School is ending here in the South and summer is officially starting. Even if you live in areas where you have a month to go, now is the time to start those summer organizing projects which will allow your family to enjoy summer to the max.
Where should you focus your summer organizing?
Summer Organizing Project #1 – Stop, breathe and ponder:
It’s likely been a busy school and first half of the year with May being as chaotic as the end of year holiday season. So, stop, take some long, deep, calming breaths. Then, give thought to what summer has in store for you and your family. This will help you find which summer organizing projects are key to your success.
· Will the kids be home or away at camps?
· Will your work schedule need to change in order to accommodate new routines?
· What family trips or excursions are planned, or do you still want to plan some?
· Will others be coming for a visit?
· Will summer be busy managing all of the items just mentioned, or will you truly have some “lazy days of summer” to tackle projects you can’t manage during the rest of the year?
Summer Organizing Project #2 – If applicable, wrap up the school year:
Teachers are busy cleaning up their classrooms and restoring order, and you should do the same. Here are some tasks to consider:
· Clean out backpacks and lunch boxes.
· Are there any textbooks, library books or uniforms that need to be returned?
· Go through school papers and artwork. File or store the most valuable and special items or better yet take pictures of your child with their masterpieces.
· Can school supplies and extracurricular items be stored away for a few months until they are needed again?
Summer Organizing Project #3– Revisit the high traffic areas:
Most families traverse back and forth from the garage through a dumping area of some sort to the kitchen multiple times a day. As a result, it’s easy for chaos to ensue.
· Start by sorting each person’s belongings.
· Which items can be relocated to bedrooms or other areas of the home?
· Which items are just plain done with and can be donated or need to be tossed?
· Which items can be stored away until school starts again?
· If everyone makes their own lunches and snacks, does the pantry need to be sorted and reorganized?
· How’s the Tupperware and lunchbox area looking? Play the matching game and get rid of any that don’t have matching lids or bottoms or are just plain skanky.
Summer Organizing Project #4 – How accessible are the summer toys and activity items?
It’s not uncommon for summer items to get a little buried throughout the year. Time to unearth, clean off and prepare any of the following:
· Beach bags and items
· Pool towels, rafts and toys
· Sunscreen and bug spray – check those expiration dates!
· Camp items
· Bubbles, sidewalk chalk, butterfly catchers and the like
Summer Organizing Project #5 – Set up the summer schedule and expectations:
Students will inevitably have summer reading, math packets and other work to do over the summer. Parents may have designated summer to tackle some projects they don’t typically have time for. Have open discussions where everyone plans out when they will work on these not-so-fun tasks so time doesn’t slip away leading to panic a week before school starts back up. A little planning goes a long way, so I recommend the following:
· Review who has what work to do.
· The school year naturally leads to increased productivity given the structure that is in place. Creating a loose structure over the summer is needed in order to put productivity in place. Maybe it’s an hour every day before or after dinner. Decide what it needs to be and create the family calendar as a reminder.
· Have fun deciding how to make summer work fun! An ice cream sundae bar at the end of each week if everyone has adhered to the schedule? This includes you, parents, for working on what you need to!
· Make sure expectations are clearly communicated with agreed upon reminders.
Summer is meant for fun and with a little planning and organization this summer will keep things running smoothly and allow for lots of summer fun! Now start those summer organizing projects!
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