Our summer days are either too full of activities or are days with absolutely nothing for the children to do. How can we get a better balance? -- Stressful Days
Answer: It's not a bad idea for children to have times when they don't have any structured activities. They have to learn how to fill their time. And this definitely does not mean spending all day on the computer, playing video games or texting friends. In fact, when making summer plans, you should leave unstructured time for choosing other activities, such as an impromptu hot dog cookout for lunch, a tie-dyeing session with friends or a bicycle trip. Your children might like to make a list of possible activities to choose from when they think there is nothing to do.
If you haven't done so already, get out a calendar and start filling it in with the activities that your family has definitely scheduled this summer, from trips to classes to sporting events to parties. When your children are young, you will have to plan most of the activities. By the time they are teens, they should be planning most of their activities on their own. It can be fun to schedule a family fun day or part of a day each week for a special adventure. It's a great way to build solid family relationships.