Summer Parenting Routines for a Smooth School Break

With the school year finished and schedules freed up, kids no longer have a classroom and recess to get all their energy out for the summer. They now have to get it out at home, all the while keeping some structure so they can transition easily when school starts up again. But how do you navigate this as a parent? Moreover, how do you navigate this with a babysitter when you’re at work?

The path to success is how early you prepare your children before school ends, how predictable your routine is for them, and how on board your babysitter is with keeping your routines up while you are at work. The more preparation, the more success you’ll have in the long run.

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Below is a list of steps you can take to work with your babysitter and better your parenting routines over the summer. This list is divided into three sections: Prepare in Advance, Summer Parenting Routines, and Working with your Babysitter.

Prepare in Advance

If your kids are still in school, you’re in luck: the last few weeks of school are an ideal time to get them ready for the new routines ahead once school lets out. Some routines you can try are:

• Sleep Routines: Sleep can either be your biggest enemy or your greatest strength. If you know more half days are coming up for the little ones, use a nap schedule to give yourself time to set up afternoon activities and food.
• Predictability: The reason why your children thrive in school is not that it is a different environment. It’s because their routines are predictable. They know their lunch times, recess, subjects, etc., which makes it easier to focus and thrive. The same should be conducted at home. Some suggestions are:
  • Create a Schedule: Your best bet to keep your kids engaged, happy, and thriving is by creating a schedule with them that fits the things they would like to do and the things you need them to do. If you know your kids like to play outside, block out times for them to play, like recess, during similar times of day. And when they come back, keep them in a “school” mindset with similar reading activities, science experiments, math challenges, etc., that keep their minds engaged. Post this schedule in a visible place so they can also keep an eye on their daily chores/responsibilities, which keeps them accountable and gives them something to look forward to.
  • Assign Summer Chores: More time and different seasons mean different chores and activities for your children to do. Walk them through their different responsibilities to keep things transparent and easy to transition into with no surprises for them or pushback for you.
  • Embrace a “Reset”: While it’s good to implement some changes before the school year ends, it’s also important to give them time to reset their schedule. When they have officially closed their books, give them a few days to rest, not rush through chores or activities, and enjoy quiet time that they may not get while in school.
  • Embrace a “Resume”: The inverse is also important when summer winds down. You slowly shift the scheduling around as the school year gets closer, so they are not thrust into a new routine that messes with their predictability.

Summer Parenting Routines

Your best bet to survive parenting is what you do for yourself. You can only be as productive as you plan your schedule. To stay ahead of the curve, be sure to:

• Review Each Child’s Summer Homework: In most cases, kids will come home with summer packets to get them ready for the next school year. Review these packets and identify any problem areas you know your child may have with them, any gaps you’ll need to fill, and a schedule for when they will start working on these packets so it’s predictable for you and the kids.
• Start Looking for a Babysitter/Tutor: No school means no built-in childcare. So look for a babysitter who can also double as a tutor if you won’t have enough time to work on your child’s summer packets. For more help in finding the best babysitter to best suit you and your child’s needs, check out Dos and Don’ts of Hiring a Babysitter and How to Match Your Child’s Personality With a College Sitter.

Working with your Babysitter

Once you’ve found a babysitter who aligns with you, you can work with them to help your kids thrive. Some tips are:

• Provide the Schedule: Once you’ve made the kids’ schedule, give it to your babysitter in advance and go over what activities are most important to you and what can be flexible/subject to change so there can be extra fun added in for both the babysitter and your children’s enjoyment.
• Structure Open-Ended Questions: To ensure your child is using their critical thinking skills, instruct your babysitter to ask open-ended/guiding questions to lead them to the answer rather than giving it to them outright. Ex. How could we solve this problem differently? What are the possible outcomes of that decision?
• Include Rewards: Active rewards will keep kids engaged for the long run. Provide your babysitter with fun games to play, extra time in the park, or small prizes for the children after they complete their learning goals.
• Daily or Weekly Feedback: Depending on how often your babysitter is around and how often you guys chat, you can set up a report system that they can fill out to let you know your children’s behavior for the day, how far they got in their summer homework, where they need help in behavior or academically, and what extra rewards they earned, if anything.

As you transition into summer mode, you’ll be grateful that you planned ahead to save yourself the headache of deciding last-minute what to do. Have a great summer with the family!