Keep your cool during the long hot days of summer with these helpful tips.
Now that school is out for the summer, long days filled with little structure or organized activities can add up to bored kids and stressed parents. As temps rise outside and the amount of free time kids have rises as well, there’s no need for tempers to follow. Here are some ideas to help keep family life more stress-free during the coming months.
Summer Sanity-Saving Ideas:
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- Plan activities. Too much idle time can make everyone tense. Explore places in your community with the kids that you don’t usually get time to visit. Go to a museum, the zoo or a street fair. To find out what’s going on near you this summer, check with your local Chamber of Commerce or Visitor’s Bureau. Also set aside time each day for reading or educational activities. Knowing what’s on the agenda will help prevent the dreaded whines of “I’m bored” or “What are we doing today?”
- Stick to routines. Even though the kids aren’t in school, you can help everyone get along better at home by sticking with school-year routines. Kids thrive on routine and it’s helpful to keep to regular meal times and bedtimes as much as possible so everyone knows what to expect.
- Use your village. Time alone is an important stress reliever for parents, and that has been especially hard to come by for the last couple of years during the pandemic. If summer camp is not in your budget, you can often find low-cost classes or drop-in programs that will give you an occasional hour or so away from the kids. A babysitter can provide a needed break for you and your spouse. Or enlist the help of friends, family members or neighbors willing to take turns watching the kids so you can recharge and refresh.
- Embrace the outdoors. Summer weather can be draining, especially if you live in a climate that gets extremely hot and humid. But luckily the days are longer, which is a definite bonus. Plan outdoor activities for early morning or late afternoon and evening when temps are lower. Take advantage of the extra daylight to enjoy time outside as you unwind, blow off steam or just have some fun.
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Date Last Reviewed: February 23, 2022
Editorial Review: Andrea Cohen, Editorial Director, Baldwin Publishing, Inc. Contact Editor
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