As a child, I loved my summer breaks. I was delighted to get to sleep in, see friends more, and read for hours on end. As a homeschooling family, none of that applies to my children’s lives. They get to sleep in more days of the week than not. I have been known to cancel our school day so a child can finish reading a great book. None of their friendships vary by season. Because of this, I stopped viewing summer as a break many years ago. However, that doesn’t mean it is the same as every other season.

Swimming Lessons

I have found that for our family, my kids do not do best with hours of endless rest, the way I needed as a child. They get time to rest and play all year, so summer can be a time for activities.

When my kids were small, swimming lessons were a must. Swimming is a life saving skill, as well as being wonderful for building strength and coordination. So, for many years, my kids did 2 weeks of swimming lessons each summer. I then worked on taking them to the pool to practice their skills.

Get Outside and Make Something

Summer is also a wonderful time to make art. Warm weather means you can create messy art outside. From slinging paint like Jackson Pollock to drawing with side walk chalk, art just feels easier when you can do it outside and not worry about the mess.

My current obsession is taking a small set of water colors, a brush full of water and a small water color book places we go. I can sit on the shore or under a tree and paint away. My teens have also enjoyed this activity, as they have now outgrown most use of sidewalk chalk.

Learning Something New

My usual educational plan for summer is to do a unit study of some kind. We read one or more books on a topic and do go along activities. In summer, I feel less pressure to do every subject I worry about come fall. So, these units are often lighter, focused on arts and crafts that got with the story, games and field trips.

One summer, we studied the ocean all summer. Each week I picked a new ocean animal and we read picture books about them, made them from paper, and then put all those animals on a wall to make a huge ocean scene. We took a trip to an aquarium to see the animals up close. As my kids have gotten older, I have chosen books that were more mature, but tying them to a field trip is always fun.

Exploring The World Around You

I do recommend you plan an adventure for your kids this summer. As adults, we want our adventures to be big beautiful vacations, but kids don’t need that. For children, an afternoon exploring something new is an adventure.

Rent a canoe or a couple of kayaks and journey down a local river. Go hiking and explore a new trail. If you need air conditioning, check for local museums or nature centers. Many small museums run special programs in the summer to attract families on vacation or local kids out of school. They are inexpensive and lower stress, too.

Yes, you can school year round, but if you are feeling burnt out, consider changing it up. I find that a summer of different activities means a fall we feel ready to greet.