If you have kids at home for the summer, whether you are a stay at home parent or a working parent, you could be experiencing the “I’m bored” conundrum. To really get the most out of the summer, put the kids in charge of their own work and their own fun. They may still fall into the boredom trap, but at least they will have some guidance on what they can do for some of the day.
Try breaking the day into six different 30 minute blocks. Here are suggestions of what the blocks can be. They can be scaled for different aged kids if need be!
1. Chores
The first block in my mind is always a work block. I am a huge proponent of work hard then play hard! Make a list of a variety of age appropriate chores that your kids can do with very little help from you – that way, you can use the 30 minute block for chores as well! You can try to think of some chores that you can do in the same room as the kids so that it feels more like a team effort. The kitchen works well for together chores. The kids can wipe the cupboards or counters and the parents can clean the appliances. Another room that works well like this is the bathroom. Kids can be cleaning sinks, counters, or cupboards while parents are cleaning toilets and scrubbing the tub. Try to get the most work done in a short amount of time! It makes it more fun to have the fun later!
2. Physical activity
If you’re working, try to use a lunch break for a bit of a physical activity break with the kids. 30 minutes of exercise is good for everyone. Try doing something together like a walk, a bike ride, or try a workout app together. You could also try joining a gym together if the kids are old enough to use it. You could even sign up for a running race or obstacle race as a family and start doing some training together!
3. Independent play
I think it’s really important to teach kids to find and create their own fun. It can help to get them comfortable being happy on their own. Try creating a block in the day when everyone can have a break from each other. 30 minutes of independent play can encourage creativity and can help kids find peace with being alone. This can be time in their rooms or time in a spot in the house where they can do something on their own. It could be them playing with their favourite toys, browsing through some collectable trading cards, or it could be building something like a Lego set or model from a kit where they need to follow the instructions on their own. When kids can do things on their own, they can learn to rely on themselves when troubleshooting and problem solving, and it builds confidence in getting the task done by themselves. As an added bonus, create a five minute block at the end of this time so that everyone can share or show off what they were working on! This gives them some incentive to work hard at whatever it is they choose to do with their time and creates some togetherness as the family shares their achievements. Help the kids learn to encourage their siblings in their interests.
4. Reading or activity books
Along with the alone time, I strongly encourage the kids to keep up with some learning and reading over the summer. It can be in the form of simply reading books, working on activity books like curriculum books or summer bridging books, or even a good learning app or website. Often, younger kids will need help, but as they get older, encourage them to work as independently as they can! This can also be a great time for you to crack open that book you’ve been wanting to dive into! Possibly having your task interrupted means that reading is an easy option for you to fill this time with. It’s easier to put your finger on a spot in the book than stop in the middle of elbow deep cleaning or scrubbing!
5. Cooking or baking time
Along with chores, I think it’s great to include the kids in meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking, and baking. Making some time for the kids to help with the baking or cooking is a great way to build their appreciation of the food that ‘magically’ appears on their plates many times per day! Have them pick a special recipe, have them help pick out the ingredients in the grocery store, and then help them step through the entire recipe (including practicing some knife skills! – as scary as that may be!!)
6. Creative time
This one can be a bit of a stretch if your kids use some of their independent time as creative time. The key is to just let them do something creative. When they are really young it can be things like finger painting, colouring, playing with stickers, or playing with play doh. It could be a store bought craft kit (suitable to their age, so they can actually do it independently) As they get older and grow more attached to their electronics it could include things like coding, making videos and editing them, or even some taking some interesting pictures. Teaching them creative ways of using the technology that they are definitely going to be addicted to, can help them learn other ways to use their tech than just social media!
The rest of the day can be used in any way you need to. If you use these blocks as full 30 minute blocks, it’s only 3 hours of the day! You can always drop the blocks to 20 minutes if that works better for your schedule. These blocks provide a lot of variety and they give everyone little breaks from each other so that you can come together and play more happily as a family!
The summer can feel so long, but it can also create such wonderful core memories for you and your family! It will be over before we know it!
Have a great summer!
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