The secret to a great Summer is in the planning
The Secret to a Great Summer is in the Planning
How do you feel about summer?
Are you excited for slower mornings, the chance to make memories, and that long-awaited family holiday?
OR
Do you feel that familiar knot of stress, wondering how you’re going to juggle work, keep the kids entertained, and not blow the budget before the first week is over?
Whichever camp you’re in (or maybe it’s a bit of both), you’re not alone. For me, the best summers, the ones that feel calm, connected, and joy-filled, happen when I’ve done a little planning ahead. Not rigid, military-style schedules, but gentle structure, simple expectations, and a focus on what matters: connection over perfection.
Here are my 3 top tips to help you head into the summer with more calm and less chaos:
Tip 1: Have a Family Meeting and Create a Summer Plan
Summer success starts with a bit of shared planning.
Not the kind that squeezes every drop of spontaneity out of your days but a flexible, collaborative approach that gives everyone a voice. When we plan together, there’s less pressure on you, fewer “I’m bored” moments, and more chances to build connection.
How to do it:
Call a short family meeting perhaps over dinner.
Get everyone to share what they’d like to do this summer. Big ideas and little ones are welcome!
Add in what’s already booked (like holidays or work commitments).
Discuss how the family can share the load while school’s out: chores, cooking, helping with younger siblings.
Make a “Summer Fun List” together. Include both free and low-cost ideas like picnics, baking, water fights, and movie nights. Keep the list visible so it can evolve over the summer.
Each week, come back to the list. Pick a few ideas and build them into your loose weekly rhythm. The magic is in the mix: some planned, some spontaneous, all meaningful.
Tip 2: Agree on Your Family’s Summer Rules
Think of these less like “rules” and more like family agreements or house expectations, decided before things start to unravel.
Summer often brings changes to routines, energy levels, and boundaries. Rather than waiting until someone (often you!) is overwhelmed, it’s much more effective to decide what’s acceptable and expected together, ahead of time.
Here are a few ideas to include in your summer agreement:
Screen time: How much? When? What’s off-limits?
Chores: What needs doing and who’s doing what?
Cooking: Can the kids learn to make a meal? Who sets the table or does the washing up?
Learning: If there’s summer homework or workbooks, when will it be done?
Reading: Set up a paper chain or sticker chart to track progress. Make it visual and celebratory!
Bedrooms: Beds made? Toys tidied? Decide what’s expected.
Siblings: What behaviours are okay and what aren’t? What are the consequences?
Bedtimes: Will they change over the holidays?
This isn’t about being strict. It’s about clarity, confidence, and giving your children the security of knowing where they stand.
Tip 3: Be Consistent (Not Perfect)
Summer often lulls us into relaxing every rule. That’s okay to a point, after all, it’s a break! But a little consistency can go a long way in helping everyone feel safe, secure, and less likely to go into meltdown (you included!).
Whatever you decide matters to your family, stick to it. Whether it’s bedtime, praise, or following through on consequences, your children will notice if the goalposts keep moving.
Here’s the truth: What you consistently focus on, grows.
If you only ever notice and comment on the things your kids are doing “wrong,” those moments seem to multiply. But when you catch them being kind, calm, helpful or simply trying and acknowledge it, that grows too. It changes the energy in your home.
So, praise the process, not just the outcome.
If you say you’ll hold a weekly family meeting—do it.
If you agree on a rule, stick to it.
And when things wobble (because they will), reset with compassion, not shame.
I can’t promise you a picture-perfect summer. But I can promise that with a little shared planning, a few clear agreements, and a healthy dose of consistency, you’ll create more space for the moments that matter.
The memories, the giggles, the slow mornings and late-night chats. The connection.
So before the summer rush begins, pause, plan, and prep with purpose.
You’ve got this.
