School ended for us in mid-May and we’re now a few weeks into our summer break. I needed the break from our school year routine probably more than my kids did!

During our summer break, I do a ton of reading, random household stuff I have put off, park days, swimming, and play dates with friends. I really want to focus on hanging out and having fun with my kids. There have been a couple of things I have found helpful so far and thought I would share them. Hopefully, this will also help me remember these things for next year.

Reading Charts

I am terrible at having the kids read to me over the summer, so this year I printed out a blank calendar for the month, and every day the kids can check the day off if they have read at least 10 minutes. My daughter reads longer than that, but 10 minutes at a time is a good amount for my boys who are still learning to read. Sometimes they choose to read longer, but this way I know they are getting daily practice. They are in charge of their own charts, so it takes no extra work for me and at the end of the month if they have read at least 26 days they can trade in their calendar for an Icee at the gas station. Setting a goal of 26 days gives us a couple of days free days for when we are busy and everyone forgets.

Frozen sandwiches & water bottles

I wrote about making a bunch of sandwiches and keeping them in the freezer back here. It is so convenient and makes spontaneous outings so much easier. We also all have water bottles that stay cold for up to 28 hours, so no matter where we are going the kids know to grab their water bottle. That way if we decide to stop at a park after the grocery store they always have cold water with them. I love our water bottles. I bought them 2 years ago when they were on sale at Costco and they are still holding up so well.

Teaching the kids to cook one meal

My kids all like to help around the kitchen and my oldest 2 kids bake on their own pretty regularly, but our goal for the summer is for them to perfect one meal that they can make completely on their own.  They each choose one meal they really like and will be working with me to learn how to make it on their own. It is a simple way to work on their cooking skills and to add a little more help for our weeknights during the year.

That is what is working for us right now, I would love to hear how summer break is going in your house or if you have any plans to help it run just a little smoother.