Schools are closing for summer across the U.S., and parents far-and-wide are fretting about what exactly they are going to do with their kids for the next three months.
Three months.
Oh boy, are we in trouble. But perhaps, this is better reframed as a question:
Are we in trouble?
Let's all take a deep breath and remember our own childhoods. Long days at the pool. T-ball games. Snow cones. Bike rides. Family vacations. Fireworks. Fireflies. Picnics with books.
These weren't fussy times. We didn't need screens of any kind. Nor did we need a full-time activity director. We explored. We relaxed. We bonded with our parents and siblings and neighbors.
Summer should be all of these things. It is a beautiful change of pace: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
But we also cannot ignore the fact that the long days of summer are indeed often looooooooong. So, how can we make the most of this precious time without jamming in too much activity and zapping the spontiety?
Enter Nadia Swearingen-Friesen - author, speaker and intentional parenting advocate. (Her book Sticks! presents a creative motivational/discipline system for kids. Check it out!)
Nadia spoke to a room full of moms last week through Moms Together, a wonderful ministry offered at Chapelstreet Church in Geneva (formerly FBCG). I was fortunate to sit with these lovely ladies this session. Thanks for being such a great table leader, Courtney!
In her presentation, Nadia said there are 4 Keys Planning an Amazing Summer:
- Allow for downtime and rest
- Organize activities
- Do things you can't do in other seasons
- Make goals for (and with) your kids
Dan and I chatted through goals for the girls and landed on these:
- Miss E: Increase mobility, work on therapy objectives, expand communication
- Miss C: Support her hunger for academics/learning, increase personal responsibility
- Miss L: Work on gross and fine motor through play, make progress in potty training
To meet these goals, this is how we plan to approach each week. (For us, it works best to have at least have one focal activity per day.):
And these are the things we will require the girls to do each day before screens are allowed:
Bible verse memorization was a great suggestion from Nadia. We practiced this tonight, and the girls loved it. Each week we'll choose a verse to learn - building their understanding that God's word is part of our every day and can be leaned on and called upon at any time.
We will keep you posted on how it all goes. Congrats to your kiddos (and you) for a great school year - you made it!