Preparing for Summer Break: How to Have an Amazing Time as a Family

Getting to the end of the school year can feel like the last few miles of a marathon.

Once you make it to the finish line, though, the desire to dive into summer adventures is contagious!

Unsurprisingly, it takes more than excitement to pull off an unforgettable summer break. Especially when you have to plan epic experiences for an entire family.

The summer months tend to fly by so quickly. Naturally, it can be a challenge to fit in all the adventures you want. Plus, there’s the budget to consider and extracurricular activities to plan around.

Still, having an amazing time as a family during your summer break is doable. Here’s how.

Define the Way You Want Your Summer to Feel

Preparing for summer is more than stocking up on sunscreen. It’s deciding what you want to create for your family.

For example, some families like to go on adventures together such as hiking or cave exploring. Others tend to go for the ultimate rest and relaxation type of environment such as on a beach or at a resort.

No matter where you end up—vacation or staycation—it’s helpful to define the way you want your summer break to feel. Ask yourself what emotions you’d like to evoke when your family looks back on this time together. Or better yet, gather the whole family and brainstorm together.

Make an “Adventure” To-Do List

After you’ve determined the way you’d like your summer break to feel, focus on the logistics. Make a list of the activities you’d like to do that align with your desired emotions.

The main driver in making this type of list is so that you can plan your family fun accordingly. If you want your summer to produce feelings of closeness and bonding, then sending each member off to separate activities isn’t the way to go, for example.

Also, parenting is a fine balance between validating your children’s thoughts and emotions (or adventure suggestions) and making adult decisions of which activity is realistic. Making an adventure to-do list together will help support your parenting endeavors.

Don’t Disregard Your Regular Routines

Have you ever been away from home or in the middle of the holiday rush only to wish you were home safely adhering to your comfortable routine?

Summer breaks can start to feel like this if they’re not planned well enough. To keep everyone in a safe and secure mental space, don’t toss your regular routine out the window with the school supplies.

Instead, stick to things such as bedtime habits and mealtime routines. Not only will this keep your family’s energy levels up, but it will also make everyone feel more comfortable and secure. More adventures can be had and memories made when you’re doing so with strong, healthy minds and bodies.

Focus on Moments

Consider that more people remember how they felt at a given moment rather than treasured a physical object. Meaning, instead of giving your children oodles and gobs of summertime toys to play with, try giving them moments to embed into their memories.

Creating a moment can be deliberate or it can just happen at a random, special time. It might mean exploring a cave together or attending a pottery session rather than giving your family an expensive pool toy.

The point of focusing on special moments is to make the emotions surrounding your adventures deliberate and meaningful. Moments focus on making a connection with each other, and those are usually unforgettable.

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If you’re looking for more ways to connect as a family, please contact me today. Or click the link to learn more about counseling for parents.

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All images are used for illustrative purposes only. Any person shown is used as a model only.