{"id":3492,"date":"2023-05-18T16:33:42","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T16:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dadstuffsite.com\/?p=3492"},"modified":"2023-06-01T15:05:24","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T15:05:24","slug":"18-tips-to-survive-the-summer-break-with-your-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dadstuffsite.com\/18-tips-to-survive-the-summer-break-with-your-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"18 Tips to Survive the Summer Break with Your Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"
A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to spend a month with my family in Santa Fe, NM. We were traveling for my wife’s work, and I had the summer “off” (I’m a college professor). I was full-time dad-ing while my wife worked. Although I was super excited, I knew I needed to have a game plan or I would lose my mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The end result is what we still affectionately call “Dad Camp.” Not only did I not lose my mind (okay, there were some low points, but no more than in normal life), but we had an incredible experience where I bonded with my two little boys. This time with my kids ended up being so impactful, it inspired me to create Dad Stuff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So if you’re about to start summer break and you’re wondering what you’ll do with your kids, here are some tips to keep your head above water and have a great experience with your whole family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is probably the biggest piece of advice I can offer. You need to create a sense of routine, with some activities that are to be done daily. During the school year, there were clear expectations for how their day was structured. It helps to create a similar sort of structure at home during the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here’s the way we (loosely) structured “Dad Camp.” I’ll give ideas for each of these activities later in the article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within that larger structure, you need to have variation. While they might do certain things every morning, that doesn’t mean every day should be the same. In fact, you want to avoid getting stuck in a rut, because that’s when they get bored and problems ensue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So you want to keep an overall structure of routine where activities within that structure can change. And also, give them a break every so often (weekends are great for this), and throw away the routine and do something completely different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For board game ideas, check out\u00a030 Old-School Games Your Kids Will Love (with Commercials!)<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Summer Bridge Activities:<\/strong> I know this sounds like you’re giving your kids homework, but it doesn’t have to be. Instead of letting your kids’ brains rot and forget everything their teachers worked so hard to teach them, get a summer bridge workbook. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Summer bridge books are activity books designed to review content usually taught in the preview year while preparing kids for the following year. Activities are only 15 minutes long and can be done independently. The books are inexpensive and fun, and we get one for each kid at the beginning of every summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Summer Bridge Books by Grade<\/em>:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn a Language:<\/strong> Another thing we do as a family in the summer is work on a foreign language. We all (including myself) spend 5-15 minutes every day doing Duolingo. You can coordinate and pick the same language to work on together, or if you can’t agree, do your own thing. While you’re at it, do some small-scale immersion and listen to some pop music of that culture or maybe find a documentary about that country. <\/p>\n\n\n Practice Typing:<\/strong> While tablets in the classroom are all the rage, learning to type is super important. If you ever want to get into more elaborate STEM and coding, you need to be able to type. So we spend a little time each day learning to type on Typingclub.com<\/a> (this is a free site and is not an affiliate). <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s important for the kids to do some sort of physical activity every day. I find this is way more beneficial when we do this in the morning. When my boys were really young, this helped get the morning wiggles out of their system. As they get older, it helps with their energy levels so they don’t become sloths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ll be honest, I’m not Mr. Fit myself, so I definitely needed to look elsewhere for help. Luckily we’re in the age of YouTube. There are great channels out there for older and younger kids. My kids’ personal favorites are Bobo PE<\/a> and PE Bowman<\/a>. GoNoodle<\/a> also has a really good workout playlist (most kids are familiar with this channel from school). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that my kids are getting older, I plan to work out along with them. The workout videos of Coach Joe Wick<\/a> are great to help trim the dad-bod and work out with your kids. The videos on this playlist are around 30 minutes, whereas Bobo PE and PE Bowman tend to be shorter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Learn Something<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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3. Physical Activity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n