5 Tips for Planning a Great Summer for Your Family

Plan on a Week-By-Week Basis

Print blank calendar pages to use as a rough draft. Begin summer planning with the events that have specific dates. Fill in the calendar with any vacations, summer camp, house guests, day trips, and holidays that you already know.

Plan on a Week-By-Week Basis

Also add any important work-related dates, such as business travel and deadlines. Once complete, you'll have a rough idea of how many days or weeks for which you’ll need a plan.

Set Summer Goals

With a skeletal outline of the summer schedule in hand, it’s time to start setting goals. Summer goals might be work- or family-related.

Set Summer Goals

Professional goals could be something ambitious, like completing a complicated project, or they could be as simple as setting aside a certain number of hours per week for work. Family-related goals might include taking day trips or enjoying this time with the kids with less stress.

Set Summer Goals

But take it easy on yourself when setting goals. Factor in the general summer slowdown fueled by client and coworker vacations. Likewise, the kids being home from school affects what you can accomplish when it comes to work.

Set Summer Goals

You also want to avoid over-scheduling your kids with activities every day. Kids benefit from having downtime and options for free play. During unstructured play time, kids release stress and learn about the world around them.

Set Summer Goals

So, make sure to incorporate some time for unstructured play alongside your structured activities. While some families need to get out of the house every day, others find that several times a week is adequate.

Set Summer Goals

Perhaps your family already has a summer “bucket list” of things to do. If not, find some ideas online, such as berry picking, local water parks, and nature walks.

Set Summer Goals

Or maybe there’s a skill the kids didn’t quite master during the school year that you could focus on, such as math facts or shoe tying. Summer can be the time to tackle those things in a more relaxed way.

Search for Summer Child Care

When it comes to securing childcare, the sooner you start planning, the more childcare options you will have. Taking the time to map out your summer and set goals first will help you make the right decisions for your family. Think about which childcare options will work best for your situation and your schedule.

Search for Summer Child Care

Often, parents use a mix of options, such as summer camp one week, grandparents the next, and then kids at home or with a babysitter for another week.

Search for Summer Child Care

Many summer camps start filling up in February and March, and babysitters get booked before the school year is out, so don’t delay in implementing the details of your summer plan. But, if you're getting a late start, don't despair either. Something will come together.

Adjust Your Work Schedule (If You Can)

Given your options for childcare and your workload, are there days or weeks still uncovered? If you've exhausted affordable childcare options, then take a look at your work schedule instead.

Adjust Your Work Schedule (If You Can)

The next step may be to cut hours or rearrange your schedule to work evenings and weekends. Or, maybe your partner can arrange a more flexible schedule for the summer.

Adjust Your Work Schedule (If You Can)

Consider, too, whether taking a working vacation (where you work and the kids play) is an option. This scenario breaks up the monotony of spending the entire summer at home for both you and the kids.

Plan Day-To-Day Activities

Unless you choose back-to-back weeks of summer camp, the kids will likely be home with you for a few days in the summer. If you have to work, look for everyday summer activities for kids to do while you work.

Plan Day-To-Day Activities

Think about how to move toward those goals you've set as you plan the days. Use flex time and vacation time to allow you achieve your goals, and be sure to set aside some time to have fun together. After all, you want to make some memories along the way.

Plan Day-To-Day Activities

Remember, you don't have to have elaborate plans to make memories.

Plan Day-To-Day Activities

Simply sitting down with your kids and playing with them can have huge benefits. In fact, research shows that parents are a child's most enriching toy.1 The things they learn from playing with you are endless.

Plan Day-To-Day Activities

As a result, consider painting, making a craft together, or playing with play-doh during your lunch breaks. Take them to the library to explore while you work at a nearby table. Or, play a board game, a game of tag, or basketball at night after dinner.

Plan Day-To-Day Activities

Even a family bike ride on Sunday evenings can be a great family activity. Regular activities built into your summer help strengthen your parent-child relationship and create memories that will be cherished for a lifetime.

A Word From Verywell

As you plan your summer with the kids, go easy on yourself. Leave some room in your schedule for spontaneous activities. Trying to plan every minute of the summer is not only time-consuming and exhausting, but it also can hem you in too much.

A Word From Verywell

Part of the beauty of summer is the fact that it's often unstructured and full of possibilities. So, map out your schedule, get childcare lined up, and plan a few outings, but also allow some room for last-minute decisions.

A Word From Verywell

Given the flexibility, your summer with the family can take you in some exciting directions. Plus, you might even develop a few traditions along the way.

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5 Tips for Planning a Great Summer for Your Family

Read more

Plan on a Week-By-Week Basis

Print blank calendar pages to use as a rough draft. Begin summer planning with the events that have specific dates. Fill in the calendar with any vacations, summer camp, house guests, day trips, and holidays that you already know.

Read more

Plan on a Week-By-Week Basis

Also add any important work-related dates, such as business travel and deadlines. Once complete, you'll have a rough idea of how many days or weeks for which you’ll need a plan.

Read more

Set Summer Goals

With a skeletal outline of the summer schedule in hand, it’s time to start setting goals. Summer goals might be work- or family-related.

Read more

Set Summer Goals

Professional goals could be something ambitious, like completing a complicated project, or they could be as simple as setting aside a certain number of hours per week for work. Family-related goals might include taking day trips or enjoying this time with the kids with less stress.

Read more

Set Summer Goals

But take it easy on yourself when setting goals. Factor in the general summer slowdown fueled by client and coworker vacations. Likewise, the kids being home from school affects what you can accomplish when it comes to work.

Read more

Set Summer Goals

You also want to avoid over-scheduling your kids with activities every day. Kids benefit from having downtime and options for free play. During unstructured play time, kids release stress and learn about the world around them.

Read more

Set Summer Goals

So, make sure to incorporate some time for unstructured play alongside your structured activities. While some families need to get out of the house every day, others find that several times a week is adequate.

Read more

Set Summer Goals

Perhaps your family already has a summer “bucket list” of things to do. If not, find some ideas online, such as berry picking, local water parks, and nature walks.

Read more

Set Summer Goals

Or maybe there’s a skill ​the kids didn’t quite master during the school year that you could focus on, such as math facts or shoe tying. Summer can be the time to tackle those things in a more relaxed way.

Read more

Search for Summer Child Care

Read more

Search for Summer Child Care

Often, parents use a mix of options, such as summer camp one week, grandparents the next, and then kids at home or with a babysitter for another week.

Read more

Search for Summer Child Care

Many summer camps start filling up in February and March, and babysitters get booked before the school year is out, so don’t delay in implementing the details of your summer plan. But, if you're getting a late start, don't despair either. Something will come together.

Read more

Adjust Your Work Schedule (If You Can)

Given your options for childcare and your workload, are there days or weeks still uncovered? If you've exhausted affordable childcare options, then take a look at your work schedule instead.

Read more

Adjust Your Work Schedule (If You Can)

The next step may be to cut hours or rearrange your schedule to work evenings and weekends. Or, maybe your partner can arrange a more flexible schedule for the summer.

Read more

Adjust Your Work Schedule (If You Can)

Consider, too, whether taking a working vacation (where you work and the kids play) is an option. This scenario breaks up the monotony of spending the entire summer at home for both you and the kids.

Read more

Plan Day-To-Day Activities

Unless you choose back-to-back weeks of summer camp, the kids will likely be home with you for a few days in the summer. If you have to work, look for everyday summer activities for kids to do while you work.

Read more

Plan Day-To-Day Activities

Think about how to move toward those goals you've set as you plan the days. Use flex time and vacation time to allow you achieve your goals, and be sure to set aside some time to have fun together. After all, you want to make some memories along the way.

Read more

Plan Day-To-Day Activities

Remember, you don't have to have elaborate plans to make memories.

Read more

Plan Day-To-Day Activities

Simply sitting down with your kids and playing with them can have huge benefits. In fact, research shows that parents are a child's most enriching toy.1﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿ The things they learn from playing with you are endless.

Read more

Plan Day-To-Day Activities

As a result, consider painting, making a craft together, or playing with play-doh during your lunch breaks. Take them to the library to explore while you work at a nearby table. Or, play a board game, a game of tag, or basketball at night after dinner.

Read more

Plan Day-To-Day Activities

Even a family bike ride on Sunday evenings can be a great family activity. Regular activities built into your summer help strengthen your parent-child relationship and create memories that will be cherished for a lifetime.

Read more

A Word From Verywell

As you plan your summer with the kids, go easy on yourself. Leave some room in your schedule for spontaneous activities. Trying to plan every minute of the summer is not only time-consuming and exhausting, but it also can hem you in too much.

Read more

A Word From Verywell

Part of the beauty of summer is the fact that it's often unstructured and full of possibilities. So, map out your schedule, get childcare lined up, and plan a few outings, but also allow some room for last-minute decisions.

Read more

A Word From Verywell

Given the flexibility, your summer with the family can take you in some exciting directions. Plus, you might even develop a few traditions along the way.

View more

01.

02.

03.

Or maybe there’s a skill the kids didn’t quite master during the school year that you could focus on, such as math facts or shoe tying. Summer can be the time to tackle those things in a more relaxed way.

Simply sitting down with your kids and playing with them can have huge benefits. In fact, research shows that parents are a child's most enriching toy.1 The things they learn from playing with you are endless.