Summer Planning: 4 Tips for Creating Family Rhythms

We blinked and summer is here! The school year is almost over, and while it is an exciting season for most children, for some moms, it can be stressful regardless of their current occupation. If you have a 9-5 job or are a business owner, you might worry about finding the best childcare/camp options to make sure your children enjoy this time off from school. If you are home with your kiddos, you may be feeling (a self-imposed) pressure to make their vacation time memorable. Maybe you are wondering what you will do to keep them entertained, or anticipate feeling a bit lost since routines change or fall through the cracks of so much free time.

Whatever your current situation is, my heart behind this post is to bring peace, lightness, and encouragement about this season. A reminder that it’s not about the multiple things you do, nor the amount of money you spend. It’s not about the big trips, nor the best summer camps you can find for your child. It’s not about comparing your summer days/plans with those of other moms and feeling at a disadvantage.

My goal is to remind you that this summer, what matters the most is that you, as always, will do your best with the time and resources God gave you.

So how can you start putting some structure to the weeks to come, and wisely use what you have to bless your children this season? Let’s get into it.

1. What matters most? Ask your kiddos!

Something that keeps coming up in my day-to-day with my children is the simplicity of their joy. It doesn’t take much to make them happy. When did we, adults, start making it all so complicated and expensive?

Ask your children what they would like to do as a family this summer. Brainstorm with them and have them write down a list of activities and plans they would like to do. If you have trips planned, these can go in the list, as well as many other activities. Some may not even be “summer-centered” but are just easier to execute because the kids don’t have the pressure of school routines and responsibilities.

This is the second year I do this with my kids, inspired by an Instagram account I follow (@athomewith.shannon). It was a very fun crafty project we enjoyed doing together. I was delighted to see things on our family list like movie nights, make popsicles and ice cream, paint our rooms, journal with Jesus, play board games, plant a garden, and dates with Mom and Dad, aside from exploring new beaches, pool time, trails with the dog, and more. 

The point is that the simplest activities, done together, can make a lasting impression on their hearts and that’s what they want. Our time to play, read a book, cook, or start a new project together. 

Busy moms of all walks of life, please know: a few high-quality family experiences can be equally or even more impactful for our kiddos than the amount of activities or any big plans. These can be done during the day or over the weekends. Whatever works for the time you have.

2. Set Summer Goals for them

As my kids were writing down their summer bucket list, I realized I have goals for them and for myself.

So, I took the idea of the summer bucket list further by categorizing all items under four main priorities I have in my heart: 1) Things that will help us get closer to Jesus (spiritual/faith goals), 2) Activities that will strengthen our relationship with each other as a family (Dad, Mom, and kids), 3) Fun outdoor activities, also aligned with our family values and lifestyle, and 4) Opportunities to serve others or create something that will help people in need. Having clarity on what our priorities are for our family, elevate our summer from a regular vacation time to a purposeful, special season. Defining a couple of high-level goals will allow you to be more intentional and purposeful as you plan and bring to life any activities.

Aside from faith or family-related goals, you probably have academic, music, or sports-centric objectives you would like to establish for your kiddos. The summer is a great opportunity for them to invest time developing or strengthening specific skills. For this, Miami Mom Collective put together a fantastic summer camp guide with tips to choose the best option for your children. There are many options from very specific academically-focused camps, to sports training programs, science, arts, cooking, and many more. Check it out here!

If you, like us, believe in the transformative power of Vacation Bible School and would like for your children to experience it, click right now on the VBS Guide that our team put together. A selection of Miami’s most prominent Vacation Bible Schools, this guide was carefully curated and aims to ensure that you have options to provide your family with encouraging and enriching experiences, most of them being free!

3. Establish Summer Goals for You

I love thinking about the areas in my life I want to work on for my own growth. I love dedicating time to plan what I want to read, study, and learn. Whether you have a job outside the home or work serving your family full-time, the summer is a good season to establish personal (achievable) goals and be intentional to work towards them. 

One of my goals is to finish writing a Bible Study Guide on the book of Acts I started developing a while ago. I’m passionate about studying the word of God and encouraging families to dive into the powerful, life-changing wisdom available in the Bible.

I’m also learning more and more about ADHD. There’s a couple of books I’m determined to finish, so these, aside from the Bible, will be my summer reads. Since this past school year I encountered new challenges with my oldest son, I want to learn and study this condition so that I can acquire tools and strategies to help him succeed and manage symptoms, and of course, share with other moms and families needing this kind of support.

Aside from a new fitness goal I’m training and working hard for, I want to finally learn how to make our own bread. For this, I’m leaning on my mom friend and Miami Mom Collective Managing Editor Lynda Lantz. She shared baking tips she has learned as she gets better at making baked goods for her family and friends. 

4. Family rhythms will change, so create a new base structure for your days

Moms, routines and priorities are important. Flexibility, too, of course. But creating a basic structure for our days brings peace and calm to the beautiful chaos that is raising our children. I shared this in corporate principles for home life and routines. There has to be a base plan, even if we change it. This works beautifully for both working moms to make the most of their time, and for moms at home, as time flies by and can make us feel unproductive and disorganized if we end up improvising every day.

To start, take a look at your current routines. See what will change for you when your kids finish school, considering new traffic patterns, camp schedules, extra-curricular activities, vacation trips, etc. 

Moms who stay with their children all summer

If you will have less time for yourself because they will stay home, you might want to consider waking up a bit earlier to get some things done for yourself. Also, see if there are any simple daily activities they can do on their own (like reading). These will give you extra time to do something you need to do for yourself, any housework, or a project you are working on. 

Moms working outside the home or from home

You might want to take a look at your work calendar and plan in advance the days you want to take off to be with your children and/or do things for yourself. Some companies offer summer Fridays. I used to enjoy these and take the morning (1/2 day) off to be free since Thursday evening, and extend my weekends. Some weeks (when I knew work would be slower), I would take 1/2 days off all week, so I could be with my children every afternoon for a week. There are many ways to be creative when your time is limited. Talk to your manager ahead of time and keep in mind: quality over quantity. There are many simple, fun things you can plan to do with your kids around your work schedule that will remain in their hearts forever. 

I pray and hope that your summer is filled with high-quality moments with your children. That your heart may stay rooted in what matters the most. That you may take some time to plan and be intentional in your activities and plans. That you may turn down the volume of guilt, comparison, and pressure, and turn up the volume of your kids’ laughs, conversations, questions, free kisses, and hugs to enjoy the weeks ahead before it all starts again when school resumes.