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Step 1
Realize that you will only have this summer once in your children’s lives. They will never be these ages again. Enjoy the time you have with them because they could be gone before you know it.
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Step 2
Keep them busy. Plant flowers, go on bike rides, go swimming, or whatever else you can think of to do with them. Strike a balance though between too busy and not busy enough. Make sure they have some time to unwind with you and just enjoy being together at home too. Bake some cookies, paint a picture, organize a bedroom, etc.
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Step 3
Know what you want and what you don’t want. If you don’t want your children fighting, then talk with them ahead of time about how you expect them to act and treat each other. If you don’t want them to sit and watch TV and play video games all day, then set a time limit for those before the summer even starts.
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Step 4
Find out what they want to do this summer. Many times they want less than what you think they want. You might think they need to go to Disney World and they might just want to have time to ride their bike a lot and play with their dog. Make a list of 3 things that each person in the family wants to do this summer. They won’t necessarily get what they want, but that way everyone knows what the family wants to do.
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Step 5
Take advantage of free activities. Just because something is free doesn’t mean it has no value to you or your child. Take a walk in the park, take a nature tour, go to free concerts and plays, play tag and play with friends - are just a small sampling of the free activities you can do this summer.
