How to Survive Summer with Kids

Summertime can strike both anticipation and anxiety in the heart of any parent. On the one hand, we’re thrilled to have slower and warmer days ahead, fewer commitments on the calendar, and more free time with our kids. On the other hand, all that free time can be downright daunting. The pressure to make the most of summer, to execute the perfect plan, to squeeze a lifetime of meaning and memories out of just one season is paralyzing.

This is my 20th summer as a mom, and I still get both giddy and stressed out with every dawning June. But I’ve come to appreciate how summer allows for sweet and unique rhythms that the rest of the year doesn’t. With a little planning, you and I can not just survive the summer—we can make it a time to point our kids to the Lord and have fun along the way.

Tried and True Rhythms

Here are a handful of my favorite tried and true rhythms from over two decades of parenting during the summer months.

1. Make consistent, small deposits.

Summertime is like all good things in life—slow and steady deposits build wealth over a lifetime. You don’t have to go big this summer. When I asked my young adult and older teen kids what they cherished about our summers, they all replied with simple daily things: slow mornings, reading challenges at the library, swimming at the local pool, and visiting the same aquarium year after year. Their fondest memories grew from consistency. Pick a few things you love to do as a family and stick with them. They’ll shape your children more than trying to come up with new and exciting ideas every day.

2. Aim for progress over perfection in spiritual growth.

You don’t have to read the whole Bible or memorize an entire catechism this summer. How about reading one page of a special devotional book at breakfast? Or picking one book of the Bible and reading a small portion together at lunch? Or selecting an adventurous novel with biblical themes to read aloud at night before bed? These habits are far from flashy, but your kids will be talking about those Bible verses and read-aloud books for years to come.

You don’t have to read the whole Bible or memorize an entire catechism this summer. Consider what you can do to make small spiritual deposits in your kids’ lives.

3. Serve together.

One source of joy for our family has been serving together in some way every summer. Some years this has meant a cross-cultural mission trip. But many years it meant the kids making something with their own hands to sell for a special cause.

One year they made popsicles in paper cups and sold them at the community garage sale. They called it “Popsicles for Poverty” and gave all the money to Compassion International. The girls and I looked back at those photos this week and shared a laugh. At the time, I remember it feeling messy (and even a little cringey). I wondered if it was worthwhile. But I’ve learned that a rhythm of serving every summer affects the tone of the whole year.

4. Get out in nature together.

Take walks, go to the creek, find worms in the dirt, grow some plants, capture some caterpillars and watch them turn into butterflies, or make a list of the birds that come near your windows. These good gifts right outside your home are food for the soul and will give you ample opportunity to point your kids to the beauty of creation and the worth and goodness of their Creator.

5. Pick something to pray for.

Devote your summer prayers to something specific—maybe a certain country, people group, or continent. The goal here isn’t long, belabored prayer time but rather opening your kids’ eyes (and yours!) to a need you may not normally see. Place a map, a photo, or some kind of visual reminder next to the dinner table or your child’s bed and simply pray for that same thing each day.

Serving every summer affects the tone of the whole year.

6. Make a loose plan.

We all have different styles and cultures in our families. There’s no one right way to do summer. I’ve found, though, that a loose plan is helpful. When we start our summer days with zero agenda, it tends to go badly. Rather than creativity and joy, there’s complaining and meltdowns.

You don’t need to schedule every half hour, but creating a rhythm your kids can count on is so helpful. Rotating between quiet time and play time throughout the day struck a happy balance for us.

Share Life and the Gospel

The long, slow days of summer are a great time to recalibrate as a family. Rather than succumbing to any internal or external pressure to have an epic summer, ask yourself instead, How can I commend the Lord to my kids over the next three months (Ps. 145:4)? Steady acts of faithfulness will serve you and your family well. Sharing your life and the gospel with them will be time well spent (1 Thess. 2:8).

Take it from me, a mom who has just one of four little birds left in the nest: daily habits and nourishing rhythms over these summer months will shape your kids the way dripping water creates a canyon. The growth is happening. The fruit will appear. Keep serving, praying, and playing.