Keeping it Safe in the Summer: Top Tips

Your weekday schedule was under control with the kids in school, activities in place and a routine to easily follow…then school let out for the Summer. Whether you are single or married, co-parenting or doing it all on your own, having the kids home for the Summer can really turn your world upside down. Here are some top tips to keep it sane this Summer:

• Routine. Try to create a daily routine or structure for the kids to follow, including consistent wake-up and bedtime routines and an appropriate level of activity (and inactivity) each day.
• Education. Incorporate at-home work or a tutor to keep your kids on track with everything they learned, which will also allow them to start school on top of their game.
• Extracurricular. Whether it is a summer camp, library reading program or week-to-week scheduled activity, try to keep them engaged with things that they will find of interest among their peers.
• Family Time. It can be a weekly breakfast or dinner, a hike on the weekend or a day at the pool, but making “family time” will keep you connected and create time to be together.
• Friends. Help your kids foster the relationships that they built over the school year by scheduling time with their friends.
• Extended Family Visits. Try to schedule Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins or any family members who may want to visit for an extended period or have your kids visit them for a new experience among those you trust.

If you can implement some or all of these top tips this Summer, then you can consider it a success!

You can find Jennifer R. Ward, Founder of WARD FAMILY LAW, LLC at www.wflc.itoracles.com or you can follow her on Facebook @WardFamilyLaw, Instagram @divorcerer, Google Plus @Wardfamilylawchicago and Twitter @WardFamLawIL