[00:58] Summer is right around the corner but due to the pandemic happening in the world, most summer plans are getting canceled. With this episode, my goal is to provide some creative ideas to save this year’s summer despite the pandemic going on. The ideas I’m going to present are budget-friendly and doable even if your home city still has restrictions in place.

[03:59] The first suggestion I have for COVID-19 Summer Survival is to craft your very own summer calendar. It’s going to serve as a representation that your kids’ summer is not entirely ruined. It’s also a fun checklist that can motivate your kids throughout summer. In relation to the calendar, you can also make a summer bucket list where everyone in the family gets to add activities of their own choosing.

[06:23] Maintaining a structured daily routine is beneficial not only for your kids but also for your whole household, especially when dealing with stressful situations. In addition, incorporating routine is a great way to regulate your kids’ behavior and to maintain organization and clear decision-making within the household. Plus, it ultimately reduces power struggles along the way and makes rule-enforcement much easier. One simple step you can incorporate into your family’s routine is setting up your kids’ sleeping schedules, including naps and wake-up times.

[09:23] Some parents may feel pressured to incorporate academic activities into their summer plans to avoid the “summer slump.” And while that is not a bad idea, it can be a huge stressor for both the parents and their children. Remember that it is a completely valid choice if you decide to take a break from academics and just focus on strengthening your family relationships. 

[10:57] Teachers are equipped with techniques and strategies for assessing kids at the beginning of each school year. So you don’t need to worry about your kids missing out on academic milestones because when your kids return to school, your child will catch up with the help of their teachers.

[11:22] But if you think that incorporating academic time into your routine works great for your child, you might want to consider virtual camps or online tutorials. There are a variety of online classes that you and your child can choose from.

[13:21] Another idea that I have for the summer is to conceptualize weekly themes. Have your kids pick out a theme for the week and try to include your children in the planning process. You can plan relevant activities to your themes, but be careful not to overwhelm yourself with the process. You can only create as many activities as you yourself feel capable of overseeing and enjoying. You can also assign activities for your kids to do on their own.

[16:19] My talented friend Julie also shared her summer idea on our private 3DP Lounge Facebook group. Going back to academics, some parents may find it helpful to incorporate learning time within their routine. But it may be overwhelming for some, and what you could do is limit the learning activity to one subject per day. You could have math Monday, Tale Tuesday, Writing Wednesday, and so on.

[20:00] The next idea is to go old-school. Let your kids run through sprinklers, have balloon fights, build forts, play bubbles, and other classic summer activities. Finding inspiration in summer camp activities might also be helpful. There are a lot of ideas to choose from if you decide to go old-school and, hopefully, this can relieve a lot of the pressure you may be feeling to come up with new ideas for summer activities.

[22:06] You could also look into bigger projects for your family. For example, building a treehouse or assembling mini-gardens in your backyard. This way, children will have a huge accomplishment at the end of the summer that they can be really proud of. Kids could also set up their own store, like a bake sale or jewelry shop, with contactless pick-up and drop-off points. And maybe a portion of their profit could go to charity. This could be a great opportunity for kids to learn the value of charity.

[24:13] For my last suggestion, think about creating a COVID-19 summer time capsule. Maybe have your kids write a letter to their future self, and include pages from newspapers and other special memorabilia from this summer. After you get everything gathered together, set up a time when this time capsule will be reopened, maybe 10 to 20 years from now. This is a really healthy way for your kids to process the difficult feelings they are having while facing the pandemic. It can help your child realize that there will be an end to this pandemic, that we will all eventually move on and that in the future, we will get to fully enjoy our summers.

[26:00] This is a challenging time especially for our kids because aside from the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic, they are also experiencing summer in a manner they did not envision at all.  However, this doesn’t mean that summer has to suck! As a parent, you have the capability and responsibility to make it a summer to remember for you and your family, pandemic or not.