Start Your Summer with a Family Meeting

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In early June, summer break seems like such a long stretch of time, full of possibilities. You have big plans and so do your spouse and kids. But without a little actual planning and coordination, it’s easy to let the summer pass you by. Yes, it’s nice to have some time to relax, sleep in, and not do a whole lot of anything. But between limited days off for many parents and budget constraints when it comes to summer spending, having a fun summer full of family memories can be a bit of a challenge. Before you know it, the summer is over, the weather’s getting cooler, and the kids are back in school.

Summer Break Meeting

To make sure summer doesn’t pass you by, start your summer break with a family meeting. You can do this before summer break starts, right at the beginning, or anytime you feel the need to get everyone on the same page. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just make it a point to have a conversation as a family about what each of you wants to get out of summer break.

Have a Family Discussion

Get everyone together and just take turns sharing what each of you would like to do this summer. You may be surprised by some of the suggestions. If you have older kids, make sure you are aware of any firm plans they’ve made for the summer, so everything else can be worked around this schedule. The same goes for any other commitments any family member already has. It helps to take notes and have a calendar ready for planning.

Everything Can’t Be Done…

Once you have figured out what everyone would like to do this summer, it’s time to talk, compromise, and make some decisions as a family. You can decide what’s important, what you can fit in, and what sadly won’t make it into your summer plans. Getting everyone involved in this decision process and making sure you not only hear–but try to work in–some of what’s important to each family member. This makes it easier to come up with some plans and activities that everyone will be happy with.

One Word of Caution…

With everyone’s input, you may be tempted to cram as much as you possibly can into your summer. That can get quite exhausting, and no one ends up enjoying all those “fun” activities. Leave plenty of time to rest and relax. Don’t plan more than one activity per day and include a few days to just lie around the house, watch Netflix, and order pizza.