Who else can’t believe that summer break is almost here? This school year seemed to fly by for us. Within a couple of weeks, I will have all three of my babies at home with me for summer. I always love having more time with them and planning a lot of fun things for us to do over these few months. But, I am not going to lie- summer break can get stressful! If your kids are anything like mine, it doesn’t seem to take long for them to get tired of certain things and start asking me what is on the agenda next. It can get hard to dodge the “I’m bored” remarks on some days, but I always try my best to have things planned to keep the boredom to a minimum. I have found some ways that have helped me be less stressed over summer breaks and keep the kids occupied and having fun. Hopefully, some of these ideas will work for you and your family this summer, too!
Get Outdoors
Anyone who has been following me for awhile knows that my family and I love to do things outdoors. That doesn’t mean on a rainy day we won’t pop in a movie and enjoy some snuggling. But, as long as the weather is nice, I try to get my kiddos outside every single day. There is an endless amount of things you can do outside for free or very low cost. I’ve made a list of some of our favorite go to choices!
~Bubbles
~Sidewalk Chalk
~Scavenger Hunts
~Flying kites
~Sandbox
~Walking the Neighborhood
~Sprinklers
~Picnic Lunch
Have Activities on Hand
I try to keep a central location in my house where I can store different activities for the kids to do when we are doing indoor play. You can find most of these items at Target, Amazon or your local dollar store! Pinterest is also always amazing for supplying ideas or printouts, too! Make sure to follow me to see what cool ideas I have come across and hope to try out this Summer!
~Coloring
~Practicing Letters
~Puzzles
~Reading Books
~Crafts
Make Plans
Making plans can be tough with three kids. Sometimes you never know what the week is going to bring you. I do think it can be something the kids can have to look forward to and it can help you feel better prepared for that day. We try to have one day a week where we have set plans to do something fun!
Meal/Snack Prep
Meals can be trickier during the summer since we are on the move a lot and out of our normal routine. I like to try to keep snacking and meal time as healthy as possible all year long. I find I have better success with this when I plan snacks and meals in advance. I like to keep a drawer that is easily accessible to my kids filled with yummy snacks. I check it once a week to see what items we are running low on and fill it back up when needed. This saves me a lot of time having to plan out snacks every day,
Use Your Resources
Sometimes it can be easy to forget how much your local area has to offer. Make sure you do some research before summer break starts to see what is going on near you. A lot of places have FREE things to do with your kids every day. Our local movie theater offers extremely low cost old movies. Even though it’s a movie my kids might have already seen, there is something special about seeing it in a theater. We also love to go to the public library for story time!
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
Summer break can be a lot of fun, but it can also be stressful. It isn’t always easy to come up with things to do every single day, all day long. I love this time with my kids, but I can start to feel burnt out at times. It is OK to ask for help! Reach out to your Mom friends and plan some things together. It can help having another adult to get through the day and laugh with. Have Dad take over a day while you run errands alone or take a long nap! Plan sleepovers at home and away so you can have some time to yourself to recharge. Remember, it is always important to have self care so you can feel your best!
