How to Survive Summer Break!

Summer break is around the corner. Are you ready for it? Every single year I always think that I am going to be the best mother and we are going to have the best summer ever. That usually lasts about two weeks… then I’m exhausted and wondering what I was thinking.

Maybe some of you are like me. I have a love/hate relationship with summer! I love to have the freedom of not having a schedule but I also hate that we don’t have a schedule. I know that is very confusing. It is fun to be able to stay up late and to not worry about getting up early the next day. Wait unless your kids are involved with sports or band or something then scratch that, you still have to wake up early!!!

With that being said, on the days we don’t have anything I love to be at home, but I know it is essential for the kids to get out and have fun. I like to have a plan. Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed about what I will do to entertain the kids for three months during summer break. I worry they won’t have enough activities, or I won’t be able to do enough to keep them entertained.

On the other hand I like to let them have their freedom as well. Their freedom to relax and just be kids. I like them to have time to hang out with friends and do their things.

The thing like to do most, and one way my family survives summer break, is with a summer activities poster. What is a summer activities poster, you might ask? It is so simple; it is a large poster with all the fun ideas and activities written on it that we want to accomplish during the summer. As we do an activity, we cross it off, and when we need something to entertain us, we look at the poster and choose one of the activities we have yet to do.

To create a summer activities poster, you need three things:

1. One large poster board
2. A lot of colorful markers (we prefer to use colored Sharpies)
3. Fun and silly stickers

When we create our summer activities poster, we first decorate the poster with a heading written all fancy and crazy! We like to have fun with this. We’ll put things like “Our Awesome and Amazing Summer Activities” or “2022 Summer Of Fun!” Then we’ll add some stickers to it! The kids go crazy with this one! Once we’ve got our heading on the poster, and it’s got stickers on it, we write as many ideas as we can think of on the poster. I recommend you put as many activities on it as possible! We try to come up with enough ideas to fill the poster and leave very little open or white space. The ideas can be as straightforward or as extensive as you wish. It is up to you. I recommend putting a little square in front of the activity, so you can put a sticker on it to check it off when you have completed it. And then have fun and aim to complete all the activities on the poster before returning to school.

Simple Ideas for Your Summer Activities Poster

• Check out books at the library
• Join a summer reading program
• Make homemade ice cream
• Watch a new movie
• Sleep outside on the trampoline
• Make a new and delicious summer treat
• Go hiking and explore
• Go to the local swimming pool
• Complete a sewing project
• Go on a bike ride as a family

Extensive Ideas for Your Summer Activities Poster

• Go on a family vacation
• Go on an overnight campout as a family
• Take a day trip to a big city
• Have a sleepover at grandma’s and grandpa’s house
• Stay in a local hotel overnight and go swimming in the pool

There are no right or wrong ideas that you can put on your poster. Just have fun and make sure you get the kids involved. Their opinion matters the most; to be honest, sometimes they have the best ideas!

I hope you have a happy summer, and good luck completing your summer activities poster.