As summer winds down and as you prepare to send your children back to school, you may feel that this season went by too fast. Couldn’t it last just a little longer?
Well, it ain’t over till it’s over. Here are six ways to make the most of summer’s end.
Check Your List
What were you hoping to do this summer when it first began? Did you get that ice cream cone from your favorite shop? Did you take that trip to the zoo? Or did you visit that relative you hadn’t seen in a long while?
Go back over your summer bucket list and see if you can’t make a few more check marks. Choose the simplest things. You may find that even the smallest bits of fun can have a great impact on your family.
Slow Down
Even summer can get hectic, with its radically varied schedule. Perhaps you’ve done some travel, enjoyed different day trips, and shuffled kids between activities such as camps, sports, activities, and play dates.
Take a breath in the final days and enjoy some easy-going family time. A game night, a day at the beach, a picnic in the park, or a walk around the neighborhood may be just what your family needs to slow down and savor the last bits of summer.
Unplug
Be honest: Did you family spend more time than you would have liked staring at screens? The end of summer is the perfect time to do a screen detox.
Challenge everyone to use those devices much less (or not at all) for a set period of time. You’ll find that you actually feel like you have more time and will hopefully enjoy more real-world summertime experiences.
As a bonus, stepping away from screens will help to prepare those young minds for the deep thinking and increased focus that school will require.
Let Go
Look back at that bucket list or mentally review that list of things you were hoping to do this summer but didn’t. Then, let them go.
That may be the pristinely organized home you had hoped to create by summer’s end; the 10 pounds you had wanted to lose; the magical picnics in the park every Sunday; the art projects you were going to undertake with the kids; or the stack of books you were definitely going to get around to reading.
Don’t regret or feel guilty about what you didn’t do. Cross those items off your list.
Instead, appreciate the things you did do. Perhaps even write them down with a big check mark next to them. Gratitude will allow you to end the season with a positive mindset. When you look around and see the true abundance of your summer, you’ll enjoy a peaceful contentedness that comes from gratitude.
Play Tourist
Even if you can’t swing another getaway before summer ends, enjoy your local area like a tourist would. See the sights, shop the boutiques, eat at a restaurant, and enjoy those places you’ve been meaning to check out.
An end of summer staycation is a great tradition to continue for years to come!
Plan Future Fun
Just because summer is ending doesn’t mean life from here on out will be all work and no play. Get some fun on the calendar.
Whether you schedule a few weekend day trips, a two-week vacation, or something in between, planning something that your family can look forward to is what counts.
Most of the joy of summer is found in the moments of adventure and togetherness, which can be duplicated all year long. Plan it out, write it down, and enjoy knowing that you don’t have to wait until next summer for the fun to begin again.
