Summer break is a mixed blessing. Every year as school winds down, I so look forward to the blessings of summer: the warm, sunny days; our family vacation; activities like camping, swimming, and hiking; and generally spending more time with my family. But as fun as summer is, it can also be a time of complacency, bickering, laziness, and mess as our family spends more time around the house and with each other enjoying some days of just doing “nothing”.  Sometimes to avoid the “nothing” of summer, and the inevitable boredom and academic back-sliding, we parents can intentionally fill the summer months with activities geared toward keeping our kids busy. There have been years that, in an effort to make sure we didn’t waste our summer, I have gotten to the end and felt like we didn’t get a break. I want my children to enjoy their summer, but I also want it to be a productive time and a time for making memories. When they return to the classroom on their first day of the new school year and their teachers ask them “What did you do this summer?” I never want them to say, “Nothing.”

Over the past few summers, I have tried to work with my boys on ways to live purposefully and not “waste” our free time. I want them to learn self-discipline and good time management, and I also want them to enjoy their childhood and make a wealth of great memories. So, I thought I would share with you the list we have devis ed in our house for “How to Have a Good Day”. Every day during summer, when we don’t have scheduled activities, we pull out this list and plan our day around it. I hope it can be a helpful tool for you too.

Story and Picture by Marit Guild, Art, PE and Technology Teacher.