I know, I know, the last thing you want to think about right now is a schedule. Summer is here and it’s time to take a break right?!? Well, yes a break is good. But come the middle of June when you are sobbing at the kitchen table wondering how the crazy monkeys running around the house could possibly be your children we might want to think about some sort of summer schedule. To avoid a possible emotional meltdown here are a couple of thoughts:
1. Take a couple weeks off with no schedule at all! Thats good, you have worked so hard this year and you survived – hopefully even thrived in this year. Take a bit of time to just relax you’ve earned it homeschool moms!
2. Be spontaneous! Pour those root beer floats 5 minutes before bedtime, head to a drive in movie, stop the ice cream man and buy popsicles that cost way too much, fill those water balloons and ambush dad when he comes home from work. During the school year we don’t always have the flexibility to be as spontaneous as we want because routines and schedules half to happen. But in the summer we can play and be a bit more flexible with our time so have some fun! And if you happen to be a bit on the OCD side it’s ok to schedule spontaneous! (just don’t tell the kids – surprise them)
3. Bible Time! Just cause it’s summer does not mean we want to slack on reading scripture with our children. In fact when summer is here and our kids aren’t learning states and capitols is the perfect time to work on bigger passages of scripture to memorize together or memorizing the books of the Bible. During the summer is a great time to work on spiritual character traits that need to be worked on when we have more time to focus on character and less time that has to be focused on curriculum is exactly the time to work on speaking sweetly, patience, stopping the eye rolling – you know those things that are driving you nuts during the year!
4. Pick a fun family read a loud that has nothing to do with school. Nothing brings a family together like a silly book. My family was camping just a couple weekends ago reading The Good Master by Kate Seredy and even my 2 year old was cracking up laughing (not sure how much she was understanding or how much she was just laughing along with the family) but either way it was sweet memory around the fire! A few of my favorite fun read a loud would be The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall, The Moffats by Eleanor Estes, or The Railway Children by E. Nesbit. All of these are a series and can keep you busy and laughing all summer long!
5. Pick a book for each of your children to read that you wouldn’t assign during the school year. For example with my kids this summer my son is reading a biography on Billy Sunday, one daughter is reading Kisses for Katie and my other daughter just read Do Hard Things and has now moved on to a biography on Amy Carmichael. None of these books have to do with curriculum we are using and I probably wouldn’t assign them during the school year but since our schedule is calmer it’s the perfect time to read a different kind of book!
5. Habits: Summer is the perfect time to work on kids learning a new habits and chores or correcting those that have slipped. Schedule chores to be the first thing done in the morning after breakfast and Bible time. Habits can be everything from chores to quiet times, reading a chapter a day or picking up a bedroom. Make a list of the habits you feel would aid your school year the most and work on those first! Create routines and repetition!
6. Art: I am so guilty here friends. If there is one thing that always gets pushed to the end (oh who am I kidding it gets pushed to – never happening!!!) its art. I’m not good at it, it makes a huge mess, and it takes time that I could be doing language arts with my kids so often during the school year it gets pushed to the side. The summer is perfect time to add in a few art projects – but these won’t happen if you don’t plan. Pick a few dates on the calendar, what the art project is and purchase the materials now so that you will actually succeed at these projects.
7. Subject that your kids need a bit more help in. If there are areas that your children are struggling do a bit of extra work during the summer one on one so that they are set up for success come next school year. Maybe it’s times tables, handwriting, or spelling. Whatever the weakest area – that’s the subject you should work on during the summer. You will thank yourself come next school year when your child is soaring in an area they were previously struggling in.
Other than that fill you summer days with fun, swimming, lots of ice-cream, hot dogs, and burgers, friends and family and camping (of course). Hope your summer is packed with memories. Make the most of this summer my friends!
