The dreaded “I’m bored” season is upon us. Ok, that’s a little dramatic, but for most families, summer brings a new level of chaos. Either kids are home from school for the summer, OR maybe you homeschool, but you don’t do lessons during the summer. Either way, kids love the freedom of not having a schedule for the first week or so usually, then they get bored of snacks and tv and start whining or fighting with each other.
If you’re new here, I’m Tonya Johnson, and I specialize in helping parents and ministry leaders establish strong relationships with their kids. I’ve been teaching in some capacity for over 12 years now, and in addition to homeschooling my own daughter, I currently volunteer in various mentorship programs for teen girls, I teach at a local homeschool coop, and I enjoy inviting families into my home for evenings filled with good food and exciting games. In a nutshell, teaching is not just what I do, it’s who I am.
So how do I entertain my kid all summer long as a stay at home mom? I’ve got 3 things for you today:
1. I don't
Kid’s don’t need to be entertained, they actually need to be allowed to be bored and figure out how to entertain themselves. Now how do you do that without completely losing your sanity? You agree upon a schedule before hand that includes how much screen time is allowed and what kind of chores are expected. Kids live up to whatever expectations you put forth. If the expectation this summer is that it’s going to be chaos, it will be. If the expectation is that we’re going to have a lot of fun, but we’re not going to destroy the house or completely go wild, then that’s what will happen.
-Side note: When I say have a schedule, here’s what I mean. Simply have an expectation:
Wake up time and a bed time
Meal times, not a free for all eat whenever you want
Divide and conquer
(Morning- chores, afternoon- active play, evenings dinner then screen time)
-special days where you designate as a stay in and veg in front of the tv all day day
If all summer is a free for all, chaos is going to happen. Have some kind of loose structure and let your kids know what to expect
-also communicate with them, are there things they would like to do this summer or a way they’d like their schedule to look?
2. We love strewing!
What's that? You haven't heard of strewing? That's ok, I hadn't either until a few years ago. Strewing is basically just leaving things out that your kids can use to spark their creativity.
-library books
-craft supplies
-craft sets
-christmas presents they haven’t used in forever
Make sure you watch the corresponding video for more on strewing.
BONUS: FREEBIE
3. Enjoy Spending Hands on Time With Them
Summer is a great time to get some extra, quality time with your kiddos. As I'm typing this, I just finished playing 3 hours of games with my munchkin and although I was definitely tired by the end, seeing the joy in her face while we played was priceless! Here are a few other ideas for hands on, quality time.
-read allouds while they’re coloring/playing
-board games
-occasional movies
-crafts
-field trips/family days out
Ok, so 3 action steps to write down and do immediately.
1. Download bosskid activity pack
2. Call a family meeting, set the expectations and ask for your family’s input
3. Grab a calendar and plan one or two extra fun days this month that your family can start looking forward to
Until next time, this is Tonya Johnson and I hope you have an awesome rest of your week!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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