Now that summer is upon us I wanted to share some ideas how to make enjoyable QT with your kids. Some people are lucky enough to have your kids home for the whole summer while others have to fit time in post work. I'll try to make this relevant for all kinds.
I'll start with a disclaimer - I was lucky enough to have many, many years of Camp Mommy with my kids when they were young. When I went back to full time work 2 summers ago, the hardest part for me was not getting to do Camp Mommy with the kids. I hated the thought that I'd have to send them somewhere else for someone else to build memories with them. Don't get me wrong - it was a lot of work, there were many days where I was exhausted and frustrated - but overall I loved it. It isn't for everyone but it really is the stuff that makes memories. Even if you aren't the type who can keep kids home the whole summer - a week or two is extremely special and the kids remember those summers so fondly.
So I guess I should really make this two parts -
Part 1: Creating a Camp Mommy
If you have the opportunity to have the kids home - whether it is a week or two or a whole summer - Camp Mommy can be fun for you and the kids. No matter if you live in a city or in the middle of nowhere - there is so much to explore. Here are some things I recommend:
1. Make a schedule - when you don't have schedule, things can feel out of control. I used to have a loose outline of how the days would go. Kids often do better with some structure - there are only so many days you can chill and sleep late and then decide what to do.
2. Take Trips! We usually had one trip day a week - somewhere you would go to explore or enjoy where you had never gone (or places you just love and want to keep going back to). If you have bigger kids, letting them take turns planning the trip days can be a lot of fun and give them an opportunity to develop their planning skills. Remember to check your local festival list, nature hikes nearby, Geocaching (a national scavenger hunt), and museums and zoos nearby. If you're adventurous, drive a little farther once in a while and find a beach or lake.
3. Art - there is art all over - pinterest and other websites have many crafting ideas if you don't have ones of your own. Found art is particularly fun and can be combined with trips (like finding the letters of their name in nature on a hike and photographing them and making collages).
4. Exercise together - biking, swimming, running - the possibilities are endless. You will be a better parent if you work this into your schedule with the kids so you get your exercise in.
5. Make T-Shirts for your "camp" - my kids have passed down "Camp Mommy" t-shirts to their younger siblings since they have one from every summer. These are particularly useful to wear on trip day.
6. Make cooking/ baking /grocery shopping part of your activities - one thing you find when kids are home with you during the summer is it can get really hard to fit the real life tasks into your days. If you involve them in these and set aside one day a week (or possibly part of two days) to take care of the mundane (scavenger hunt grocery shopping is very fun, writing the shopping list for younger kids who are learning to read/write), you will find it far less frustrating to fit the real stuff in.
7. Reward Good Sibling Behavior - one thing that happens often when kids are home together is they begin to bicker. If you head that off to start with it can make a huge difference. A chart with a weekly reward trip (think Slurpee's) makes for a good reason to head off the fighting.
8. Set Goals - kids thrive on success. Find things you want to accomplish over the summer and keep track of them. I usually have the kids set goals for books to read, swimming strokes to learn, etc.
9. Publish! Every Friday we would create our own newsletter of what we did at Camp Mommy that week. It was fun, great computer skills, and a great way to share what we did with their Dad (who was working so we could have Mommy Camp).
10. Create your own game - many people have seen version of Monopoly that are personalized - create a family version of this or any other game and play it (even add real life rewards). This can become a really fun family pass-time.
I'll happily provide a list of DC locations for trips and exploration for anyone local and art project ideas for anyone who is interested.
Part 2: Increasing QT and Creativity while the kids are off school
So for those of us who can't take the whole summer to be with the kids - fear not, all is not lost. There is still so much time and energy you can use to increase your time with the kids in the summer. I always want to take advantage of the time where they are usually doing their homework and all tapped out from a whole day at school. Try to shake up your normal daily routine and make time for fun. This can take on so many different faces - you can go to the pool after work for a relaxing afternoon and let bedtime be a bit later than usual. You can do an arts and crafts project (see above about arts and crafts if you need ideas). You can still make your own T-Shirts, take some evening outings, and build in time for special summer activities. Take advantage of your Sundays - there should be fewer Sunday birthday parties, extra curricular activities, etc - and take some trips. If you have the opportunity to take a family trip - try to build in some extra excitement (i.e. planning together for bigger kids, make t-shirts before you go).
Some people find unstructured time to be extremely frustrating but I really believe if you create your own structure and try to view summers as an opportunity to create memories with your kids you will feel fulfilled and benefit from the time. Yes, there will be challenging days (possibly many of them) but in the end they remember those times and appreciate the effort you put into them.
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