Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

Summer Schedule and Printables

Summer schedule and printables. What to do when bored, screen time rules, and chore lists.

Here are some quick resources for you to use or get inspiration from.

First up, we have our summer schedule. This is what we plan to do each day. I do plan to have some days of no schedule. We will also have days where things get left off this schedule--like if we head out to the library or go swimming. It is a good base.

I printed the above summer schedule out. Then on the back side, I printed this "What To Do In Summer" list of ideas. That way when they have free time or are feeling "bored," I have some ideas for them to reference. I then laminated the sheet.

I plan to hang these screen time rules in our family room just inside the cabinet where we keep our electronics. If the kids ask to do any screen time, I will refer them to this list.

In order to make it easy for them to stay on top of their chores, I have one of these for each child. I have left several blank spaces so I can feel free to add in tasks. For example, if I decide I want someone to be in charge of dishes one day, I can add it to their list. If I want someone to sweep the front porch, I can write it in.

I haven't decided yet if I will print a new one each week, laminate a copy, or print one and put it in a page protector. With the lamination and page protector, I can let the kids cross or check things off with a dry erase or wet erase marker. Then at the end of the week we erase and start over. I like the idea of conserving paper.

I will be adding these things to our summer fun basket:

Yay for summer starting!

Related Posts on This Blog

The Ultimate Mosquito Bite Itch Relief Solution

The Ultimate Mosquito Bite Itch Relief Solution. How to stop the mosquito bites from swelling up and itching so much. How to get the mosquito bite to go away faster.

Mosquitoes are the bane of my existance. I am very allergic to mosquitoes. When I get a mosquito bite, I can not touch nor itch it. If I do, I will swell significantly and the bite will last at least 4 weeks. If I don't touch it nor itch it, the bite will last at least two weeks. The entire time the bite is there, it is very, very itchy.

I say that to let you know that I understand what it means to be itchy and to desparately want a solution. Two of my children are as allergic as I am, so we have spent a lot of time and effort trying to find the perfect solution. Here is our tried and true mosquito bite itch relief routine. This post contains affiliate links.

Benadryl Itch Relief Stick

This is fairly new to our routine. We added it last summer and it is the perfect addition to our strategy for helping mosquito bites. The first thing we do is generously apply this itch relief stick to the bite. Something this really does for me is help with the pain that comes with the bite. For someone like me who is quite allergic, it isn't just an itch, it is a pain. This helps with that. Let the Benadryl dry.

Lavender Essential Oil
Next, I add a drop of lavender essential oil. This helps with the negative reaction and to calm the swelling and flare. Let that dry.

Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint essential oil is next on my list. This helps immensely with the itchiness. Let this dry.

Clear Nail Polish

My next step is to apply clear nail polish over the mosquito bite. It doesn't have to be clear, but clear is, well, clear and can't be seen. I am not sure why this helps. I am guessing it is something to do with the bite being sealed off from air. I feel like the bite heals faster overall with the nail polish applied. There is some annoyance associated with this step. I find I need to repeat the process every so often, and with the nail polish covering things up, it means you have to remove the nail polish before doing the itch relief stick and oils again. But the annoyance is well worth it when you are super allergic. Let dry.

Band-Aid

Once the nail polish is dry, put a band-aid on top of the bite. The reason I do this is to prevent the bite from being touched, rubbed, or itched. If you have an itch, it is easy to absently scratch it. The band-aid stays between you and the bite. If you have clothes or shoes rubbing the bites, they will swell more. The band-aid helps with that friction.

You don't want to always be reacting to mosquito bites. Be sure to also read up on my tips for preventing the mosquito bites from happening in the first place.

What to Put in a Welcome to Summer Gift Basket for Your Kids

What to Put in a Welcome to Summer Gift Basket for Your Kids. Great items to give your kids to kick off summer.

I am not sure what has come over me, but this summer I decided to do a "welcome to summer" gift basket for my kids (shhh...they don't know yet). I guess it all stemmed from my decision to start tracking video game time for the week on timers. One mom mentioned she does this in the Chronicles of a Babywise Mom Facebook Group and I loved it! I thought it would be a good idea to balance these timers, which aren't that exciting, with some exciting things for summer.

Here are my items so far. I still have a couple of weeks before they are home for the summer, so if you have a great idea to send my way, let me know! I started with a list of things we want to do this summer, then created a basic schedule, and thought about what I need to purchase for our upcoming summer months. There are things I would get anyway, so putting them all in a basket and presenting it as a gift adds a lot of excitement. This post contains affiliate links.

Timers

This is the item that inspired this whole idea of a basket. I bought these timers on Amazon to use to keep a running total of how much video game time has been played. The kids currently track their own time, but it is often a "Um...I have about an hour left." We do three hours a week, so I made sure to get timers that do more than 90 minutes. I got a different color for each child. The main timer that I got came in three colors, so I got three of those plus this style of timer.

Piano Book

All of my kids play the piano. It is fun to have a book of fun piano songs to play, and they are all obsessed with the Greatest Showman, so I got them a Greatest Showman piano book. It will be above the levels of Brinley and McKenna, but McKenna can pick out at least the melody and Brinley can copy the melody from the other kids. Even if only Brayden plays, the girls will have a grand time singing along, so it will be a big hit. I really wanted this book to be to all of the kids so that no one could try to pull a "Don't play from my book" moment. I don't allow those type of statements, but I just anticipate this being popular enough that I wanted to make my life easier on myself.

Paper

A ream of paper people. That is all it takes for pure joy. My girls all spend a lot of time drawing, so they go through a lot of paper. I love giving a ream of paper as a gift. Go crazy kids!

Journal

I got each child a journal. I got them journals to write in for themselves to keep thoughts. I also got journals that are "Mommy and me" journals for us to write back and forth with each other. Kaitlyn and I have done this without any prompts--just a blank journal--but this rates so well that I wanted to give it a try and see if it is nice to have some prompts to strike up conversation. This will help them be able to share things with me they might feel too embarrassed to say out loud. It will help us get to know each other better. It will also keep up their writing skills. I am super excited about this item! Here are the journals that I got:

Book

We spend a lot of time at the library in the summer, so I debated about getting a book, but I want each kid to have their own, new book to read that they are excited about. We will hit the library every week, but my kids love owning their own books and they will read books over and over again.

Outdoor Toys

There are so many outdoor toys you could get. Water balloons, chalk, bubbles, squirt guns, balls, sprinklers, bikes, roller blades, etc. We already own a lot of great outside toys (see my post on our favorite outside toys here). One thing we were out of is water balloons, so I got a big pack of those.

Swimming Gear

If your child needs a new beach towel, swimsuit cover up, suit, or even sunscreen, you can add it in. I am doing a shopping voucher for my older two; they are old enough they have opinions and tastes different than my own so I want them to have a say.

Treats

This is pretty self-explanatory. Treats. You could plan some fun summer treats, like homemade Popsicles and include ingredients for that treat, or just some favorite treats.

Movie Items

We like to do outdoor movies, so some popcorn and a new movie to watch this summer is fun.

Experience Gifts or Tickets

If you plan to go to a baseball game, the zoo, mini-golfing, etc., you can purchase the passes or tickets ahead of time to include in the basket. This gives you all time to look forward to the fun event. It also commits you to completing summer bucket list items you have for your family. You could also announce a vacation coming up with items for the vacation.

Items for Goals

As each summer approaches, I sit with each child and go over goals they have for the summer. I outline what skills I want them to learn. They can request things to learn. So I am having a child learn to clean mirrors properly this summer. I might buy some things to add in that help with mirror cleaning if we need it. Kaitlyn wants to learn to sew, so I could include something for her to go with this goal for the summer. Cookbooks, printouts, ingredients...Again, things you would already get, but you wrap it up in gift form.

Summer Schedule

Last but not least is a copy of the summer schedule! My kids love seeing what to expect each day, so this seems lame, but the kids actually like it. For summer schedule ideas, see:

See these other posts on summer from the ladies of the BFBN:

Why You Should Let Your Child Be Bored This Summer

The benefits of boredom for children and why you should let your child be bored. Why being bored is good for your child.

Our children are growing up in a fast-paced environment. With all of the modern conveniences we have before us, we rarely have to wait for anything. We don't even need to wait for commercials before continuing on with our show. If we want to talk to someone, we can pretty consistently get a hold of them via text, cell phone, or social media pretty instantly. If we want to know the answer to a question, Google is right in our pockets. We have endless opportunities for communication and stimulation.

Because of this, our children rarely have a chance to get bored.

We also live in a world where we can compare ourselves to thousands of people very similar to ourselves (and millions of those dissimilar). While we used to only be worried about keeping up with that Jones family, we now have families all over the world we can try to keep up with. So we mothers look around on our favorite social media sites (it doesn't matter which one) and see what at least hundreds of other mothers are doing with their children. We don't look at ONE mother, we look at hundreds. Then we try to keep up with as much of what they are doing as a whole as we can. We try to take the best highlights from so many people that we completely overbook our lives with fun ideas.

Because of this, our children rarely have a chance to get bored.

Then someone writes an article about how you only have 18 summers with each child, and 18 is a very small number. We then feel a level of panic that yes, we really do need to pack these amazing things in because 18 isn't very many and time is running out!

Because of this, our children rarely have a chance to get bored.

Today I want to tell you why you should let your child get bored. Let your child get bored this summer, next weekend, and any other day of the year. It is not only okay to let your child get bored, it is good.

Boredom leads to imagination and creativity

When you have nothing scheduled to do, and you are faced with either doing nothing or creating something to do, you are going to create it. Your child will not choose to sit and be bored for long. She might try. She might stage a sit-in, proclaiming her feelings of boredom as she tries to wear you down so you will solve the problem for her or at least default to electronics. If you hold your ground, and make it clear that you don't mind if she is bored, she will find something to do. Studies have found boredom leads to more imagination and problem solving.

We do a technology fast for one week of every month, and during that week, my children are the most self-driven. They try new things. They play with each other more. They make up games. They draw. They read. They end up having a really great week!

When you are bored, you are motivated to try and solve problems. Humans are great at solving problems if they will give it a try! Boredom gives time for people to need to solve problems.

Boredom leads to interaction

Along that same thought, when my children are bored, they will turn to each other to come up with something to do. Even 12 year old Brayden will find something mutually enjoyable to do with 5 year old Brinley when it is just the two of them and they are bored. A big part of that is Brayden wanting to make Brinley happy; the interaction strengthens their relationship and bond.

Boredom forces you to face yourself

I read on Psychology Today that:

"So what boredom does, effectively, is to open the shutters on some very uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, which we normally block out with a flurry of activity or with the opposite thoughts or feelings."

I mean, I love that boredom forces us to face things. Burying thoughts, feelings, and emotions is not healthy, and if boredom helps us have to face those things, I call that a win for mental health. It is also a great way to get to know yourself. If you are forced to find something you like without another person directing your efforts, you will be more apt to find something you enjoy and get to know yourself better.

Boredom can lead to finding new hobbies

When you have nothing to do and want to find something, you will be more willing to give things a try. This might lead to you finding a new talent or new joy in life.

Boredom fosters independence

Think about it. If your child never has a moment to figure out what to do with himself, how does he learn how to function alone or independently? If your child gets bored, he has time to learn how to function on his own.

Conclusion

When your child tells you he is bored this summer, don't let yourself feel guilty. Don't run through the hundreds of things you could be doing but aren't doing. Instead think, "Good. I am glad I gave you that opportunity." Your child will develop his imagination, his creativity, hobbies, and perseverance through working through boredom. So as you plan out your schedule for this summer, leave time for boredom. Don't be afraid to keep openings in your schedules and let your children really know what bored feels like and let them work through that.

Dare to let your child get bored.

Why a Solid Chore Schedule Can Save Your Sanity This Summer

Why a Solid Chore Schedule Can Save Your Sanity This Summer. Reasons to have your child do chores during summer.

As the school year ends, I cannot wait for summer to get here and the crazy of May to end. I think that is the Lord's way of making us willing to take on summer, just like how the end of pregnancy completely sucks and you will do anything to get that baby out.

Just as childbirth leaves its mark, so can summer. It seems amazing, whimsical, and lovely as we look forward to it, but as the days settle in and kids get "bored," you start to realize summer isn't as perfect as you thought it would be. I love my kids! I love spending time with them and making fun memories, but summer is not 100% packed with fun times and memories. Some days, we do nothing extraordinary. I am not only okay with that, I think that is important. I want my kids to know what "bored" feels like and know that is okay.

If we want to all like each other as much as possible while staying home together all day, every day, for three months, I find a little structure can go a long way. One of my favorite structure items is chores. Chores are a great item to add to your every day to keep your sanity this summer.

Here is why I love chores:

Chores help spread the load

A person can make a lot of mess all by themselves. Even a really, really clean person who always cleans up after himself contributes to overall mess by wearing clothes (more laundry), eating food (more dishes), and spending time in the bathroom (it just gets dirty with use). Let's face it, few humans are really, really clean and always clean up after themselves. So not only do we have the inevitable messes that come on, but we have the nice little messes left behind here and there. When everyone helps with the chores, it helps spread the workload so not one person (ahem, Mom) is spending tons of time cleaning up after people. I always say I want my kids to help clean up, in part, so that I have more time available to do things other than chores, including spend time with them. If I have to clean it all, I can't spend time playing with the kids.

Chores help teach skills

Odds are high your child will one day need to do his own laundry and clean his own house. These are life skills your child needs to learn and you will benefit your child so much by making sure that happens. You want chores during the school year, but you can add in even more chores during summer to help focus on learning life skills.

Chores help teach responsibility

When your child has chores he is required to do and is held accountable for doing them, he learns how to be responsible. If you have rules that chores have to be done before your child can go play with friends, and you stick to that rule, your child learns an invaluable lesson about natural consequences and how to stay on top of your own responsibilities.

Chores need to be done daily

This adds stability and structure to your days and weeks of summer. You can have something consistent about your days because chores literally never end and always need to be done. Structure means you have days that are predictable, and that helps you keep your sanity.

Chores give you a motivational tool

Summer days can get lazy. It is easy to fall into a lazy trap and think, "I will do chores later" or "I have endless time to get that done" or "I am so bored all I can think about is electronics." Chores give you a tool to use to require your children to get up and moving before fun things can happen.

Conclusion

Having a solid chore schedule can really help you maintain some consistency, predictability, and order this summer and keep you sane. Let summer be as painless as possible so those memories, however boring, can be sweet and not painful.

6 Ways to Add in Extra Chores for Your Children This Summer

6 Ways to Add in Extra Chores for Your Children This Summer. Help your children learn to do new chores during summer months.

I am a big believer in chores. My list of reasons for having my children do chores is long, but some key highlights include I want them to learn responsibility, I find it helps them be more mindful of the way they contribute to messes, and I simply could not do everything alone and still be present in their lives.

6 Ways to Add in Extra Chores for Your Children This Summer | chores | chores for children

During the school year, I feel like the list of chores my children do is rather light. Regular expectations they have are pretty much centered around them taking care of their own messes. They help with sorting and folding laundry and put their own laundry away. They keep their rooms clean, dusted, and vacuumed. They pick up after themselves. They clean bathrooms. We will add extra responsibilities here and there as time allows, but I try to balance their time out of school so they have time for free play among their other tasks.

The summer months are where it is at for adding in the chores. Kids are home all day every day and can easily get bored. Them being home all day every day means they add a lot more mess to the house. There are also added outdoor chores, like yard work and gardening, that don't exist in the school year. Out of necessity, I add chores to their list because again, I want to be able to be present in their lives and not so busy keeping things in order. I find summer a great time to focus on teaching new skills all around, including cleaning skills.

During summer, I make sure there is a chore required every day. This is a great way to keep kids contributing to the home. Chores are required to be done before playing or going off with friends. I am not legalistic about that; if something comes up that is rare, I will let them head out first thing and do the chore later that day or even the next day. But for going out and playing in the neighborhood, responsibilities must be met. Chores need to be done before we will even talk about having friends over or turning on technology.

As you are busy making your summer schedule, don't be afraid to add in extra chores to each day that your child doesn't currently contribute on. Here are some ideas to add in chores:

Have your child be in charge of keeping a certain area of the house clean. This is often referred to as "Zone" cleaning. It could be the family room, the stairs and hallway (our stuff gets piled up at the top of the stairs to take downstairs!), or the entry way. You could also have this be a "you are in charge of dusting the house" and give a specific job rather than a specific room.
Have your child help you with tasks. A great one is meal prep. If your child isn't old enough to take on a chore, she can still be involved in the chore by being your helper.
Have your child take on some outdoor chores. Weeding, watering plants, and picking up clippings are all great tasks.
Have your child take over simple chores a parent may be doing. We typically have the children take over dishes during the summer. Giving your child tasks he is capable of opens up the parents to have more free time to do things as a family during the days and evenings of summer.
Have your child learn a new skill. Teach your child how to cook a certain meal and have him make it throughout the summer. Have your child learn how to do laundry or run the vacuum. This is a great time to look at chore lists and see what your child should be adding to her resume.
Make sure your child has a job every single day. Even if the job is small, make it part of your daily routine that chores happen.

Chores are not easy to implement or enforce. Many days are downright frustrating and you wonder how worth it this really is. You can do it faster, better, and with less nagging. I am here to tell you it is worth it! All of the pain is worth it! The day will come you will look back and be so glad you pushed through and put effort into making sure your child participated in chores. Don't feel bad about there being chores on summer break. You are teaching responsibility, building character, and developing life skills.

How to Balance Academics with Relaxation in Summer

How to Balance Academics with Relaxation in Summer. Have summer fun but also take time to stay up on academic skills to avoid summer setback.

Summer is a great time to relax, take a break, and not worry about things learned at school. If you ignore the idea of school all summer, however, then you will reach the end of summer and realize your child may have lost skills learned in the previous school year. With that in mind, parents wonder how to prevent summer setback, also known as the summer slide.

A summer setback is when the child returns to school in the fall and finds he/she is not at the same level he was when school let out for the summer. When you avoid a summer setback, you avoid a loss of skills.

Despite this concern over summer setback, we are conflicted as parents. We have this opposite pull that makes us want to have a relaxed summer. We want to give our children a break and give them the chance to worry about nothing but being kids for the summer. We want a more relaxed schedule and a shorter to-do list. I know that as my children have gotten older, I have wanted summers to be less and less structured. However, that doesn't mean I want my children falling behind themselves over the summer.

So how do you balance that desire for relaxation and the need for maintaining academic abilities?

How to Fit in Academics in the Summer and Avoid Summer Setback

You can do some academics each day without turning each and every day into just another school day. One thing you can do is simple math facts and/or math worksheets. Math fact pages can be found all over the internet. Doing a short sheet of addition problems, multiplication problems, or division problems can be done in 10 minutes or less. It can a be a post-breakfast or post-lunch activity. Doing this daily (or as close to daily as possible) can significantly help your child to be on top of math when school resumes in the fall. You can also check out this post for more ideas to help avoid summer setback in math.

If you ask any teacher how to help your child during the summer, she will encourage you to read, read, read. Reading is the simple answer, and there are simple ways to fit reading into your schedule each day.

Reading programs are a fun way to stay motivated to keep reading up during the summer. Check with your local library to see if they have a summer reading program. If you can't find one, you can always plan your own goals and reward system for reading milestones through the summer.

One of my favorite things to do in the summer for reading is called Sustained Silent Reading (SSR). This is when you all sit in the room together and read whatever you like for 30 solid minutes (including the parent). You don't talk; you just read. We do this in the afternoon right at the time my toddler goes down for a nap if I have one (or would if I had one). I like the afternoon because it is the middle of the day. It is a time the kids can all take a break from their play and relax a bit. It is also a break from the heat of the day and a chance to cool down. All of my children really enjoy SSR.

Another way to help with reading is to read to your child each day. If you read stories before bedtime, keep it up during the summer (if you don't, I encourage you to start). Read aloud to all of your children, no matter the ages. During summer, bedtime can really creep up on you. Do what you have to to ensure there is enough time to keep bedtime stories as part of your routine.

Plan regular visits to the library through the summer. How often you can go will depend on your proximity and circumstances. We go once each week. I let each child choose 3-5 books for the week (I don't want too many books to keep track of). The children enjoy having a variety of books to read. Having a new book keeps them interested in reading.

Find unique ways to get reading stories or reading practice in. I have had my children read me a book each day while I do their hair. They can finish a book in about the time it takes me to do her hair. This is a consistent time of day that we can remember to fit this reading practice in. There have been times our children have read from Oliver Twist to my husband while he did landscaping. You can also do reading in the car, have your child read to you as you make dinner...be creative.

Summer often involves time spent in the car while traveling near and far. Something we love to do is listen to books on CD as we drive. It is a great way to get extra reading in while still being able to go do your fun things.

How to Fit in Relaxing While Allowing Focus on Academics

While you want to do what you can to prevent the summer setback, you still want summer to be relaxing. You can allow down time. You can spend a relatively short time on the learning stuff each day and leave plenty of time for play and rest and relaxation.

It is important to remember that for children, play is work. Play is more to children than what it is to us. For adults, play is fun and relaxing. For children, play has learning attached to it. My daughter's Kindergarten teacher sent home a paper of things to do this summer. Along with reading and simple math problems, she stressed the importance of play for children. To read more on the benefits of free play, see this post. Do not feel bad about giving your children time to be creative and have fun playing.

Another great thing to do during the summer is fun learning ideas. This can be a good time to try out some of those fun pins decorating your Pinterest account. There is so much learning that can happen through fun activities.

Television, movies, computer time, and video games can be okay at times, but be careful to not let that time overrun your child's time for free play. Limit the time allowed with electronics each day or each week. Make sure you are not letting electronics suck up your play time.

Make Sure Learning Time and Relaxing Happens

What you don't want is to panic two weeks before school starts with either 1)Ack! My kids haven't done any sort of learning for 2 1/2 months! or 2)Ack! We haven't done anything fun this summer!

Sit down and make a list of things you would like to see happen this summer. What kinds of learning things do you want to happen? Write out how you can work those into each day and make some goals you can keep.

As you are making your list, write down some fun things you would like to see happen daily and throughout the summer. Essentially, make a bucket list (but a reasonable one). A bucket list doesn't have to be a list of highly amazing things. You might want to go for a few bike rides. Go swimming a few times. Try some new parks. Go to that new splash pad. Write out your ideas and pencil them into your calendar for the summer.

CONCLUSION

With a little bit of forethought and effort, you can make sure you have time for play and time for learning throughout the summer. You might also enjoy these posts I have written on the topic:

Avoiding Summer Setback in All Areas, Summer Planning and Preparation, Summer Fun At Home, Summer Structure, and Occupying Children During Summer.

7 Tips for Attending Parades with Young Children

Brayden's first big holiday of his life was Independence Day. We lived very close to the parade route, and as a first time mom, I was so excited to get him all dressed up in his holiday outfit and take him to the parade. Despite the fact that he was a mere 6 weeks old, I was ready to make some memories!

Well, that we did. He screamed. And screamed. And screamed some more.

At some point, a kind woman, a mother herself, came to me and offered for me to take Brayden up to her porch. She lived on the parade route, so I would still be at the parade, but I would be removed from the major noise and action.

It worked. He calmed down and we both were much happier with our parade experience.

Since that day, I have had three more children and many more parades. Parades are a fun tradition, but they are not exactly baby-friendly. Some babies, like Kaitlyn, will just go to sleep and shut out the noise and stimulation. Other's, like Brayden, will react with screaming. Here are some tips to help you get through your next parade with a little one. This post contains affiliate links.

1-Find the best location

With a baby on up through toddler and preschooler, you will want a location with certain perks. One is shade. Everyone wants shade, right? So that can be hard to find. For one parade we frequent, we just bring our own shade with us. We bring an EZ up pop up shade so we can have shade. That way, we don't have to go hours early to find a shady spot. We pull up a few minutes before the parade starts, set up in the hot, sunny spot, and we are on our way. A huge benefit to this is that it allows us to let our baby sleep at home until the last possible minute.

I also highly recommend a spot where you can back away from the parade route if possible. If you have a baby or child who is upset by all of the noise, you will want to be able to get away from the route like I did with Brayden. A spot with a fence right behind you isn't the ideal spot for you.

2-Bring water and food

If you have a baby, you won't be feeding baby water, but it is wise to have the ability to easily nurse or bottle feed your baby if needed. Parades are often hot places, so your baby or child will need to be hydrated.

If your child is eating solid foods, have some food or snacks on hand. A hungry child is never a fun child, so it is always wise to have some snacks to turn to in a pinch.

3-Bring the diaper bag

Make sure you have diapers, wipes, underwear for the potty training child, etc. You might even throw in some small toys to play with while you wait.

4-Bring lovies and comfort items

Parades are fun, but they are also highly overwhelming and can be scary to a young child. It can help to have a favorite stuffed animal or blanket there for your child to turn to if/when she feels overwhelmed.

5-Bring chairs, blankets, slings, and strollers

It is great to have chairs or a blanket to sit on. If you have a mobile child who likes to wander, a stroller is a great place to put that child during the parade. It of course is a great place for a non-mobile child to watch the parade, also. A stroller is also handy if you have a walk a ways from your vehicle to your watching spot.

A sling is another great option, especially if your baby needs to block out some of the stimulation. Slings are also very helpful for keeping the crowds from touching your baby without your

permission.

6-Bring headphones

When my children were young, my parents would often bring along some head phones for my children to wear at parades. They are just the headphones my dad uses when he mows the lawn.

7-Bring ways to cool down (or warm up)

We often bring a big cooler of water to parades. At the least, we bring a water bottle for each person. A squirt bottle full of cool water can be nice for cooling people down, also. A little cooler of otter pops can go a long way to keeping people feeling cool enough.

If you are going to a parade in cold weather, be sure you dress warm enough for the weather.

These seven tips can help you have a successful parade. What tips have you found helpful for parades? Comment and let me know!

Summer Schedule and Printables

The Ultimate Mosquito Bite Itch Relief Solution

What to Put in a Welcome to Summer Gift Basket for Your Kids

Why You Should Let Your Child Be Bored This Summer

Boredom leads to imagination and creativity

Boredom leads to interaction

Boredom forces you to face yourself

Boredom can lead to finding new hobbies

Boredom fosters independence

Conclusion

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Chores help spread the load

Chores help teach skills

Chores help teach responsibility

Chores need to be done daily

Chores give you a motivational tool

Conclusion

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