Dear Christian and Abbie,
You’re done with school for the year! I’m so proud of you for finishing Kindergarten and 2nd grade! You worked hard this year and it’s time for a nice long summer break!
Here’s our basic summer plan:
1) Each morning, just as usual, immediately after breakfast you must complete your morning tasks lists (shower, brush teeth, get dressed, clean rooms, and make beds) before you can begin your fun days. We want to start each day off right with clean bodies and rooms, so we’re ready to go out and do something fun.
2) Almost every morning we will go out and do something fun! We’ll be heading to the park, zoo, gardens, children’s museum, library, or we’ll have friends over for a playdate. It’s time to get away from home for a little bit each day.
3) Each day after lunch, when Isaac and Hannah are napping and the lunch dishes are done, we will read together for 20 minutes. Christian, you will read a classic book on your own. Abbie, you will read to me. After reading I will set a timer for 1 hour of screen time – that’s it. If you whine or complain when the timer goes off, you have lost screen time for the next day. If you do not turn off your devices immediately when the timer goes off, you will have lost screen time for the next day. If you ask for screen time at any point during the day, you will have lost screen time for the next day. I know you want screen time. You will get it for 1 hour after reading. Don’t ask for more.
The rest of the day is all yours to do whatever you want! This summer I want you to spend lots of time outside – running, climbing trees, coloring with sidewalk chalk, swinging, making up games, and using your imaginations.
It all sounds amazing right now, but there are going to be some afternoons when you’re feeling bored. When you feel bored it’s YOUR job to figure our something to do, but to get you started here are 30 ideas:
1) Color a picture.
2) Color with sidewalk chalk.
3) Paint.
4) Paint the sidewalk with water.
5) Play a game.
6) Invent a game.
7) Read a book.
8) Climb a tree.
9) Play basketball.
10) Play baseball.
11) Play frisbee.
12) Play hide-and-seek.
13) Play tag.
14) Play with play-doh.
15) Blow bubbles.
16) Build a fort.
17) Build a sandcastle.
18) Build with legos.
19) Build with k’nex.
20) Build with Lincoln logs.
21) Catch butterflies.
22) Do a puzzle.
23) Ride your bikes.
24) Ride your scooters.
25) Make a fairy house.
26) Dress-up in costumes.
27) Write in your journal.
28) Write a letter.
29) Write a story.
30) Have a squirt gun battle.
These 30 ideas are being posted up on our refrigerator and that’s all the help you’re getting from mama this summer. If you come to me and say, “Mommy, I’m bored!” then what I magically hear is “Mommy, I need a chore to keep me occupied!” I will not hesitate to give you as many cleaning tasks as necessary to keep you occupied, but I suggest you think of something more exciting to do…unless you randomly feel like cleaning.
The summer is a time for you to explore different places, to play what you want to play, to create something new and exciting, and to run, jump, flip, and just have fun! Enjoy yourself!
Love,
Mom
You’re done with school for the year! I’m so proud of you for finishing Kindergarten and 2nd grade! You worked hard this year and it’s time for a nice long summer break!
Here’s our basic summer plan:
1) Each morning, just as usual, immediately after breakfast you must complete your morning tasks lists (shower, brush teeth, get dressed, clean rooms, and make beds) before you can begin your fun days. We want to start each day off right with clean bodies and rooms, so we’re ready to go out and do something fun.
2) Almost every morning we will go out and do something fun! We’ll be heading to the park, zoo, gardens, children’s museum, library, or we’ll have friends over for a playdate. It’s time to get away from home for a little bit each day.
3) Each day after lunch, when Isaac and Hannah are napping and the lunch dishes are done, we will read together for 20 minutes. Christian, you will read a classic book on your own. Abbie, you will read to me. After reading I will set a timer for 1 hour of screen time – that’s it. If you whine or complain when the timer goes off, you have lost screen time for the next day. If you do not turn off your devices immediately when the timer goes off, you will have lost screen time for the next day. If you ask for screen time at any point during the day, you will have lost screen time for the next day. I know you want screen time. You will get it for 1 hour after reading. Don’t ask for more.
The rest of the day is all yours to do whatever you want! This summer I want you to spend lots of time outside – running, climbing trees, coloring with sidewalk chalk, swinging, making up games, and using your imaginations.
It all sounds amazing right now, but there are going to be some afternoons when you’re feeling bored. When you feel bored it’s YOUR job to figure our something to do, but to get you started here are 30 ideas:
1) Color a picture.
2) Color with sidewalk chalk.
3) Paint.
4) Paint the sidewalk with water.
5) Play a game.
6) Invent a game.
7) Read a book.
8) Climb a tree.
9) Play basketball.
10) Play baseball.
11) Play frisbee.
12) Play hide-and-seek.
13) Play tag.
14) Play with play-doh.
15) Blow bubbles.
16) Build a fort.
17) Build a sandcastle.
18) Build with legos.
19) Build with k’nex.
20) Build with Lincoln logs.
21) Catch butterflies.
22) Do a puzzle.
23) Ride your bikes.
24) Ride your scooters.
25) Make a fairy house.
26) Dress-up in costumes.
27) Write in your journal.
28) Write a letter.
29) Write a story.
30) Have a squirt gun battle.
These 30 ideas are being posted up on our refrigerator and that’s all the help you’re getting from mama this summer. If you come to me and say, “Mommy, I’m bored!” then what I magically hear is “Mommy, I need a chore to keep me occupied!” I will not hesitate to give you as many cleaning tasks as necessary to keep you occupied, but I suggest you think of something more exciting to do…unless you randomly feel like cleaning.
The summer is a time for you to explore different places, to play what you want to play, to create something new and exciting, and to run, jump, flip, and just have fun! Enjoy yourself!
Love,
Mom
Tomorrow Christian and Abbie finish their last day of Kindergarten and 2nd grade. We're all super excited for summer break, but I know there will be moments of boredom too. So I'm being proactive this year and I wrote this letter to my kiddos. It's going up on the refrigerator after I read it to them tomorrow afternoon. I'm hoping I won't hear "I'm bored!" very often this summer. :)