5 Tips To Prepare for Summer

Summertime is almost here. School is out in a few weeks for us here in Florida, which means that I’ll have two kids who need something to do. I’ve got camps lined up, but I want to be sure we do things as a family to make sure we have a meaningful “what I did over summer break.” I’ve put together a short list of things that are helping me get a hold of summer before it gets away from us.

1. Set goals

I know this seems very business-y, but if you want to have a fun summer, write down the things you want to make sure you do. Make a plan.

I made a simple list of all the things I want to do this summer:

• Visit one of the YMCA’s that has a really cool red rocket slide.
• Go to the beach several times.
• Visit a local tourist attraction to see artifacts of the Titanic.
• Take a week off of work for a true summer vacation.

You get the idea. Sit down with your family and make a list of everything you want to do — include the kids on this too — and then narrow the list to what is most important.

2. Mark it on the calendar

Now that you have your goals, or wish list of things to do, spread out the items on a calendar. What is the first thing you want to do? Put that item on the first free day you have.

3. Add something you’ve never done

Try to do something you’ve never done before. Last summer one of our family goals was to learn to make homemade pickles. It nearly took the entire summer to get to it, but we finally did make a batch and boy did they taste good.

4. Add an educational component

Don’t forget that even thought it’s summer, it’s a great opportunity to reinforce what your child learned during the school year. Make a plan to include some educational components into your overall summer plan. It could be as simple as learning about trees and plants while on a hike or studying planets and stars at night.

Or it could be a more structured approach like doing workbook pages that you can buy at the bookstore to keep their skills up.

5. Relax and have fun

When all else fails, just sit back and relax. It’s summertime and not a time for worry.

Photo credit: hortongrou