Welcome to 30 Days of Summer – Go-To Guide for Moms!
Day Six
Quality Time – AHHHHH, that word sounds blissful! With the end of school comes summer break and time for families to spend quality time together. Summer usually means a bit more downtime to spend together. Sometimes that means a vacation that you’ve planned and looked forward to, but it does not always have to be a big event. Even if your family cannot take an extended trip together, there are still many activities you can enjoy.
Why not take a few of these ideas into your family meeting and see what interest you get? I know that these ideas have helped us connect as a family more during the summer months, even as a blended family and with a wide age group!
Get Outside!
Enjoy the beautiful outdoors – Summer means warmer weather. Warmer weather means outdoors activities. Consider planning weekend picnics in the park. I love getting outside to enjoy dinner – whether we pick up something from the local deli or I make something ahead – it is just such a change of pace to get outside.
Head as a family to the local swimming pool. We have a community pool only 2 miles away – we can even ride our bikes, which makes it even more of an adventure. The idea is that the weather will make you want to get outside and get active, so get going! No need to make big plans, get up in the morning and decide what activity sounds the best and just go!
Fairs and Free
Many communities have creative opportunities, many of which are free or low cost. Summer art in the park, or arts camps and arts fairs are common activities families can enjoy. You may also be able to find summer theater or concert series that will give your family something to share and an opportunity to be creative at the same time. In our local 25 mile radius we have family friendly outdoor concerts just about every day of the week. Which means we don’t have to spend any money to get an evening out, experience a new type of music or learn something new. Make sure you check your local newspaper for those listings or online.
Plan and plant a summer garden
What fun to eat the first ripe tomato from your own garden! Of course, there is plenty of hard work to keep families busy leading up to harvest, but keeping a family garden is a great summer activity for the family to share. If you have a bumper crop, you may even want to consider selling your produce at a road-side booth or stall at the local farmerís market. This would be a great learning experience for one and all. Here is a great place to start if you are new at gardening. Start small with a container garden or go big with a plot -either way it will be fun!
Family Read
Pick a summer book to read as a family and pick a time each evening where you take turns reading aloud. You could read indoors or outdoors and plan to have dessert during this time. Simple and fun.
Games Outside
Set up a picnic table and chairs underneath a big shade tree or umbrella. Put together a basket of board games the family would like to learn or has enjoyed in the past. Take the games outside and enjoy the fresh air while you play Monopoly or Candyland. We tend to stay away from games that have a lot of cards, which can easily be blown away! Although a family favorite at our house is Uno and Phase 10!
Water Balloons
A must-do in the summer! Plan to have a water balloon war. You could also buy water guns for everyone in the family and see who can stay dry the longest. Not only will this get the family involved in an activity together, it will keep them active and hopefully cool them off at the same time. If you have boys, this will tend to go forever!
Backyard Camping
Your family may enjoy camping out but circumstances simply forbid you from taking a camping trip. Don’t let circumstances stop you! Pitch your tent in the backyard and enjoy the same fun just a little closer to home. This is especially helpful when you have smaller kids.
Random Act of Kindness
Plan a “good Samaritan act” each month. Do random acts of kindness for people in your neighborhood – weed an elderly neighbor’s flower garden, mow a single mom’s lawn, gather canned goods from your neighbors and take them to the local battered women’s shelter or food bank. There are so many good things your family could do if you just put your minds to it.
These are just a few ideas of things your family can do together during the summer. Take some time to sit down together and talk about things you would like to do. Children grow up so fast, make this summer a summer of family memories that will last a lifetime.
What idea would you add to the list?
