summer ideas for kids (and families)

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Summer Ideas for Kids

I, for one, am SO EXCITED that summer is here. (As long as I try not to think about the fact that it means my kids are one year older.). I just love that the summer is OURS. No one bossing around our schedule.

But I know summer can be a little intimidating for moms with houses filled up with kids. Trying to keep them occupied and productive amidst the fun. So I’m linking in some summer organization (or lack thereof!)/goal posts that I came across as I am trying to contemplate the summer stretching out before us here.

I sit here and wonder how in the world we are here with only two kids at home, emerging from a global pandemic, on the brink of two high school kids next year, a daughter on a mission and two married couples. All my old posts about the days with kids wrapped around my legs make me so nostalgic.

But also so grateful!

So grateful for all those summers in the books.

Summers filled up with goals and bonding and togetherness and simplification.

So here are some links:

Reduce cell phone addiction.

Ha! But really, let’s admit it, the majority of our kids are addicted to their phones.

I shared a bunch of thoughts on summer time cell phones HERE.

Summer is such a great time to put away the cell phones every now and again and just “BE.” To use time to really read, work, explore, work on relationships, etc. And those pesky cell phones can sure lose the focus!

Summer Goals for Kids

Through the years we have always made a point of making Summer Deals or Summer Goals.

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This is ultra important if you want to help your kids feel productive and glow with a sense of accomplishment and resilience (in a world filled up with video games, cell phones and video games). Sure, that stuff is so fine here and there, but summer is such an incredible opportunity to think about how we want to grow and utilize our time off. Younger kids will need a lot more help coming up with summer plans, but as they grow, they will take more of the initiative (in some things…let’s face it, even adult kids …and adult selves…need a little kick in the bootie here and there).

If you click HERE it will take you to how we streamlined our summer goals and made them a part of our every-day over the years..

That post linked up there also includes an explanation of this spiffy thing:

Journal prompts and our “Job Jar.”

(I’m telling you, those two things have worked miracles into our summer months over the years!)

Thoughts on simplifying summer (when I was particularly frazzled) HERE.

How to Create the Perfect Family Reunion

Intermingled with goals and job jars, we can’t not talk about Family Reunions when it comes to summer links.

I did a tutorial on how to create the perfect Family Reunion HERE.

(and lots more reunion posts HERE)

I have a draft for a post detailing a bunch of games to incorporate into reunions coming up soon.

Hooray for summer!