Although I love having the kids around, as parents we don’t get a break on summer break. We still need to make meals, plan activities, and keep the peace! Here are a few ideas to make the most out of your summer!
Breakfast – Always start the day with a good breakfast! You will be glad you did! I have a three B rule for breakfast – berries, bananas, and breakfast bars. I love the KIND® Breakfast bars because they’re easy to take on the go, they have two bars in every pack, five whole grains, a minimum of 8 grams of protein, and lots of fibre to keep you full. Plus KIND bars are soft baked for a chewy and crunchy texture and come in three great flavours (peanut butter, almond butter, and dark chocolate cocoa) so you can mix it up and have them frequently.
Keep them busy – Kids need lots of activities and just a bit of downtime. Every year before the summer vacation starts, I head off to Giant Tiger to stock up on the games and activities we need and want, at great prices. This year, I picked up latch gall, games and pool toys. One set I got was the Dunlop games set – this set allows us to have a summer Olympics right out of the box! Plus, Giant Tiger currently has an online contest running; every day there are prizes to be won, promo codes, and gift cards up for grabs. Get online and check it out before July 2, 2018.
Keep it Fair – Kids want to be involved and have a say in what they do on their break. If they have plans, it’s easier for you. And if you have multiple kids, this keeps it fair. One easy trick I have is to pick up popsicle sticks and 3 cups to hold them in. One cup is for blank sticks waiting to be used, one is for written on sticks and one is for the plan. Here’s what you do … every person in the house gets to write down what they want to do over the summer, such as go for a bike ride, go to a waterpark, spend the day in the pool, etc. on the sticks. Then when you’re planning out what to do for a day, or the week, every person can pull out a stick and put in into the plan holder. Then if you are making a daily plan it might include a bike ride, a picnic, playing Frisbee, and swimming – so you can play to bike to the lake and play there. Or if it’s a full day activity, maybe you plan a week for those, so one day at the zoo, one day at Gramma’s house, etc. Everyone gets to choose a stick each day, or you take turns. Either way, this will have them busy, and take you on lots of fun new adventures.
Finally, get out there and enjoy the summer. It’s finally here so make the most of it – hope you can use my tips to make it even better for your family!
I only have one daughter so she gets the say in the activities we do, but I love the tip of putting together everyone’s ideas on Popsicle sticks!