Summer 2022 Theme Days
How is it already the middle of summer? I thought about looking at the calendar to count the weeks until school starts, but quickly decided to avoid any counting and soak up what summer we have left.
Right now my children are 9 months, 3 years, and 5 years old. Since March 2020 we have been home A LOT! Between chores, naps, snacks, catching up on my outside the home job, lunch (didn’t I just feed you?), and wiping every hand, table, and floor all of the time, we have fallen into a not so great pattern. I try to cram as much work in as I can during the day which then makes the kids cranky and bored, leading to me being frustrated that I can never finish a task. Anyone with me?
Deciding to add Themes
To stop the ongoing attention tug of war, I decided to kick off summer with themed days. I perused Pinterest and made a list of ideas that worked for our family. I knew we needed flexibility, minimal time commitment (mainly trying to squeeze these in during or between naps), and nothing too elaborate in terms of set up or travel.
Here’s what I ended up with:
I’ll break it down here and give you examples over the next few weeks of what we have done.
Reminder that I do this because it HELPS me. It helps my children look forward to the day and release some creative or physical energy. It gives me dedicated time to fill their attention buckets so that when I need to get work done, it is usually a much smoother process. They know there will be part of the day I work and part of the day I give my undivided attention to them. This works for us. This might not work for you this year or this season, and that is OK!
Alright, back to the breakdown.
Make it Monday
I included anything that could be made in this category for flexibility. I’m using these themed days to help my sanity, not drive me nutty. For us, this includes crafts, painting, coloring, stickers, baking, or cooking.
Thinking and Thoughtful Tuesday
I think it is important to specifically teach children how to be a kind person, just like we specifically teach letters and how to tie shoes. I value empathy and compassion and strive to model these behaviors in my own life. I use this day as an opportunity to highlight how we can be caring and thoughtful of others. This day also includes learning printables, workbooks, STEM projects, science experiments, helping someone in our family, doing something kind for a neighbor, writing and sending a card to someone, or any other thoughtful thing they can think of.
Water Wednesday
Does it involve water? It counts in my house. This day includes lakes, ponds, rivers, splash pads, pools, sprinklers, buckets of water, and daytime baths. This day usually takes more planning and sometimes more travel, but I know it’s coming and I can mentally prepare.
Take a Trip Thursday
For the past 2 years, our family has been very limited on traveling and daily life activities. My now 3-year-old had no memory of even being inside a store! We take daily walks in our neighborhood year-round, but the point of this day was to get out and experience different places, people, and build some experience with social norms. I had grand ideas of setting up scavenger hunts in our town and going to museums, but this day quickly morphed into an opportunity for me to run errands. And guess what? The kids all love this day! Sometimes we include a quick trip to a park near the errand location that isn’t in our usual rotation and that is a cherry on top to them. Usually by this point in the week, I need to feel productive and this day gives me that time. Grocery store trips, returning things, buying a gift for an upcoming event, and getting gas can all be included.
Fun Friday
I use this day as a reset button heading into the weekend. Hard days and weeks happen, but I like to try for a better headspace for everyone if it is possible. This usually works for at least a few hours, and sometimes the whole weekend. I like to include something unexpected or do something the kids have been asking to do. Ideas could include a picnic, movie day at home, tea party with all of our play babies and stuffed animals, or being silly/creative with meals.
The First 4 Weeks
It’s been 4 weeks and I would call our themed days a success so far. We all thrive with a little structure in this house and my children like to know what’s coming next, so this works for us. Some families like or need much more flexibility, and that is OK! Please do not feel like you are lacking in any way if you don’t have themed days. This is the first year I’m doing themes, and I know I was a wonderful mother all the summers before. I thought it would help my sanity and time management, so I made the commitment to try for a few weeks and gave myself permission to change my mind if it wasn’t working. Maybe you do themes this year, maybe next year, maybe never. There is no one right way to spend time with your children!
Comment below if you like the idea of themes or like a little more spontaneity. What other themes would you consider?
