Want to have a great summer as a family, without spending a lot of money?

1. Plan special time with each child.

The key here is allowing each child decide what you do together, and doing your best to enjoy it! If that means playing video games with your son for ½ hour, do it! The key is connecting with each child, at their level. It will help strengthen your relationship.

2. Pick a day to get together as a family and plan the fun activities for the week.

Involving everyone in making plans insures that each person’s opinions are heard. Part of the fun is coming up with ideas and sharing them. Setting a limit upfront on the amount of money that can be spent, if any, and the amount of time available will help prevent problems. Put all of the ideas on a piece of paper, and then each person can vote for their top 2. Or, family members can take turns picking from the ideas everyone came up with. Collecting and painting rocks, building sand castles at the town beach and going on a hike are some close to free ideas!

3. Plan to stay in pajamas, have popcorn, and watch movies together on rainy days.

This is a great way to connect as a family, again strengthening your relationships. Old Disney movies or their baby videos are great to watch, even as teenagers!

4. Plan at least one meal a week together with each child.

Sit down with a child, and come up with what to make for dinner. You can ask them, “What kind of vegetable should we make?” With younger children, you might want to have pictures of different options, so they can choose. With older children, sit with recipe books, and come up with some new things to try. Together, make a food shopping list, and have them help find everything in the store. You can also make a game of guessing how much the total bill will be. This is a great way to teach children budgeting, meal planning, and about healthy eating. They will also see how much is involved in putting a meal together, and will be more likely to help now that you’ve taken the time for training.

5. Plan a family board game night.

We did this once a week, with pizza. It is a great way to connect without computers and other devices. Taking turns picking the game to play is important, as is laughing and having fun.

6. Have each child create a bedtime routine chart.

Your child should come up with a list of things that need to be done before they go to bed. They then can put it in the order they want to do it in, and together you create a chart or if they are older, a list. Younger children love having pictures taken of them doing each thing. You can time them for how long each thing takes, and help them use their math skills to figure out when they need to begin their bedtime routine. A routine chart can be created for anything….bedtime, morning, after school, dinner, etc. When they are struggling, you simply ask, “What is next on your routine chart?” This is a great thing to put in place over the summer!

7. Give each child a back to school clothing budget, and then take each of them shopping.

The budget can be as big or small as you want it to be. Together, make a list of the things that are necessary, keeping in mind that the latest hoodie may be on that list, while underwear might not make it. Together, estimate how much each item costs, and have them use their math skills to see if they are within their budget. Work together planning before going to the store.

While having fun, your family will be building stronger relationships. Your children will be learning important life skills that will help them become more independent. They will be contributing in meaningful ways to the family, which will help them feel even better about themselves.

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