One of the noticeable shifts as we get older is the evolution of the experience of the season of summer. For children, summer is a time of freedom from school, staying up late and sleeping in and hanging out with your friends. As adults, with or without children, its more daylight hours to use up, increased schedules, hopefully travel and maybe some relaxation. With the school year winding down many parents are facing the dreaded question that plagues us this time of year: “what are we going to do to keep them busy all summer?” The thing is, if you ask youth today, they’re likely going to tell you that the last thing they want is to feel “busy” in the summer. Most of what they enjoy about summer is the lack of rigid structure and schedule that gives them no time for fun. So, what is a parent today to do to avoid total anarchy?

Focus on routine. Have a household meeting and talk about expectations and hope for the summer. Developing an agreed-upon routine while you are all cohabitating for the summer is a survival must. The purpose of a routine is to build skills by practicing on a regular basis and taking responsibility for each person’s role in the household. Creating a summer goal list is a fun activity that allows household members to be involved in the summer planning process, all while working on goal-setting skills. Encourage your kids to come up with some goals they would like to accomplish and then work activities into their routine to help achieve those goals. Include goals of your own to help model the behavior and create some memories!

To start the process of developing your summer routine, try the steps below.

Summer will be here before we know it!

Developing your Summer Routine

Take inventory of time commitments over the summer.

• Vacation?
• Work?
• Do your kids need to attend summer school or camp?
• If you have kids, how old are your kids, and do they need to follow a certain schedule (early bedtime, nap times, nursing schedule, etc.)?

Create a visual space for a calendar that everyone can see.

Create chore schedule that rotates weekly (include parents in the rotation).

Create a summer goal list.

Try to keep morning and bedtime routines the same.

Analyze your routine weekly to see what needs improvement.

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