Summer Survival Kit

How’s summer going for your family? Has it been stressful trying to fill long days or hard to fit in family time with everyone’s different camps and activities? If summer so far isn’t going how you had hoped, I have some resources that might help you get back on track.

We use these printables in my family to make a plan for what we want to do together, what we want our kids to learn, and how we’d like them to spend their time while they’re out of school.

This post builds off of last year’s Summer Survival Guide, so go give that a quick read if you missed it. 

Family Meeting

The best way to dive into a more purposeful summer is to have a family meeting. It gets everyone on the same page and lets you work out expectations ahead of time. Introduce the handouts in the Summer Survival Kit and go over them together.

Included in the kit, are some specific questions to guide your conversation around technology, because that can be a tricky one. With long days to fill, it can be tempting to spend a lot of time in front of screens. And while there is certainly time for that, having a frank conversation about what things are ok to watch, when it’s ok to watch them, etc., is important for both parents and kids alike.

Some other questions you will want to answer together are:

• What activities do we want to do together as a family this summer? (Fill out the Summer Bucket List.)
• What activities can you do when you are bored? (Fill out the “I’m bored” list.)
• What life skills do you want each kid to learn? (Make copies of the Life Skills Sheet, and start one for each skill.)

Wondering how to go about teaching life skills to your older kids? I have a blog for that! Read my Teaching Life Skills article from last year to get started. I even have one dedicated solely to teaching laundry! (If you’re doing the work already, you may as well take a few minutes each time to start teaching your kiddos. You will work yourself out of a job in no time. That’s the goal!)

Get The Kit

The kit I’m sharing this year allows your kids to know answers up front so they can work out problems on their own as the summer progresses. Each of the printables previewed above is included in the kit.

I hope that by sharing these resources, you can help foster some independence, and maybe save yourself at least a few of the million questions they are going to ask you each day.

Are they bored? They can check out the I’m bored list or work on a life skill.

Do they want to watch TV? Have they completed your checklist? What are the family rules for technology? 

The kit also lets you build in family time, so you can reconnect before the busy school year begins again.

Click the pink button below to get your free copy of the kit. It will redirect you to a sign up page, and you will also get my newsletter twice a month.

Note: If you are already a current subscriber, you should have received a copy of these printables with your July 15th newsletter, but you can always fill out the sign-up form again; it won’t make any changes to your subscription!

Bonus Checklists

For your younger kids, who are maybe not quite working on life skills just yet, keeping a routine throughout the summer is important. But it may look a little different than it does during the rest of the year. I’ve put together a checklist that you can use to get them going in the morning. There is also a blank copy that you can use for your older kids. (Both are included in the kit.)

Below, you can download a list of ideas to choose from when populating routines, chores, and summer activities on your chart. 

Just use a sharpie to put their name at the top and fill it out. Then put the checklist in a page protector and have your child use a dry erase marker to check items off each day. You can reuse this day after day, year after year or change it up as needed.

In general, summer is a great time to get organized. Before the school year begins, you will want to make sure your mudroom/drop zone is squared away, kids closets are working at peak efficiency, that you have a system for school papers that will start coming your way in the fall, and that your kitchen is ready for making lunches and after-school snacks.

If you don’t feel like you’re ready for back-to-school, reach out and we can help get your “kid zones” in shape before the big day rolls around. We’re already booking into August, so don’t wait too long. Fill out this contact form to get started.

Happy Organizing!

Susie