Summer!

 At our family engagement activity, kids were able to create a bucket list of things to do over the summer.  There are only two more weeks until summer, so it's a good idea to think about how your kids will spend this time productively.  They need to rest, relax and enjoy summer but there are some things you can do to make it go smoothly.  Many children find too much open ended time to cause anxiety and will turn to excessive use of technology to handle the extra space in their day.  

Plan activities to get out of the house and explore a bit each week.  It could be a regular play group, or friend time, a library visit or a day at the beach.  Sleep schedules can get a bit off during the summer too with extra daylight and warm evenings that are conducive to outside play.  It's a good idea to still have some reasonable parameters around bedtime and morning routines even in the summer. 

Here are some fun things you could add to your to do list this summer:

Make S'mores, go fishing, visit grandparents, go thrift shopping, play croquet, make your own survival shelter, build blanket forts inside on a rainy day, play the longest game of Monopoly ever, write letters to a friend like a pen pal, run through the sprinklers, have a water balloon fight in the backyard, make a BINGO card of activities to do each week (read a book, nap in a hammock, make a new snack like ants on a log, go on a bike ride, have a picnic, pick flowers, make a craft, try a new game).

And don't forget to sign up for summer school too!