Family routines need to be tweaked for the season you’re in and here’s how to do it while keeping the basic structure you need.
The tendency happens every year.
I don’t know why I can’t stop it, but I guess I’m a glutton for punishment.
Summer starts rolling around and I desire those lazy relaxing days. Lying around reading books. No more getting up early for school. No more rush to bedtime to make sure nobody is overtired.
I think the kids will Get The Memo and simply just relax. And play. Quietly. And that even though they’re home for 9 more hours a day that the house won’t end up any messier.
What's in this post...
Lies. Lies. Lies.
While the tendency to just roll into summer on a pool float still feels strong, I now know that I must prepare our family routines to handle it.
Things To Tweak For Summer
Here are some areas of family life that do well to have tweaks made so you can best enjoy the precious summertime. They don’t happen naturally, but you can make a few tweaks and love the result.
Your routines (mom routines & self-care)
If your kids are going to be home for summer, and so are you, then you need to figure out what you’ll need to remain patient, kind, and loving.
Perhaps you need to wake up earlier and get things done when people are sleeping. Or you want to stay up later and enjoy some quiet and relaxing time. Do you need to go see friends more?
Schedule in whatever kind of activity will help you stay okay. Then, I recommend, tracking it to make sure it happens.
Do you forget to sleep, bathe, eat, relax, etc.? NO MORE. This tracker will help you consistently live within your limits so you have more love to give to your family.
Chore routines
Once a week chore routines don’t fly when the kids are home all day.
Because all day every day the kids are making messes.
Depending on what your summer days are going to look like, you’ll, need to revisit how chores get done. You can do this in a few ways:
- morning chores
- afternoon chores
- before screen time chores
- before bed tidying
Think outside the box and know that the kids absolutely will help out.
Help prepare your kids for life, one skill at a time. Simple, easy skills every month!
Learn MoreMeal planning & eating
Some mamas will feel more excited to cook well in the summer if life slows down. Others want to go to a fruit and grill only diet. Whatever you know you’ll want to do is what you should plan for.
It’s a great idea to be thinking ahead about how meals will change and even WHERE you eat can change (I talk about that on a later point).
- snack rules
- breakfast options
- lunch items
- light dinners
- grill friendly foods
You name it, think ahead.
Bedtime and waketime routines
I would absolutely be over the moon if my kids would simply sleep later during the summer. And, gradually, they kind of start to. But it takes some working of the sleep routines.
Plus, I like to be outside until quite late on summer nights.
What I don’t want is:
- later bedtimes coupled with early wake times
- skipped naps and fussy attitudes
- overstimulated kids who need more down time
- harrassed mama who needs to run away from home
If you want slightly later bedtimes, begin a plan to move them back while still meeting everyone’s sleep needs.
Nature & outdoor play
Being outdoors is one of the best parts about summer.
It’s good and healing for everyone for a number of reasons. We are even going to track some of our time outdoors with the 1000 Hours Outside app. I don’t typically track that type of stuff nor do I think it matters if I go for an arbitrary number, but having some type of goal helps.
- a walk a day
- hour outside to play
- more outdoor toys
- eating outside
- doing local outdoor activities
You name it, add it into the plan.
Family culture & events
Create unique family traditions that are centered around summer activities. For example, a family BBQ every Sunday, a family vacation to the beach, or a weekly game night.
You may even want to write down some goals as a family that you want to achieve over the summer. This could be anything from learning a new skill to completing a family project together. Redoing an outside area or getting ice cream in every place in town!
- traditions
- rituals
- regular events
- goals
- strong family connection
These types of things you do, summer in and summer out, make a real dent in your child’s memory.
Strong and happy families have carefully crafted Family Cultures. They don’t let guilt drive them, rather they spend their time and energy digging deep into a few key family areas that pay off in spades.
Learn MoreWe’ve got you covered with our Summer Rhythms!
Want to join 1600+ mothers creating fun daily, weekly, and summer long rhythms? Join my waitlist and get access to my workshop when it launches.
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