Crafting a Super Summer

Finding the balance of a fun and productive summer can be tricky.  We all benefit from having a steady rhythm to our days and weeks, but that element of fun spontaneity can be lost with a rigid schedule.  Also, let’s be real, do your grand plans for daily schedules and specific activities ever go as planned?  I know mine don’t.  There are just too many variables from weather, to our own human temperaments on any given day.  That’s why I aim toward rhythm, a steady beat so everyone knows what to expect, but not an hour by hour schedule.  

Any summer is made up of a few special key elements:

• Time outside enjoying the beautiful weather (where I live in MN summer is short, but easily my favorite season)
• Time with friends and family- my kids have already expressed sadness about missing their school friends so we’ll be making sure to include play dates with individual friends but mostly our family friends and cousins
• Time away from the home- excursions if you will.  I’m a home body by nature, and I love the oasis that is our home, but we need variety to keep ourselves fresh!
• Down time- time to relax and refresh- for most of my household that is story time paired with other things like crafting or coloring or legos.  For some more tips and tools for read aloud time, grab my free read aloud bookmark pack!

Many of these elements pair well together: go on an excursion to a hiking trail, listen to an audio book in the car on your drive, play outside with friends, you can see how easily these can go together!  

Of course, we can’t neglect our duties as well.  There is a home to take care of, for many of us work to be done (even if it is from home on my schedule), meals to be made, laundry to be done.  How will it all fit in??

Take a look at your week at a glance and pencil in any weekly activities you know you’ll want to include that you’ll build around (library story time, friends’ schedules, any special events you already know about).  Next, start blocking in some time for YOUR work- weather that’s on the computer or crafting, know from the start, each day, when you’ll get your daily work done.  What will the kids be doing during that work? I like to schedule my work during morning outside play (it’s not too hot and everyone is still in a good mood, or during late afternoon screen time for kids).  If your kids still nap, you might schedule work for that time. Now think about the big ideas that make summer fun!  Which things are daily and which are you going to assign a day to?  For example, we like to take excursions 2-3 times a week, but down time is part of every day.  Then map out a few necessities- meal prep/eating, laundry, chores.  No need to assign these specifically, just a game plan for when they’ll happen.  

Here’s the most important step: try it out!  You need to try it for a few days to learn what parts will work and what won’t.  It’s ok to make changes as you go too!  The goal of your time block plan is to provide predictable structure and rhythm to your days and weeks for the summer, but it doesn’t have to rule over you.  You have to make it work for you, and what works for me and my family might not work for you and your family.  I’d love to hear from you how you’re preparing for summer!  Find me over on the gram or my private FB community!