Starting summer right...

It's hard for many families to shift from the structure of school to summer vacation. Adults want kids to get things done. Kids want to play and have fun. How can families work together to make the transition more smooth? Here are some ideas:

• When everyone is relaxed and has time, set up time to talk about the summer. Use a calendar to write down everyone's activities and family vacation plans.
• Have an open discussion as a family about what each person would like for the summer, and share expectations.
• Talk as a family about what needs to be done, and agree on how it will get done. Some families use summer as a time to take turns planning meals, or cooking together. Others put together wooden craft sticks with jobs on them, and every week, children and adults take turns picking. It's important to take the time to teach children how to do things they have not done before, like washing clothes or mowing the lawn.
• Work with each child to come up with a summer morning routine chart. They list all of the things that they view as important to get done in the morning, including how much time each takes. They then choose the order they want to do them. If you have a fixed "out the door" time, then all of these things end by that time, and this determines when they need to wake up. Younger children love to have their pictures taken doing each thing, and together, you can create a summer morning routine chart. When they get off track (which they will!), simply as, "What's next on your routine chart?"

We hope your family has a great start to the summer!

Want to learn more about Positive Discipline and ways to have a calmer, more peaceful home? Visit www.positivedisciplinect.org.

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