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Friday, June 12, 2015

Summer Survival Guide for Parents

Hey Parents!

Your kids are out of school for the summer.  That means you’ve got to keep them busy, right?  Here’s an idea that may help, I know it was a LIFESAVER for me when raising my kids!

Get your kids on a weekly schedule, or “day of the week” activity!

They have been on a weekly schedule all school year, (ex:  art on Monday, PE on Tuesday, etc.) so this feels natural to them.  Each day of the week has a designated purpose, and you establish what activity fits your family best.  Maybe even let your kids help plan it out!  Do what works for you!  
Here’s an example to get you started: 
   
Monday:  Library Day.  Go to your local library.  Let your kids each get their own library card.  Sign up for the summer reading program, if they have one.  Many libraries also have story time for young children.  I would let my kids check out a certain number of books each week, so we could keep track of them better.

Tuesday:  Park Day.  Go to a local park, a different one each week.  Bring snacks and water, or have a picnic.  Bring your kickballs and Frisbees, and don’t forget to have fun with your kids!  Get creative.  One of my best memories with my kids is when we went “sledding” down a dirt hill on cardboard boxes!

Wednesday:  Water Day.
Take them to your local pool or splash pad, or try out other ones in the valley.  Or, just turn on the sprinklers in your own backyard.  How about a water fight? Buy some squirt guns and water balloons from the dollar store and have a water shootout!

Thursday:  Movie Day.  Provo has Dollar Theater, but Pleasant Grove and Spanish Fork both have Kids Summer Movies at Water Gardens Theater!  Tickets are only $1 each, and they show kids movies from June 2- Aug. 19 every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with shows at 11:00 am and 1:15 pm.   Popcorn, drinks, and candy start at $1.  See www.watergardenstheaters.com for more info.
  
Friday:  Provo Day.  Provo offers a host of kid-friendly destinations, such as Classic Skating, Fat Cats, BYU Bean Museum, BYU Dinosaur Museum, Provo Town Center/University Mall, Bridal Veil Falls, etc.  If you already live in Provo, then lucky you!  Maybe you could explore a different town each week.

The ideas are endless, I’m sure you can come up with some of your own!  The great thing about this schedule is that you can adapt it to your own interests and your own kids.  Each outing only needs to be 1-2 hours long, just enough to break up the daily routine and give them something to look forward to.  Kids do better with some structure to their day, which this provides, and gives you plenty of free time too.

Enjoy your summer!



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