Embracing the New Season: Navigating Summer with Your Kids

By embracing some of these strategies, you can navigate the summer season with a little more ease, creating a fulfilling and joyous time for both you and your children.

Written by: Holly Hungate

As the school year wraps up and the days grow longer, summer stands before us like a blank canvas— full of potential for fun, growth, and memorable moments with our children. How does your body feel reading that? Does it start to panic a bit with the expectations of a perfect, relaxing, fun summer? We’ll get to that. A podcaster named Kendra Adachi often reminds her listeners to “live in their season.” It is a great reminder that the systems and routines that worked in one season of life probably need to be appropriately adjusted to fit your current season of life. How you navigate summers with your kids will depend on variables such as whether you work out of the house or not, how old your kids are, your budget limits, and many more things. As you read through these ideas, your challenge is not to feel the pressure to do everything, but rather to think of your family and the season of life that you are in and see what may fit for you. 

Here are some things to consider when thinking about the summer season.

1. Establish a Flexible Routine

While the appeal of summer often lies in its lack of structure, a basic routine can help children feel secure and manage expectations. This doesn’t mean scheduling every hour, but rather creating a loose framework for the day that includes time for meals, rest, and activities. This helps maintain a sense of order and prevents the stress that can come from feeling aimless or overwhelmed.

2. Set Goals for the Summer

Summer is a great time to set personal development goals with your children. Whether it’s learning to swim, reading a certain number of books, or mastering a new skill like biking, setting goals provides purpose and direction. Celebrate these achievements, no matter how small, to boost your child’s self-esteem and motivation.

3. Incorporate Educational Activities

To prevent the "summer slide," incorporate some educational activities into your child’s summer days. This doesn’t have to involve traditional learning; it can be as simple as nature walks, science experiments at home, or visits to museums and libraries. Many libraries offer summer reading challenges and programs for children. If your child has a specific hobby, there is probably a summer camp that matches! Foster their interests by seeking out programs that offer summer sessions for continued growth. A fun idea for fostering writing skills may be to gather a list of their friends’ addresses and letter-writing supplies and have them write back and forth to a few friends or family members over the summer. A big smile will develop on their face as they see something for themselves in the mail, even from a friend a few doors down!

4. Make Time for Play

Play is crucial for a child’s development and summer offers ample opportunities to play creatively. Whether it’s building sandcastles, playing water games, or just running around in the backyard, make sure your child gets plenty of time for free play. This is not only fun but also essential for their physical and emotional health. Aim to provide opportunities for independent play, play with peers, and play with parents. 

5. Encourage Independence

Summer can be a good time to encourage independence in children by allowing them to make choices about how they spend their time. Whether it’s choosing a book to read, deciding on a craft to do, or helping plan a family outing, these decisions foster independence and confidence. Giving choices can be incredibly powerful in a parent-child relationship as the parent gives the boundaries of options and the child feels that they have some sense of control by choosing.

6. Stay Active

With more daylight hours, summer is ideal for promoting physical activity. Encourage your child to engage in sports, take family bike rides, or visit a local swimming pool. Physical activity is not only healthy but also helps burn off excess energy and promotes a good night’s sleep.

7. Keep Cool and Hydrated

As you spend more time outdoors, it’s important to stay safe under the sun and to take breaks. Always apply sunscreen, wear hats and protective clothing, and stay hydrated. Make cooling off part of the fun—think sprinklers, water balloons, or a kiddie pool in the backyard.

8. Plan Special Outings

While spontaneous adventures are wonderful, planning a few special summer outings can add excitement to the season. This might include a weekend camping trip, a visit to a new city, or a day at an amusement park. These experiences can be highlights of the summer and create lasting memories. A fun idea may be to give your children disposable cameras to take pictures of moments that are meaningful to them and develop them when they return home.

Be sure to check out our Summer Guide to Katy, TX here!

9. Take Time to Relax

Finally, remember that summer is a time for relaxation. It’s okay to have days with no plans, allowing everyone to recharge. Encouraging downtime and quiet activities like reading, drawing, or puzzles can provide a necessary balance to the busy days.

By embracing some of these strategies, you can navigate the summer season with a little more ease, creating a fulfilling and joyous time for both you and your children. You’re doing a great job; be kind to yourself. 

Happy Summer! If you feel like summer would be a good time to check out parenting support or child therapy, our team at The Well would love to be a resource for you.