Summer Round Up
It’s almost that time again, and for most of us this summer is drastically different than we first envisioned for our families.
As a Homeschool family entering our 13th year, summers in our home take on a different rhythm than the rest of the school year. While rest, adventure, and outdoor play is priority, I do find having some intentional activities on hand to fill in the days helpful.
Here are a few of my favorite things we do as a family to stay intentional and keep me sane.
Summer Notebook
Each summer, I like to have one notebook for each child that contains a few sections:
Calendar.
I print off June, July, August and September. I’ve used stickers for little ones to see when we have a trip planned or a family visit. For the older ages, they can draw or write in what is planned. We look at any birthdays, camps or adventures and record them.
Then we sit down as a family and go through what we have planned and when. It helps manage expectations and limit the questions, “What are we doing this week?”, or
”How many more days until … ?”If you have younger children who prefer knowing what their daily routine is looking like in the summer, consider using visual cards like THESE to hang and help guide your day.
Gratitude + Prayer.
I encourage my kids during the week to list the things they are grateful for that day, that week, etc. It is always worth encouraging a regular intentional time of the day to dedicate and record the gift of the day as well as anything you want to pray for.
In addition to changing my heart posture, we also enjoy sharing what we put down as a family. Be sure to revisit the page later in the summer and look for the ways God has graciously answered prayers.
Nature Journal.
There are so many nature journals and nature journal pages out there. THIS ONE (scratchmadejournal.com) is a great starter and you can add it to your notebook.
For the younger kids, a picture is preferred and sufficient. For the older ones you can encourage them to draw and write about what they found. Some may enjoy researching interesting facts for more information.
Simple is key, but having a space to record encourages them to be on the lookout for extraordinary in the ordinary and add a little art to the day!
Creative Writing.
I love finding writing prompts like THIS PRINTABLE . These ideas are a great jumping off point to get your kids thinking and keeping the writing skills fresh. Even for the younger kids, it’s fun to ask them the questions and see what they say. If you want to come up with your own, place them on strips of paper and allow the kids to draw one!
2. Theme Days
Wondering what to do all day long? Pass the time with some theme days and keep it fun! Put them on the calendar and build the anticipation.
Star Wars day - dress up for dinner like a character, play the music, watch the movies, have a light-saber duel.
Lego day - create a masterpiece. Have a competition and see who can make the largest structure or most creative, etc.
Woodworking day - go to a hardware store and get supplies to make a project.
Gardening day - plant something new or go buy new flowers/plants for the yard. Make a children’s garden for them to care for on their own.
Avengers day - make it a movie marathon day, call each other by character names all day and act the part.
Minecraft day - allow them to create a new world with less time restrictions.
Frozen day - cut out snowflakes and hang them around. Go get ice cream and watch the movie.
Karaoke day - get out your favorite music. Grab a mic. Choreograph some moves. Make a music video.
Board game day - play all of your family favorite games. Make teams and have a day-long competition with a prize for the winners.
Baking day - bake a treat or two or three! Find a new recipe and share the extras with a friend or neighbor, just because.
Math day - play ‘Around the World’ at breakfast and compete alongside your kids with addition/subtraction/multiplication facts, play a math game, make a pie, serve pizza and talk fractions.
Reading day - give yourself permission to read. All. Day. Long. Doesn’t that sound dreamy?
Service day - look for ways to help serve someone in your community.
Grandparent day - make something nice for Grandma/Grandpa and have a visit. Or ever better - go over and see if there is something you do to help them.
Art day - try a watercolor lesson, create potato stamps, do an free drawing lesson from Art Kids Hub. Keep the art in a spiral book to prevent an abundance of loose paper. You’re welcome.
3. Reading Challenge
Every summer it is my goal to have a reading challenge in my house. I have done it a number of ways. Here are a few, but you can always adapt them and make them your own!
Bead Challenge: Each time a milestone is hit, add a bead to a string of yarn. For Middle and High School, it may one bead per book. For upper elementary it may be one bead per chapter. For a young reader, it may be one bead per page. For toddlers, it may be one bead per page read to by someone. Make it fun and come up with prizes along the way. For every 10 beads, you get to pick dinner. For every 20 beads, you get to have a dessert treat. For the grand champion at the end of the summer, you get to buy a new book.
Create a Reading passport adventure and read books from different parts of the world. That week, study and read about that one country and compare/contrast it to where you live. Then find recipes from that country and enjoy tasting a variety of cuisines. For help on what books to read, check out Give Your Child the World by Jamie C. Martin. Then join the book club and download free printables and passports HERE to record your trips. My kids loved this! We put a stamp or sticker on the countries visited so they could see how much they learned over the summer.
Choose different places to read and see if you can check off all of the locations off by the end of the summer. Choose different genres to read. THIS FREE PRINTABLE is a great download for passports, reading logs, reading location ideas, and different types of books to read. Check it out.
Find a new family read aloud throughout the summer. Read or listen as a family and discuss. See how many books you can read together. Nothing unites a family like enjoying a good book! One of my favorite book list resources is HERE.
4. Activity Jar
Never hear I’m bored again! Have each child take 3-5 craft sticks (or pieces of paper) and write a ‘parent approved’ activity they want to do sometime over the summer. Then put them in a jar and when you are at a loss for something to do, or if a regular time like once a week is better, have someone pick an activity. You can do it right then or that week. Activity ideas:
Go get ice cream.
Make popsicles.
Visit a friend.
Watch a new show.
Learn something new.
Write a letter.
FaceTime with grandparents.
Do a puzzle
Climb a tree.
Make a new recipe.
Play a game.
Go on a bike ride.
Visit a playground.
5. Photojournalism
Buy each child a disposable camera. You may need to limit them to one picture a week or be prepared to buy several cameras.
Encourage them to capture memories from an adventure or everyday life. At the end of the summer, go and develop your pictures and enjoy reminiscing through your favorite memories!
My older children enjoyed pics with friends and experiences at camp, but it is hilarious to see what the younger kids want to capture. Some are awkward angles of mom cooking or a dead worm, but no matter what - it will add some fun to your summer.
Even my daughter, who has her own phone, enjoys the anticipation of taking pics and waiting to see how they turn out at the end of the summer, just like the ol’ days. Or… Work on putting together a summer album of all of the favorite memories at the end of the summer to enjoy for years and years. Let the kids design it, add captions, and work on it together - like a family yearbook!
Give it a try!
Have any other ideas? Leave one here!
No matter what, enjoy time with your families and the everyday adventures of summer!
