Prepping for a Successful Summer Break with Kids
After some rough summers where I tried to wing it at home with my 3 kids, I learned that the saying “if you fail to prepare then prepare to fail” definitely applies to summers with young kids...
Summer break is almost here! My oldest finishes 6th grade on Wednesday, and my 4th grader and my kindergartener finish next week (ahhh I’m not sure I’m ready for my last kid to graduate kindergarten…🥲). After going through many summers as a mom to three kids there’s a lot I’ve learned to do, and not do, to set ourselves up for a successful summer.
What’s obvious to me now – but wasn’t when I was first a mom – is that summer is NOT a relaxing time for parents of young kids. Yes, days at home don’t have the frantic rush of school mornings, and if kids are in day camp then there’s no homework to remind kids to do, and often the camp days are longer than school days, but overall something about the heat + the out-of-routine days + the duration of summer vacation makes summer quite a bit more taxing on parents than it seems like it should be…
After my first 4 years of parenting I finally realized that summer wasn’t going to be easy-breezy. That’s when I knew I needed a plan to get through three months of no structure. Since I love solving parenting work issues by thinking about how it relates to making movies, I did that with summer break and it’s helped me have much more successful summer breaks!
I decided to think of summer break like it was a movie shoot. When making a movie the most crucial time is when the movie is actually shooting – not the prep or the post – but the actual shoot days because those are when you get the material that will be put together into a movie, and each shoot day costs a lot of money and must stay on schedule in order to complete the entire movie on time (and on budget). If things don’t go as planned then it risks the entire movie falling apart or falling behind, which could mean all that time, effort, and money getting wasted…
When I was a studio executive, once a movie was greenlit, my job was to work with the physical production department to make a pre-production schedule. That schedule laid out how each department on the movie would prep to make sure that when the first day of shooting began, they were all ready to complete their jobs for the entirety of the shoot. That meant making sure wardrobe, locations, catering, hair & makeup, stunts, transpo, etc. were all ready by day one of production.
A movie shoot is only as successful as how thorough the pre-production prep is. Creating and maintaining a prep schedule, and making sure each department would be ready by day one, took a lot of coordinating but was crucial to the success of the movie. If every department followed their prep schedule then once the movie was shooting I knew everyone was prepared and that we could simply focus on each filming day.
In my experience summer break with young kids is very much the same - in order to be successful I’ve found that I need to prep for summer so that when summer break hits, I can focus on each day and know that I’m prepared for what comes next in the break. It’s been so helpful to think of summer as a movie shoot that needs to be prepared and planned for because now, throughout the summer, I can be proactive about what’s happening as opposed to reactive. And one thing I know about myself as a parent is that if I’m more proactive than reactive then my mood stays high for the marathon that is summer break with little kids😊
Once I started treating my summer like a movie shoot I saw how much smoother our days, and entire summer, went! Knowing that a little prep goes a long way, I now use the last week of school/the first week of summer as my “pre-production” period so I can be ready for the “production”* time of summer break. Then once summer hits I can focus on each day as it comes and be ready for any pivots that come our way!
Since this is the week I start prepping for a successful summer I wanted to share what I do. I hope these ideas help you with your summer prep!
SCHEDULE & LOGISTICS
Putting the Summer Schedule Next to the Weekly Calendar
Every week I fill out a wall calendar that we hang in the kitchen so the kids can see what their schedule is for that week (click here for details about making one). They love this because it clearly lays out what’s happening and gives them time to process the events, ask questions, and prepare as needed. This is a simple schedule that only lists what affects each kid, and we don’t list routine items like that it’s a school day since it’s assumed they’ll be at school on weekdays (we do list early dismissals etc.).
Since summer means no school routine, things are very different for each of my kids. I continue doing the weekly calendar, but right next to it I hang a piece of paper that has the broad beats of the entire summer. This piece of paper is a schedule that simply lists each week and below that I list each kid’s initial and fill in which camp they’re going to, or if they have no camp, or if we’re on a family trip. This way they can track their overall summer in addition to their every day of the current week.
Adding this second calendar to our kitchen is SO HELPFUL because my kids understand what’s coming next all summer long! I realized that any time they were discombobulated about a schedule issue it was typically because they didn’t know it was coming and couldn’t properly process the event. Now that they can see the entire summer they’re calmer about what’s coming next which is helpful to us all!
Creating a Daily Schedule (for days at home)
In previous summers I’ve found that when we’re home and going through the day without a structure of some sort, things can get very chaotic and I start to feel overwhelmed and get snappy… When I reflected on what was happening on those days at home I realized that school classrooms keep things very orderly but have many more kids in them than I have kids in our family. And I realized that one major thing schools do differently than what I was doing at home is they have a daily schedule the kids know about and follow. The teachers take time to write down what will happen that day and they walk the kids through it each morning. I added that idea in to our days at home and my kids really liked it!
One thing I learned is that unless we have a specific time we need to do an activity, I don’t list times, I just list the order in which we’ll do the activities. This means if an activity is going well I can extend the time, and if it’s going poorly I can pivot😉
Confirming/Inputting All Camp Schedules & Info.
I signed up for sleepaway camp for my daughter C(10) last September, and started the day camp sign ups for all three kids in January. That’s a long time ago! Now that summer is almost here I am going through each week of the summer and adding all summer camp dates and the exact drop off and pickup time for each camp into our family digital calendar. After that step I’m starting with the first camp of the summer and checking what required medical forms need to be handled, and what special gear kids need to bring with them to each camp.
Confirming Travel Details
We do not have a lot of travel this summer (every year we relocate to Idaho for a portion of the summer and that’s the only trip we’re taking), so travel prep is relatively easy for me this year. That said, I am of course still confirming the flights we’re taking and then adding an alert into my calendar to confirm the more minute details the week before we travel. The new travel thing that does need my attention now is that my daughter is flying to and from camp with a camp chaperone for the first time (instead of us taking her and picking her up) so I’m confirming every little detail about that so I can feel like she (and I!!) are prepared for this big step😊
Setting Sitter Schedules
Every year we relocate to Idaho for a portion of the summer. When we’re there the kids are in and out of camp, and I’m there alone most of the weeks while my husband is in LA working. Because of his absence I have learned that I need extra hands while there, so right now I’m reaching out to sitters to see what dates they’re available (especially during weeks when the kids have no camp) and once confirmed I’m adding all those sitter dates to the digital calendar. My future self will thank me for lining up these sitters now.
ACTIVITIES AT HOME
Updating & Refreshing Outdoor Toys
We live in LA so we’re outside a lot when we’re playing. That means that our outdoor toys see a lot of wear and tear… so before summer starts I usually refresh our most popular summer toys (this year I need more rockets for stomp rockets!). I also consider adding a new activity to the mix that fits my kids’ interests and acknowledges that they’re getting older (currently debating a tetherball set but the kids want a trampoline…). If you need ideas for what to add to your outdoor activities, click here for the outdoor toys and crafts my kids and I have loved using over the years that I highly recommend – all from Amazon.
Restock Backup Crafts
I keep crafts at home that I bring out once in a while for a fun activity for my kids, or when they need a reset from whatever they’re playing because they can’t seem to get along… A craft gives them something to focus on instead of bickering and is so helpful! These crafts are always surprises to my kids which adds to why they’re effective. I stock up on open ended items that I bring out one at a time, and I only choose the items I have bandwidth to help with (or not). This has been sooooo helpful on many occasions – not just summer break!
Fill Up the Trash Art Drawer
We have a drawer that’s filled with clean trash like paper towel rolls, applesauce twist off caps, tea tins, bubble wrap, etc. I’ll make sure we’re consciously adding to it before summer starts so it’s ready to use when I need it. The idea is that when the kids need something to do I’ll send them to that drawer to choose items and then I’ll set out paint, duct tape, glue, stickers, paint, etc. and let them create whatever they think of. This has kept them busy for years and I love seeing what they create!
Anti Summer Slide Prep
The “summer slide” (the phenomenon that during summer break kids lose some of what they learned in the previous school year so begin the new school year behind) is real. I see the slide every summer with my kids, and so now I know that I need to find way to prevent it from happening too much… so right now I’m ordering fun items for them to use to keep up hand strength/build fine motor skills (I’ve seen how hard it is for my kids to go to school after summer and have to handwrite after not using fine motor skills all summer and it’s literally painful!), setting up virtual tutors for any subjects my kids need help with, confirming summer reading lists from the schools and getting the books, making sure I have their IXL passwords from school (a few schools have summer learning on IXL so I want to make sure if schools offer a code that my kids can access it before schools close for summer and I can’t reach anyone… otherwise I can sign up for it myself), and of course signing up for the summer reading challenge at the library.
If you’d like more detailed information about what I’ve seen actually help my kids avoid summer slide, click here for a post I wrote with resources and ideas that work, and click here for items from Amazon for what I use that aren’t just boring workbooks.
ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE HOME
Summer Activity Ideas
At the start of the summer I ask my kids what they loved about last summer that they want to repeat this summer, or what they’re curious to try over break. I create a simple list in my iPhone notes and then as we’re thinking about what to do during different weeks (typically as I’m filling out the wall calendar each Sunday) I try to slot those ideas in. It’s more of a summer goals list than a summer bucket list, and I don’t add a lot of pressure to it – it’s there to look at and draw from when making my schedule each week.
Update Our “Backup Plans List”
We love having chill days at home to just enjoy summer and not go anywhere. The kids love playing in their playroom, in the yard, and swimming. BUT siblings are siblings and often that free time can turn into arguing and major “cabin fever”… On days where that hits I rely on our “Backup Plans List” to save the day!
This is a simple list I keep in my iPhone notes that is easy to use the minute we need to get out of the house for a change of scenery. It lists fun places to go to and has these details: the link to the place’s website, their address, parking/transportation info, operating hours, what food is offered, and any other information I’d need to see in order to make a quick decision about where we’re going next! Ideas I include are: museums (both near and far – sometimes a mini road trip is needed to reset moods), play spaces, new parks to try, outdoor activities like hikes/biking trails/swimming pools, art studios, mini golf/arcade/bowling spots.
Leaning on Instagram Community Pages for Activities
I’m double checking that I’m signed up for my town’s and nearby towns’ Instagram pages for their rec departments, community service pages, libraries, local papers, parks departments, etc. Those places always have special events during summer break that my kids love, and the best way I’ve found to learn about what’s happening is on their Instagram pages!
SUMMER GEAR PREP
Restock Outdoor Supply Bins & Shelves
We have a backdoor where we enter and take our shoes off, and where our canvas bags live that we take to the tennis club, the beach, and the park. I don’t typically keep bags packed for each of those needs - instead, I have bins that are filled with sunscreen and sunglasses, hooks for baseball hats, and shelves for the picnic blankets and sand toys. Then when we need to go we just grab one of the bags and fill it with what’s needed for that activity. So right now I’ll make sure I have the sunscreen we all love, that we have enough sand toys (mainly shovels), and that the kids have new sunglasses (the lenses scratch and get blurry so I do update these about twice a year).
Updated Summer Clothes for Kids
All three of my kids have school uniforms which means they may need summer clothes (especially for active summer days!) and swimsuits to get them through the summer! So right now I’m cleaning out my kids’ closets and drawers and ordering needed clothes for them to try on and wear this summer. Luckily my youngest son (who is 6) uses all hand-me-downs so I just have to go into the garage and bring in the next size up of clothing. For my 12-year-old son I’ve had great luck with these Nike shorts and these Cat & Jack shirts (he says they fit well and are “cool” enough to wear), for my 10-year-old daughter these athletic Nike shorts, these tank tops, and these water shoes, and since athletic shoes don’t hand down well, I’ll get my 6-year-old his favorite pull-on Nike sneakers in the next size up.
Update Tennis Racquets, Bikes & Scooters As Needed
I’m double checking that my kids’ tennis racquets, helmets, scooters, and bikes are all still the right size for each of them. Since these items are seasonal some of them may run out by mid-summer, so checking now helps me avoid disappointment if I can’t find the right size when my kids need it!
Preparing to meet the marathon of summer break with these items set up and/or updated is what’s helped me and my kids thrive. I hope you try some of these prep ideas and that they work well for you and your summer!
❤️, Amanda, your Type A Mom friend
*note: I do NOT think of summer break like I have to make it a “production” in the sense that I’m planning every second and making a big deal out of everything – the word production is simply being used for my comparison of summer to a movie shoot😊
PS: I sent off my daughter’s sleepaway duffle bags on Friday! It was a huge relief… If you’re in the thick of packing I see you, and I have resources to help:
PPS: Book a 1:1 virtual session with me to walk through prepping for summer, packing for camp, travel with kids, planning birthday parties, setting up family email accounts, or anything you’d like a Type A Mom to help you with!
Doing the overall rundown of the summer next to the weekly plan is SO smart, off to implement!