Healthy Summer Routine

Healthy Summer Routine with Your Children

One way to make the summer more fun (for your children AND for you) is to create something of a “macro” schedule.  While the summer should be a time of fun, relaxing and recovering from the school year, it is also a good opportunity to learn new things, but in a fun, relaxed way.  To avoid over-scheduling or getting too detailed, you might consider a schedule that could look something like: 
Monday: Make a Craft
Tuesday: Take a Trip(museum, zoo, pool, sports event, special restaurant lunch…)
Wednesday: What do we do Wednesday?(aka Kids’ Choice) 
Thursday: Throwback Thursday(pick a subject from last year at school to read about)
Friday: Friendly Friday (make a play date) 

This way, there is a schedule, but you can be flexible with the details.  Your children can feel that they are an integral part of what their summer involves.  They have the order that helps them focus, but the choice that helps them learn how to structure their own time. 

Other ideas might include picking a skill for your children to learn by doing that activity at the same time every week, such as learning to cook (make cookies, for example), or reading a particular book (or reading a story in the newspaper on the same day every week), or learning to use paints, or practicing a particular sport, and so on…. Whatever plan works best for you, the idea is to provide structure, so the summer isn’t “wasted,” but also to give your children some control over what may be their most favorite time of year.  This way, you might teach your children how to use free time and to have lots of fun!