It’s part of our Flexible Family Schedule Guide, and it’s FREE!
You can access the full guide by entering your email address in the box below:
Great ideas. I will pass this on to my daughter. It will help her survive the summer hours.
These are great ideas! Summer days can streeeetch on, especially when it gets super hot.
These are wonderful ideas, we sometimes get stuck in the laziness of summer days. This year I plan on trying to stick more to a schedule. Thank you for the great post.