It’s that time of year again….
The snow has finally melted.
Target is pumped full of adorable aquatic accessories (hello donut shaped pool float) and bug spray.
Art projects from the school year make their way home.
And then the anxiety of what to do with your young children starts to creep under your skin as you panic….what am I going to do with them all day?!
Yes my friends. Summer is here. But no need to worry…especially you local Chicagoland mamas…I see you ladies. And I have not one…not two…but 41 different activities for you to try with your kiddos this summer!
Here’s how I went about this list….
Half vs Full Day
There are some days where you want to carpe diem. Pack up the diaper bag, load the kids with snacks in the backseat, and take on a major adventure.
There are some days you have doctor’s appointments, need to sleep in, or want to watch Moana for the 877th time, and you only have a few hours of fun to squeeze in.
Well, fear not! This list breaks up activities by full day commitments and half day excursions.
Parks and Pools
After researching in various Facebook groups about the BEST parks and pools to go to with little kids, I narrowed my list down by how many times each park was mentioned as well as distance (personal preference). Schaumburg is the furthest distance but that Bison’s Bluff Park is supposed to be amazing.
I would consider parks and pools both half day activities – that might just be my tolerance level of each environment. But these categories are separate as you can make it your own! Have time in the morning…go! Have time in the afternoon…go then! Have all day…YOU GO GIRL!
Hollyce…these are great ideas and all…but it’s SO much. Where do I start?!
Being the adorable control freak that I am, I have created a summer calendar. I opened a blank calendar template of June, July, and August. After plugging in pre-scheduled dates and appointments (vacations, toddler classes, doctor’s visits, etc), I took my list and added one place from each category.
For instance, my Mondays and Tuesdays can include full day activities, whereas Wednesday – Friday must have half-day adventures. Each week, I added two full-day activities, one park, one pool, and one other half-day activity for the months of June and July. Leave August blank. This will give you time to plug in the activities you want to repeat or any that get rained out during June and July.
This does not have to be a strict schedule. Think of it more like a flexible agenda….we are planning on doing X that day, but if we don’t, no big deal – we will do something else SUPER fun! If it’s scheduled and on the calendar (and you anticipate it), you are more likely to follow through with it.
But don’t be so regimented that it takes the fun out of the summer! We have children…not robots. And there are days where Hudson may need to sleep in later or take an earlier nap, or might have a meltdown and want to listen to Baby Shark thirty times in a row at home. And that’s okay! That’s also why you have all of August to start to plug in additional activities. Ask your kids what they want to do again…maybe you heard of another fun thing you’d like to try….add it in! Make this work for you…but don’t stress yourself out with the schedule.
Another option…. print out this list, tape it to your fridge, and look at it for inspiration or ideas. Make this work for you….because this is YOUR SUMMER mama. This is the time to dive into sticky, hot, sweaty adventures with your kids and go make some memories.
Oh and don’t forget to wear plenty of sunscreen!
Hollyce
