Welcome to 30 Days of Summer – Go-To Guide for Moms!
Day Three
Childhood friendships can help define who we will become as adults. That may seem like a strong statement, but it is often true. And, since these friendships are so meaningful, parents will want to do what they can to keep their kids connected with their friends during the summer months.
I can still remember summer fun with the neighborhood kids when I was growing up. My mom would buy the big pack of “cheap generic” popsicles and hand them out to my friends – she was so cool!
It can seem that getting kids together now during the summer months can take more effort and energy – unless you are fortunate enough to live in a close knit neighborhood full of kids. Right now, we live on a block with mostly oder couples with no kids or much older kids, so it takes a lot of energy to keep my kids connected.
I do get some relief now, as I have two older ones who drive, but with also being a blended family, keeping my kids connected to friends has not bee a new challenge only for the summer months. It is all during the year.
Here are some tips to make things a little easier for you:
Get Info
Make sure you are creating relationships with the other parents BEFORE the end of school! Right now I am in the pre-school years and having strong relationships with the other parents will create the comfortable feeling that needs to develop in order to have play-dates and kid exchanges. Three months can be a very long time to not see friends they’ve become accustomed to see several times during the week.
If your class does not have a list of students and parents with contact information, why not create one? If you do have the list, have your child pick a few friends that he/she would like to stay in contact with over the summer.
Get Together
Connect with those few friends and set up some dates to plan meet-ups or play-dates, either at your home or in the community.
If your community has some summer programs, invite another family or two to join you. We have an outdoor concert series in our local library park which is a great way to meet-up and have fun. By inviting another family along it allows the children to reconnect and parents to get to know one another, which is always good. A mom can never have too many “extra” hands!
When your kids are younger, it is up to you to keep connections over the summer. Why not call up on of your child’s friends to enjoy making rainbow ice cubes or playing with water beads {two activities laid out in the Summer Survival Calendar} – having one more along for the ride doesn’t really take that much extra work, plus it can mean you get a break when they are playing together. Funny, even though I have four children, being a blended family adds an element of my youngest being an only child many days during the month. I know how much of a relief it is to have a friend over to play – it gives me a break!
If you have older kids, a sleepover with a few school friends would be a great idea to help them stay connected. Girls could have a slumber party and boys could pitch a tent out in the backyard. Or how about meeting for a day at the zoo or swimming at a local beach?
Use technology
In this day and age, many children and teens have a cell phone. Your child may want to spend the entire summer texting to chatting with their friend. It is important to set some ground rules about using cell phones. You want to encourage your children’s friendships but you also want them to do other things than text and talk.
Many families have email and Facebook accounts. If both families are computer savvy, exchange email addresses between families or connect through Facebook. Reiterate the importance of internet safety with your children and remain in the room with them to be sure they are adhering to those rules.
We also love the ability to use Facetime and Skype to stay connected with relatives, so why not do the same with friends? Obviously setting up certain expectations and boundaries are needed, but both can be welcomes alternatives to visiting with someone who may live further away.
Not so technical
If neither family is interested in allowing their children access to technology just yet, remember that there is always the regular ‘old fashion’ telephone. It may be acceptable to allow your children to speak on the telephone during their time apart as long as they abide by pre-agreed upon rules. In fact, it can be very good practice to learn how to properly use the phone and gain confidence in talking over the phone.
Fun with Mail
Finally, if you really want to have some fun – let your child make some postcards or notecards and send them in the mail. They may laugh at you, but it can provide some entertainment as well as improve their grammar and handwriting skills. {We are sneaky moms!}
What other ideas do you have for keeping your kids connected over the summer?
