It’s that time of year – school is almost out and summer break is about to begin. Students of all ages are celebrating the last few days or weeks of school. They can feel that summer break is on the way. Moms and dads are anxiously watching the days on the calendar check off as the last day of school gets closer. Some of the parents are watching with excitement and some are watching with a bit of dread. Outside of the vacations and family trips it can be hard to keep the kids busy and on task all summer. What can you do now to avoid the dread and get ready for summer break?

I love having my kids home for summer break. They are awesome kids and I miss my kids tons when they are in school all year. But I have learned over the years that we are all miserable if we don’t have some sort of plan going into the weeks of summer freedom. If I start early and get myself (and my house) ready for summer break things go much easier and we are all much happier. Here is what I do to get ready for summer break.

Make a plan.
Before anything else, you have to make a plan. Decide what you want to have happen and how you want things to go. If you want your kids to read each day or practice their handwriting, put that in your plan. You need the plan before you can do anything else to get ready for summer break.

Set the rules.
When you get ready for summer break, you have to set the rules. Decide what they will be and start them on the first day of break. Do you want your kids to clean their rooms before they play a video game? Make sure that is listed in the rules. Include all of the things you expect right from the beginning and then print the rules and hang them where everyone can see them. Make sure your kids know and understand these summer break rules and can follow them all summer.

Set a routine.
This is another important step when you are trying to get ready for summer break. Kids are creatures of routine; they are used to having daily routines at school. Carry that over to summer break. Once you have set your routine, type it up and print it out. Make sure your kids understand the routine. Hang the routine up with the rules.

Clean it out.
A lot of the time the end of the school year brings a mess of papers and other clutter. Clean out bed rooms, cubbies, mud rooms and other areas where your kids will keep their stuff and spend their time. A little clean out to get ready for summer break will make the summer days go more smoothly.

Plan activities.
Get ready for summer break by planning some activities that you’d like your kids to do over the summer break. Want them to read more? How about indoor art activities like coloring, scrapbooking or Play-Doh? What about outdoor activities like sidewalk chalk, bubbles or water balloons? Make a list of all of these activities. If someone says, “I’m bored!” there will be a list of activities to go to for a solution.

Get needed supplies.
This step goes with planning activities. Once you’ve planned the activities, get any needed supplies. Get those supplies gathered and put away in an easy place, ready to use. You’ll thank yourself later ane be glad you took the time to get ready for summer break when you answer that “I’m bored!” with an activity that is ready to go.

In my house all of these steps I take to get ready for summer break help us have an awesome time over break. Have any tips or ideas to add? Let us know. We love to hear from you!