Are you simultaneously excited about and dreading the approaching summer? If so, you might want to start preparing now to make the most of all of that unstructured, non-scheduled, stress-free time your kids will soon be spending at home… or the summer may not end up nearly as relaxing for you as it is for your kids!
Take a few tips from me. I am the queen bee of a fairly creative family. I’m a writer and an author, my husband is an actor and director, and our daughter loves to act, sing, dance and draw. Because we are all so busy teaching and learning during the school year, we know each summer is our big chance to play. So in June, we restock our creative gear and get ready to squeeze as much fun as we can out of every lazy day.
1. Test-drive the art supplies. Where do you keep your arts and crafts supplies? If stored where they are easy to access, your family will be more likely to use them. So give your arts and crafts storage area a quick overhaul before the vacation months arrive. Check markers. Sharpen pencils. Melt old crayons into new bigger ones. Restock your finger paint and drawing pads. Get enough clipboards or pads for each member of the family. Whatever kinds of projects your family likes to indulge in, make sure you’ve got all of the supplies on hand and ready to roll!
2. Plenty of places to brainstorm. We have an assortment of white boards around the house that absorb an awful lot of creative energy. My daughter, who is eight, kneels in front of the one in her bedroom when she wants to draw picture after picture after picture. I use one in my office to catch ideas as they go flitting by or to jot down a few professional to-dos. And believe it or not, if I write down the family chores on the white board in the kitchen, I’m much more likely to get the cooperation from the rest of the family I need when I need it, so we can get back to playing.
3. Be project-oriented. Creating a garden, a tree house or a pond are all examples of outdoor projects the family can undertake together this summer. If you have a rainy day or prefer to stay indoors, why not get a jump on next season’s holiday gifts or cards? If everyone in the house prefers to work on their own projects at their own pace, why not make sure that each person has their own craft area, where they can leave a project out while it’s in process, until it’s completed. You’ll find that projects are more likely to get finished when they are easily accessible and when everyone is encouraging each other as much as possible.
4. Bring on the color. Painting your walls, your furniture, your fence or your home is one of the cheapest and most fun ways to get a fresh look at home. Why not get the whole family involved? Even a toddler can paint primer on a wall. Tweens and teens might enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes from getting an entire house painted. Mom and dad might be able to swing in a hammock and sip a cold drink while each school-age child paints one piece of furniture from their bedrooms a new favorite hue.
5. Garden with themes. Why have a regular ol’ garden when you could have a fairy garden or a pizza garden or a found objects garden? For ideas and inspiration, consult the illustrated gardening books for children by author Sharon Lovejoy: Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots (Workman 1999), Trowel & Error (Workman 2002), and Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars (Workman 2010). Why not give each member of the family their own garden plot so they can nurture the harvest of their choice in their very own style?
6. Take an unexpected adventure. When you set out as a family toward an unfamiliar destination, your senses come alive with all the possibilities. Instead of planning every summer family outing, why not just grab some snacks and water bottles, hop in the car and take an unexpected adventure? Perhaps there is a city nearby you can explore. Perhaps you are just an hour from a provincial park or wildlife sanctuary. Target a quaint small town you can traverse from end to end on foot. Keep an ongoing list of ideas on one of your whiteboards, take a quick family vote to decide on a destination, and you’re off!
7. Host a backyard extravaganza. Older children might like to put on plays or puppet shows for younger children in the summer. Why not let them play the roles of producer, director, marketing spokesperson, etc. and get the whole neighborhood involved? Fun can really start to catalyze when you pool the neighborhood dress-up clothes, create an impromptu story and start casting parts… even if only to while away a long afternoon.
8. Get a little wild. Maybe during the school year you don’t welcome the extra mess that body paint, mud, glitter, bathtub crayons, clay or temporary hair dyes can bring into your hallowed home. But during the summer months, why not? Kids experience a lot of pressure to conform when they are in school, so let them get wild while the days are long, the nights are short, and homework is nothing more than a distant memory.
Take a cue from ‘The Artful Parent,’ blogger Jean Van’t Hul. She says, “When a child explores, learns and creates, the side effect is often a mess. To say no to the messes inhibits the exploration and the creativity that can take place. That should take place. It’s a child’s job to explore the world around him, to experience it and learn as much about it as possible. If the adults in his world continually say, ‘Don’t make a mess, be quiet, sit down, be still, leave that alone, do it this way, color within the lines, don’t get your clothes dirty,’ that inhibits the exploration and the learning.”
9. Make multi-media memories. Keep a camera or a video recorder handy so you can document your colorful, creative summer and share it with your distant friends and relatives. And don’t worry about what to do with all your images and film clips – the long cold winter is coming just as sure as you are fully enjoying every minute of your fleeting summer. You’ll be so happy making memories that people you haven’t seen in ages may invite themselves over to join the fun.
Happy bohemian summer, everyone!
Christina is a freelance writer and mom. She is the author of Writer Mama and Get Known Before the Book Deal for Writer’s Digest Books.
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