Ten Questions to Help You Prepare for Summer with Your Family
Ephesians 5:16 (AMP)
making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.
This verse comes to mind often when the seasons change. In fact, I wrote an article around this very verse in Making the Most of Summer, Part Two. I desire to make the very most of my time on earth, and I’m assuming you do too! So how can we be prepared to seize every good and exciting opportunity this summer with our family? I have one central idea I will share with you in a moment.
A little forethought elevates our enjoyment of events. This applies to many areas of life (our quiet time, workout routine, date night, family dinners, etc . . .) Going to bed at a reasonable time gives us a better chance of waking up before our children so that we can enjoy uninterrupted solitude with the Lord, and maybe even work out to feel energized for the rest of the day. (I document these rhythms in more detail in My Top Ten List from 2021!) Spending a few moments coming up with an intentional question for date night enriches our experience together (for date night questions, check out Ten of Our Favorite Date Night Questions, Currently). When I actually plan ahead to consider a variety of options that work for family dinners in the upcoming week, I save time, money, and stress by plugging it into the calendar and adding items to grocery pickup. (I write more about this in Feeding Your Family, Part 1 and Part 2.)
I believe this idea can apply to our family time this summer and beyond. Here is my central idea for prioritizing forethought in order to make the most of the short years we have with our family: Intentional Family Night! This is likely not a new concept to you, but I have a few little twists that make it possible for us to actually do this every week.
This system has worked well for us for the past year and we plan to continue it. I jot down ideas on paper and solicit my husband and our kids’ input as well. Then I cut these into slips of paper and put them all in a cup, tucked inside our cabinet. Throughout the month, each daughter gets a turn to pull out the family activity and they love the element of surprise! During their big reveal, they announce what we will do for family night!
Here is the key: the idea they draw is for the upcoming week. This gives me plenty of time to prepare. Prep work never takes long because I want this to be sustainable, but this forethought allows me to seamlessly fit intentional family nights into our schedule and the results have been peaceful and joyful!
For some families, this works once a month. We try to make this a tradition at least once a week. What rhythm is best for you?
From the seasons, here are a few favorites:
Summer:
Family swimming night
Picnic and read aloud
Visit a new park
Bike ride to the local ice cream shop
Paint nails outside
Fall:
S’mores
Collect leaves for art (trace leaves, make a leaf collage, etc . . .)
Go on a family walk or hike
Visit an apple orchard or pumpkin patch
Pull out toys that are new-to-them (We have a toy rotation and I also put some birthday presents in storage bins to pull out throughout the year, rather than allow our girls to have everything at once and then go months without something new. More on that at Decluttering Our Homes and Our Minds.)
Winter:
Drink hot chocolate (or have a hot chocolate bar) while enjoying a read-aloud
Drive around to see Christmas lights
Board game (learn a new one or play an old favorite)
Write letters to mail to friends and family from out of town
Visit a new library
Spring:
During this season of unpredictable weather where we reside, I keep two separate cups: one for indoor activities and one for outdoor activities. This way the plans we have been anticipating all week don’t end in disappointment for all when the weather isn’t cooperating.
Indoor:
Indoor Art Stations (Stickers, coloring on the easel, play dough, etc . . .)
Bake a new meal or dessert together
When it’s closer to Easter, we add my Favorite Easter Activity with Kids to the family night cup
You can also borrow any idea from Ten Play Ideas for Rainy Days
Outdoor:
Outdoor Art Stations (Bubbles, painting, chalk the driveway, etc . . .)
Play an outdoor game together, such as pickleball (when our kids were younger, we would inflate a beach ball and toss it back and forth in our family circle . . . so simple! And everyone could participate.)
Go on a neighborhood scavenger hunt (you can find all sorts of free printables online)
You may have noticed you are doing many of these things already! Somehow it becomes more memorable when there is a week of anticipation and the children know this special time is coming. Connection is the goal! And what a sweet goal it is 🙂
If you need additional prompts for family night ideas or conversation starters, check out 7 Ideas for Screen-Free Time with Kids, How Can I Enjoy My Kids More? *Bonus* Questions to Ask Your Kids, or Great Screen Time Options for Kids.
Additionally, if you want to get clarity on purposeful living yourself before sharing this with your children, don’t miss How Do You Know It’s Worthwhile?. And one more article I re-read every year at this time is Maximizing Your Summer as a Family.
I pray each of these ideas inspire you to have your own practical chats for intentional living, so that we all can enjoy the abundant life Jesus offers us!
Finally, here are a few questions to ask each family member during one of your intentional family nights.
Happy Family Night to you!
Sincerely,
Laura
About The Savvy Sauce
Practical chats for intentional living
A faith-based podcast and resources to help you grow closer to Jesus and others. Expect encouragement, surprises, and hope here. Each episode offers lively interviews with fascinating guests such as therapists, authors, non-profit founders, and business leaders.
They share their best practices and savvy tips we can replicate to make our daily life and relationships more enjoyable!
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