The start of summer is something we all experience. Although summer has officially started, I know many of us spent months preparing for this change in routine. 

Some different summer experiences 

While it is not exhausted, here are the different hats you might wear during the transition into summer…

• Teachers and educators who have spent so much of the last 9 months giving and guiding the future generation.  You are looking forward to your much deserved break to decompress and recharge. 
• Parents who are trying to work but now have their children off school.  You have spent hours trying to orchestrate an intricate map of what your children will be doing during these few months. 
• Parents who are going to make a huge change in routine by having their children at home.  You have so many responsibilities during the school year and you are anticipating all the new tasks (and chaos) that come with having everyone at home. 

Regardless of how you are approaching the summer months, it is most likely trying to find a balance between rest/ relaxation/ rejuvenation and accomplishment/ activities/ to do lists.  

My Experience with Summers

I have had multiple experiences with summer. When working in schools, I loved having the summer months completed off work. I spent every day scheduled out with the kids- outings, playdates, and organized events non-stop.  During these couple months, I loved getting time to soak up the things I missed during the school year.  I also really loved getting time to rejuvenate from the hectic school year.

Now, I am balancing multiple roles.  All three of my children are off school and at home. I am so very fortunate to have a wide support group to be with them on the days while I work. With them being at home, I want to soak up the summer with them, giving them a ton of fun experiences. 

I have 18 summers with my kids. I want to embrace each of those 18 summers, soaking up the precious together time.

With that being said, I also have a huge devotion to this company, the families, and the therapists I work with. I am so proud to be a resource and support with my job.  When I help kids and families meet their goals and make progress towards meeting their fullest potential, I feel fulfilled. I could not imagine taking a break and not doing that during the summer months. 

So, for me, summer is a balance between personal/ home life and my work/ company life. Some days I have a guilty feeling like I am not doing enough and other days I feel so fulfilled with the best of all worlds. 

Using my experiences to help you

I am not the most sporadic person. And, as my kids have gotten older, they want to have a say in their summer activities.  For these two reasons, we try to prepare for summers together.  First, we find the local camps in the areas that they would like to attend.  After signing up for those, we make these three lists. 

1. At home summer activities- These are fun memory making activities that we do when we are hanging out at home. 

2. St .Louis specific summer outings- When we plan an outing, we look to this list to guide what we are going to do. 

3. Summer learning choice board- My kids have their own learning choice boards. They work at finishing their choice boards and get a special pool or water day once their board is complete.

Once we develop our lists, we figure out how we are going to do things from each list during our week ahead. At my house, because I am also working, they may do these activities with Dad, grandparents, babysitters, friends, etc. 

While I am sure many of you have different summer systems, I want to share my lists with you!   Visit our parent resource page to download each of our go-to summer systems to help make your summer run smoothly.