Summer is almost here! Now is the time to plan for that special time where, as parents, you get to spend more time with your children. While some of you will have more time to share than others, being without a plan can make summertime feel more like drudgery than fun! Whether you’ll be spending all summer long with your kids, or only a few weeks and weekends with them, here are some planning tips to make summer fun and enjoyable for every member of the family.

Planning Summer Week by Week

This is not an exercise for your mind, but an exercise that uses old-school pen and paper (calendar that is). Grab the nearest calendar or print out blank calendar pages. Now start by marking the date that school is out, as well as the day your kids return to school at the end of summer. Next, put any family events on the calendar that are already scheduled. This could be vacation, summer guests, holidays, birthdays, summer camp, day trips, and so on. Finally add any work dates that are pertinent to your schedule like business trips, vacations of colleagues, project deadlines, etc.

At this point, you should be able to clearly visualize the days and weeks in which you’ll need a plan for your children. This includes those days you’ll be home with the kids and want to enjoy the time together, as well as those times when you’ll need childcare for your children and you want them to have fun!

Create A Summer “Bucket List”

This is essentially a list of goals you want to accomplish for the summer and can include family goals as well as professional goals or housekeeping goals. Your list might include completing that big project at work, day trips with the kids, painting the bathroom, family fun, or helping your kids accomplish a goal or master a skill. Your “bucket list” can include anything and relaxed summer days can be the perfect time to make it happen.

Lining Up Summer Child Care

Finding Quality Summer Child Care can be the biggest task of all your summer planning. Starting early and making positive decision for your family is the key to success. You’ve already marked your calendar, and made your bucket list, so just how do you fill in the gaps when you simply can’t be available. Grandparents who are willing and able are a good option, plus it gives your kids and your parents extra time to bond. Of course, even the best grandparents don’t want to be on duty all summer long, so babysitters might be an option as well or perhaps you could trade off with a friend who has kids.

At ABC Learning Center, we offer exceptional care to help working parents with the task of summer care.  The learning and fun never ends at ABC Learning Center and we promise not only to ensure your little ones continued learning and development, but also an extra measure of creativity and fun. In the summer, your little ones will enjoy field trips as well as water play, ice cream parties, crafts, and discovery ensuring the fun never ends as your children continue to grow and make new friends. Summer daycare at ABC Learning Center runs daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and is taught by our dedicated, professional, and bilingual team. Come and see us! We can’t wait to meet you!