how to make summer stress-free
(for sahm or Wfhm)
I’m about to be thrown into the THICK of it and I bet you are too. I know the SAHM/WFHM life best so these are written from that vantage point but they may be helpful to FT/PT working parents too! Here are some of my practice tips for a less stressful summer.
establish a plan!!!
YOU GOTTA GET A ROUTINE | Last summer we naturally landed on a weekday schedule that included 2 days of activities/adventuring, 2 days of being home, and the other day to use as needed –– sometimes it was another at-home/chore/errand day and sometimes it was a day trip or another outing. I generally like to spend Mondays at home so can get re-set for the week with cleaning, laundry, and groceries. Pick a framework that works for your family!
PLAN YOUR ADVENTURES | NECESSARY –– winging it almost never goes well with kids. But I get it, busy moms have so little time to plan so this may feel like a big barrier. A few things I do regularly: I keep a note on my phone of places that look fun to me. I put special events/dates when ticket go on sale in my calendar. I use Instagram as a source of inspiration too (maybe that is how you found me!)
I know this can still feel daunting and you may want tips from a real-life mom. If you’d like more help planning your summer then see the link to my SUMMER RESOURCES at the bottom of this article.***
make days at home go as easy as possible
Since we still spend at least half of our summer just playing at home, I like to make sure I’m in tip-top shape there. I do this by stocking up on cheap toys, investing in a few new outdoor ones, and implementing some new rules/expectations.
CHEAP DOLLAR STORE ITEMS | I love the dollar store for many reasons! I stock up on things for water play, pretend coffee/tea shop, toy car wash, and more. We get plastic cups, plastic serve ware, squirt bottles, dish detergent (like Dawn), cheap cleaning brushes and sponges, funnels and more. These things go a long way in pretend play and should last all summer long! Don’t forget the art supplies too – paint brushes, markers, coloring/activity books, paint sets, etc. And cheap storage bins to keep it all organized.
OUTSIDE TOY ESSENTIALS | Stock up on things that’ll keep the kids busy outside. Here are some things we like to keep on hand in the summer…
Reusable water balloons. These are new to us but get good reviews and will be easy for the kids to refill and way less messy.
Good water guns. This brand is new to us but they get good reviews so hopefully they last a little while.
Sprinkler. Much prefer these over the kind where water pools in one place.
Food Coloring. This is a summertime staple for us because the kids love putting a few drops in a bucket of water and then playing tea shop. This is also fun to set up a baking soda & vinegar experiment with.
CHALK, PLAY DOH, KINETIC SAND. We buy in big quantities!!!
These other things are great for open-ended play: Cylinders & Beckers Set, Corn Starch (so many ways to play with oobleck), and Sand & Water tool set.
keep reading & learning
LEARNING + READING: We will be doing the summer reading challenge and keeping a close eye on programming at Chapin Library. We’ll aim for a minimum of 20 minutes each day of reading/writing plus all the hidden learning that comes from many of our other summer activities.
other ideas & recommendations...
Here are a few things we’ll do to make our days at home go more smoothly:
SAME LUNCH EVERYDAY: I recently saw a mom share that she does the same lunch every day over the summer and I kinda love that. She switched out the sides but kept the main thing the same everyday so it was easy, predictable and something the kids always ate gladly.
QUIET TIME POLICY: With a 6.5-year old and a 4-year old, naps are GONE. But I’m going to shoot for 2-hours of afternoon quiet time broken up like this: 30 minutes for each kid in their own room, 30 minutes in playroom together, 1 hour screen time. I think a kid-friendly clock, delaying the screen time and staying on top of toy rotation is the key to making the independent playtime work. And speaking of toy rotation…
TOY ROTATION: Minimizing toy options strongly encourages more play because it reduces overwhelm and makes toys feel fresh and new again. Rotating about every 2 weeks is good for us –– or even just putting toys in different rooms can make a difference!
PUT CLOTHES OUT WHERE WE NEED THEM: Ahh, summer means so many outfit changes. My kids love water play so they’re usually changing clothes 2-3 times per day in the summer. One of my biggest summer time pains was running up and down stairs multiple times a day to get dry clothes so I’ve learned to keep some nearby on the main floor (along with a hamper too).
SNACK PLATES: Rather than making two snacks I ALWAYS make a snack plate. My kids love this and I love it too because it seems to help them eat more and a better variety.
INVITE THEM INTO YOUR ROUTINE: As a mama, I know it’s the quiet moments we cherish –– hot coffee or tea in the morning, an afternoon iced latte or sparkling water beverage. But then the kids come busting in and want one too! That used to aggravate me but as they’ve gotten older I see it as a time to SHARE in these moments with them. So now I fix them a little drink to go along with mine and we all love it! It counts as an activity, it passes some time, then keeps them fairly quiet for a bit –– win-win-win!
ADJUST EXPECTATIONS: I’m already working on adjusting my expectations in several areas and at the top of the list is what I’m able to accomplish in a day –– or even a week. I am *trying* to dial it back over the summer to be more present and enjoy this sweet season.
back to planning your adventures
This is kinda my forte I wanted to share our most helpful and time-saving resource yet. The Summer Guide is packed with 20+ local ideas, 5 day/road trips, 10+ indoor fun ideas, and so much more! If you need extra help –– or all the help –– then it’ll absolutely save you some time and sanity by doing a lot of the planning for you!
get the "no-stress" summer guide:
