Organizing Kids Over the Summer

Organizing Kids Over the Summer

Schools out!!!  What a nice break from the school routine.  Or do you need to continue that routine even in the summer?  When you swap a few of the school routines for home routines, what happens?  Elementary age loves to keep busy with crafts and activities.  However, middle school and high school students may want to sleep the day away! Did you ever hear?…”I’m bored!”  How do you keep your children busy, active, and, above all, organized during summer? The Basic Organization team would like to share how we organize kids over the summer.

 

“Summer is a great time to implement new routines and responsibilities for your kids. It gives you time to teach new skills to your children. Since summer is a little slower, you’ll have time to work on getting those new routines and responsibilities to “stick” before the new school year arrives. So, whether you want your kids to start doing their laundry or make their bed every day, start by showing them, then monitor the task, and the last step, remind them to do the task. Like everything about raising kids, you must teach them, give them the responsibility, and then stand back and let them learn by doing.”   Janet

 

 

“My daughter went to camp during the summer. We packed five bags for the week on Sunday. We also went grocery shopping for her lunches and bought more than one lunchbox, so we were well-prepared each day.”   Candy

 

 

Summer is a great time to implement new routines and responsibilities for your kids Share on X

 

 

“One quick way to keep kids organized over the summer is to keep up with the family calendar. Post it somewhere everyone can easily see (or knows how to access). Add all the activities they have to look forward to this summer. Younger children can help by adding stickers to make it fun. Keeping up with the calendar will help everyone transition to school in the fall.”   Denene

 

 

 

“My kids and I like to participate in summer activities spur of the moment, so I keep an essential “cooler” bag ready to go by the door or in the car. I stash it with sunblock, insect repellent, Band-Aids, hand wipes, cooling towels, etc. This saves time and keeps us prepared for outdoor fun!”   Michelle

 

 

 

“We had a full summer schedule. My kids joined the swim team, which kept my family busy until the end of July, and weekly mornings were full of practice.

For activities, I had a bowl where you would pick an activity for each day: pool, visit a museum, go to different parks, go to the mall, go to the library, go to the $1 movie day on Tuesday (I’m not sure they still do that), or visit family.

Our craft station was in the basement, I had a table set up with different coloring books and papers with a variety of coloring pencils and crayons. I used buckets for all the pencils and crayons and kept all the drawings in folders.

My kids played a lot outside and we always had water bottles and they would chase bugs and look for worms and that kept them busy for hours.

We loved going to the pool; all our pool toys were kept in the garage. If you live in an apartment and don’t have space to store the toys, I suggest keeping a trunk organizer where you can keep your toys.”   Rouba

How do you keep your children busy, active, and, above all, organized during summer?

 

 

“Using a clear over-the-door shoe storage inside the back of the door closest to the outside.  Each pocket could hold sunglasses, sunscreen, goggles, sun hat, and any other summer quick-grab items.  One of my clients uses this item, and in the Fall, we switch out the items to be more Fall and Winter items (hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, and sunglasses stay year-round). In the garage (if they have one) there could be a small shelving unit with bins for bubbles, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, balls and any other outside toys.  It can be helpful to put a picture of what goes in each bin so that little ones and big ones alike know where to put things back and away.”   Sandy

 

 

 

“My kids did summer camp. To help them get out of the door in time, I laid out their clothes for the day, prepared their lunches and water bottles the night before, and prepared anything else they needed for camp. Then we could grab everything and hop in the car!”   Lori

 

 

How do you handle organizing kids over the summer?

 

“When my kids were little, we lived at the community pool.  The pool bag was an essential item! I love these bags to keep stuff dry and organized in the big bag.  The key was also to restock the bag when we got home.  Then it was ready to grab the next day.  As my kids got older my bag was able to get smaller and they had their bags for their belongings.  The cinch-type backpack that you get free everywhere worked great.”   Ann

 

 

“There was a lot of outdoor play for my kids during the summer.  We had a lake nearby for swimming and boating.  So keeping the wet towels and bathing suits clean and ready for daily use was a chore.  My kids knew where to rinse the sand off their feet, where to hang the wet suits and towels, and how to empty the beach and lunch bags so it was ready for the next day’s use.  Just as they had a school morning routine to get out the door for their studies, they also had an after-the-beach routine to end their summer afternoon.

Being organized allowed my kids and their friends to enjoy having fun in the sun. While establishing good habits along the way.”   Sue