Family Life
10 Ways to Squeeze More Family Time Into Your Busy Summer Schedule
By Lynn Dean • Photo by Frankie Wylie
May/June 2008

“Mom, can I go over to Sam’s House?”
“Mom, don’t forget, I have a game on Tuesday AND Friday this week.”
“Mom, did you sign the permission slip for the day camp field trip?”

If summer is supposed to be the time when we wind down and enjoy the weather, why does it seem to be so busy? And if our kids don’t have science projects, written reports and math homework, how come we see them only when they whiz through the house for a refrigerator break?

Here are some ways we can prevent the “over-scheduled” madness and create more time together.

1 Limit extra activities. Yes, it is good for our children to learn to play the piano, acquire a foreign language and excel at a sport. But they don’t need to do everything at once. Let each of your children choose one or two activities. Save the rest for later.

2 Make meal time family time. While it is ideal that families eat at least one meal a day together, it is often impractical. Instead, insist that your family eat together at least four times a week. Remember that all meals together don’t have to necessarily be supper. Sunday, you can have brunch. Tuesday, you can meet for lunch in town. Thursday can be “no excuses” dinner night, and Saturday can be barbeque on the deck.

3Teach your kids some old fashioned fun. Remember jumping rope? Playing jacks or marbles? What about pick-up sticks? In this world of computers and electronic games, some great past times have been left behind. Sit down with your kids and teach them your favorites.

4 Plan “do nothing” time. Many of us carry our day-timers or PDA’s everywhere. We block off time for appointments, soccer practices and dentist visits. Whenever a space is blank, we think, “what am I supposed to be doing?” We need to plan some down time to sit on the ground and look at the clouds go by, or time to talk to about the opposite sex, baseball or the price of peas in China.

5 Get in some exercise. Nothing de-stresses us more than getting our bodies moving. Consider a daily walk together, a weekly bike excursion on one of the many wonderful trails or a hike in the park every now and then. Even a trip to the pool counts.

6 Start a family game night. When was the last time you played Charades and rolled on the floor in giggling spasms as someone tried to act out a clue? Great games include Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Clue, Pictionary – think about your favorites. To get everyone involved consider “junior” versions for the younger set. But be careful, my kids can beat me at Scrabble – they learn the strangest words!

7 Take a road trip. Pack lunches and pile the kids into the car. Fill up the gas tank and you’re off. Where to? Head out of town for a good old-fashioned drive in the country. Or how about your favorite picnic spot? The point is to go somewhere together. You can talk along the way.

8 Delegate chores. Instead of trying to do everything yourself, get everyone in the family to pitch in. Your kids can unload the dishwasher, run the vacuum, scrub the bathtub or fold laundry. Let your motto be: “The Family that Works Together Plays Together.” If you pair up, you can have time together while you work. Then, “Off for Fun when the Work is Done.”

9 Have a family garage sale. Clear out that old stuff that is cluttering the house. Let the kids sort their things, too. Then sell the culled items and put the profits toward something fun you can all do together- a trip to the zoo, the movies or amusement center.

10 Introduce “A Day of Rest” into your family lifestyle. Almost every religion provides for such “down time,” and for good reason. A day off means time to unwind and relax. While this is an excellent time to worship with your faith community, the time need not be of a religious nature at all. It can just be quiet time with your family.

Lynn Dean is a writer living in Colorado and mother of three.