Summer survival tips for Large Family Homeschoolers
Hi friends, welcome back to the podcast, today I am talking about navigating the summer season with a full house of kids. I know that by the end of the school year everyone is excited for a season of rest yet with less structured time the break can actually begin to feel like anything but restful. Let’s talk about some ways to maintain sanity when the weather is hot, sibling bickering has begun, and the kids are begging for screen time. If you want to listen to the episode you can right here https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/homeschooling-for-large-christian-families-homeschool/id1809566608.
As you know we are year round homeschoolers but even so I still take a six week break in the summer which we just started this week. I had plans for rooms I wanted to clean, prep work I wanted to get done before the next school year begins, plus books I want to read for fun. What I forgot to keep in mind is that summer break like all breaks can come with some challenges. Loss of routine, sibling conflict, and the everyday meals and chores that still have to get done.
If you are already feeling the pressure of summer with a large family I hope that these tips sharing and implementing myself will be helpful to you.
Keep things simple. Lets start with meals. Have an easy rotation of 2-3 different breakfast and lunch options. Have lots of fruit and veggies on hand for easy snacks, as well as protein options such as boiled eggs, pb protein balls, Greek yogurts for parfaits. HAve what you need to whip up a variety of sandwiches and quick snack boards. Such as crackers, deli meats, and cheese, pb and jelly, canned tuna or chicken. Be sure to stock the pantry and fridge by Sunday so that each new week you have what you need for the family.
When talking about the structure of your summer days I want you to know A relaxed summer is possible but it is important to have some anchors to your days. Decide beforehand which days or times of day will work best for some of these ideas I am sharing or any of those that come to mind for you. Having even a loose plan for the summer days will help add some structure without feeling overwhelming.
Some ideas for anchors can include continuing with morning devotionals, reading aloud, chore times, and quiet times.
I have decided to start using WonderFull: Ancient Psalms Ever New by Marty Machowski book for our morning devotionals. We are reading a psalm a day alongside the book. I have some watercolor journals that I purchased for the school year so we could all bible journal but I wasn’t good at remembering to bring them out. I decided summer might be the perfect time to use them along with our readings of the psalms. You can start a new book of the bible to study or a special topic to study such as the fruit of the spirit, or word studies such as gentleness.
While on this topic I want to add that summer is a good time to focus on character studies. I know that sibling conflict can be strong when time is unstructured and truly as much as it can be frustrating having children bicker. This is the opportunity and the work the Lord has given us. Instead of praying and hoping the fighting will stop we can use these summer days to train up our children. The Lord reminded me of James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. I can consider it a joy that the Lord is going to use these trials in my children’s lives to help them grow into maturity. I can use their trials to point them to God and teach them to lean on the Holy Spirit’s help in forgiving, showing patience, and in helping them overcome their own sinful behavior toward their sibling.
Another anchor to our days by listening to an audiobook as a family during lunch. This allows me a break from all the readings I regularly do during the school year while still enjoying stories together. Books are such a huge part of our home and I don’t want that rhythm to change just because we aren’t doing formal lessons.
The next anchor to our days is quiet time. Quiet time in our home means I hang out with one of the older 3 children while the littles tag along most of the time. We read a devotional together, play a game, watch a show of their choice. Meanwhile, the other two older kids will spend some time in their rooms or outdoors reading or working on any projects they want to.
The last anchor is chore time. It always feels good to bring the house back to some order after a long day of playing or a long day out of the house. I utilize some unstructured play time the kids have in the morning to tackle some deep cleaning I want to get done for that day. But in the late afternoon we do a family chore time and that has always been a part of our routine.
Another idea to keep summer structured is to plan some fun outings and mark those on your calendar. Try out new playgrounds or look into free splash pads in your area for those really hot days. Or pick some fun museums to check out.
This summer I purchased pool passes for my family and I have decided that we will go to the pool 2-3 afternoons a week if weather allows. On alternate days I am planning to go on field trips to the arboretum, a couple of farms, or the zoo or just hang out at home. My kids will also be attending a one week of vbs and another week at a daytime summer camp at a local church.
Summer can also be such a great time to still incorporate learning. It might be fun to try to do some of the fun activities that you may have wanted to do during the school year but they got pushed aside. I am thinking of things like Poetry tea times, handicrafts, nature study.
Please remember these are just ideas. You can spread them all out over the summer. There isn’t a need to try to do every fun idea. The goal is to have structure, fun, and days of rest. So also plan for days to just relax in your own yard. Have some yummy frozen fruit bars on hand and some yard toys or water balloons that can keep the kiddos entertained while you read or do something you enjoy. Have some just for fun books or magazines to read, plan some play dates with friends, some evening strolls as a family or just with the hubby if you have older children who can watch younger ones. I want to stress that it is a good time to fill up your own tank this summer.
And Mamas do not compare yourself to anyone else. Don’t think because someone online is sharing all the fun vacations they are taking, or the many activities another mom is posting about her children doing, or even the suggestions I just made means that you aren’t doing enough. So don’t try to accomplish so much that you miss just spending some good quality time together. Don’t just fill up your days with too many activities.
I would love to hear if any of these tips were helpful as well as what your plans for the summer are. What are you most looking forward to? Come over to the Facebook group Homeschooling for large Christian Families and share. Talk to you soon. https://www.facebook.com/groups/709841218257166
