It’s summer break! What are the kids going to do?
How do you plan an educational summer while being present with your kids and without overscheduling or overspending? Here is what we inspire to do with our 3 and 5-year-old daughters for a relaxed yet productive summer this year.
This is a tough nut to crack. A tough decision to make. There are a tempting lot of summer camps available to cater to your child’s needs and interests. I started looking into them in February as the spots fill out fast. We are a work-from-home couple, with my husband having long and set work hours and mine more freelancing and flexible kind. I aim to get most of my work done when they are sleeping or doing some focused activities/play that they can do (almost) independently However, sometimes there are urgencies and emergencies.
I went to our city’s page where they have everything kid-related in one place. What a helpful resource to have!
The moment I clicked the summer camp tab I was overwhelmed with the options that I saw on the screen. I felt this rush to sign my kids up for as many camps/classes/activities as I can so that they don’t miss out on the things other kids their age are doing. When that rush of anxiety calmed down, I started reading about “importance of summer camps.”
That’s when I came across this groundbreaking in the world of parenting post by Susie Allison who feels like a friend now but, I am just one of her millions of followers on her Instagram account “Busytoddler” and I never had doubts from there on.
“There is NOTHING wrong with kids doing a summer full of camps.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
What IS wrong is families believing they absolutely must sign kids up for a multitude of activities under the guise of “everyone is doing them.”
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Everyone is not doing them.
Your child can flourish with or without them.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Summer activities have major financial costs and time commitments. That will work for some families. It won’t for others. Let’s normalize & value all kinds of summer break schedules.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
My best advice: Choose which path is best for your family based on YOUR FAMILY (not someone else’s).”
It was very reassuring to read that. We know we only have a few summers left with them and before we know it, they are going to turn 18 and leave our nest empty. This would have been a laughable thought to me till a few years ago but now as I have lost some of my closest in the past year and a half, I just value our time with them the most.
My husband and I sat down to make a list of what we wanted to achieve with our kids during the summer break. Sure enough, a camp was nowhere on our list. We had a vision that was specific to our family.
Structure, like for many families with little kids, is important for ours. Learning life skills, discovering new likes became our agenda.
In the past year since both our kids started school, we have observed that both have almost stopped conversing in Hindi unless necessary. We decided to give them more opportunities to think and hopefully converse in Hindi. We looked up short stories that are available in Hindi and got them all. We also wrote down short Hindi stories from our childhood that we are hoping they learn. Hindi songs and poems made it on our list as well.
Learning basic life skills, learning to take it slow, being able to be okay with being bored and figuring out ways to entertain themselves, getting more independent and playdates/get-togethers were on our hopeful list as well.
This is how we are tackling our family’s need for structure, the desire to keep our kids’ minds learning, and the freedom and fun that is our idea for summer.
The Structure
Here is what our two kids are up to this summer.
Video call with folks in India: Not a new occurrence but bringing it into our daily structure. We have set aside 30–45 minutes of India calling time that involves just the kids and our family in India where they speak in Hindi, learn about our culture, their life in a day, share about themselves. Without us in the picture, they have opened a lot and are becoming even closer to them.
• The Library: This comes a close second on our list as my kids love books. I can work from the library while they “work” on the library computer or have the audiobook read to them and then I read to them. Most libraries have summer reading programs to motivate kids to continue reading while school is out, and many work with the local schools to develop grade-appropriate lists.
• The Playground: As my girls are getting more independent on the playground equipment and can swing themselves on the swing without needing much assistance or frequent snack or bathroom breaks; we are beginning to spend longer time at the park. We sometimes go with a friend and that’s even more engaging.
• A Playdate Swap: This works well for my older child who craves playdates all the time. Us and her best friend’s parents are doing what is called a playdate swap — our kiddo plays at their house when I need to work during the daytime and her friend comes here on days her mom has a client appointment. This keeps them both entertained. It is a win-win for both sets of parents!
• Cooking days: Few days a week our girls are taking over the kitchen after getting the important kitchen safety lesson. They are trying the recipes they have learned from me or they watch a YouTube video and get in action. Started out messy but now with knowing that they are the ones who oversee cleaning up as well, the mess size has drastically reduced.
The Freedom
The beauty of summer — the part I get excited about — are the endless possibilities for exploring, socializing, and relaxation. Just as in our structured schedule, free time offers an opportunity for summer learning. Our neighborhood offers a world of possibilities, but when we are not working, we have the freedom to spend time as a family, taking on new experiences and enjoying our favorites. My kids love exploring nature — parks, trails through the woods, rivers, lakes, gardens and woody houses (AirBnB in the middle of nowhere). This makes us all happy.
Throw in family game nights and movie nights, puzzles and dance parties walks and feeding the ducks and the turtles, puppet shows, living room concerts, nature play, tree climbing, dressing up and make up, ramp walks and mud kitchen, juice parties and baking and voila; it would be back to school time on no time.
