Summer changes each season as the kids get older. 

We went from planned out days of park dates, crafts and sprinklers in the yard….
to dropping them at the pool each day and managing screen time….
and now the kids are 15,14 and almost 12, I know this summer will look a little different than the last. 

My oldest is going on bike rides and meeting up with friends. I am muttering things about him getting a job, and he is happily shooting pucks in the yard and drinking all of the milk.

The other two are looking for adventures, and I am either the warden saying no to the grand schemes or the taxi service and Responsible Adult on scene. 

Either way, I am already getting in lots of deck time to do my sudokus, listen to birds and read some books. 

BUT.… I am being naive, we have barely begun, and I have not heard enough ‘there is nothing to eat/do/watch’ to really sanction this as Summer Break yet.

I know that even as the kids get older, I still need to Summer on Purpose.  I need to outline what we will and won’t be doing, what I expect of them, and also, the ways we will have FUN too! 

(Cause summer is the best and I want to enjoy it too!)

Here are some Summer 2026 strategies I am considering, as we start out:

(and OMG I am rolling my own eyes so hard at me! I see the these posts about ‘how we make our summer run smoothly!’ and I’m always thinking, ‘You haven’t even gotten through it yet! Tell me what worked after you have put all this through the testing phase of perpetual laundry, teenage eyerolls and having to get more groceries every 2.1 days!’

BUT here we are, these are my intentions I am hopeful about. Highjinx will ensue.)

 

THE SUMMER CALENDAR

Rather than me having full control over what we do and when (like when they were younger), I can no longer assume they will just go along with whatever activity I have planned because they have opinions and autonomy and varying degrees of thinking all my plans are lame. 

 

I made this calendar because my husband and my oldest said they should make a plan for summer. And I have hung this calendar in hopes that I can drop enough hints so they will soon gather us all around and lead a summer planning meeting. 

In the meantime, we are slowly filling it in with things that are happening.

(This is BIG planning, the highlevel stuff. All my daily/weekly plans are in the Google Calendar)

 

STAYCATION

Last summer we did a lot of travelling, but !in this economy! we will be staying home a lot more. 

I am making plans (list of local spots to go to) and gathering supplies (like a giant floating island I got from the FB bidding wars) that I think older kids will like. 

One thing I know we need more of are individual floaties. But they just don’t make them like they used to. I feel like every year I have to buy multiple new ones bcause they pop so easily. I often go on rants in my home about how wasteful it is all. So if you have more durable solutions that have worked for you, please share! 

 

FOOD and FRIENDS

Thankfully, we live in a small town where kids just show up at the door and want to play. I have always loved being a house that kids drop in on. This means having lots of kids’ snacks, cute art supplies, water guns, and being comfortable asking other people’s kids to clean up their dishes and sing-songing ‘ok, time for everyone to have screen-free tiiiiime’!

 

CHARGE THE FLIP PHONE

Two kids have cell phones, and the youngest won’t get one for another year, so we are still in our flip phone days. I have dusted it off and have to keep it plugged in so he can take it out into the neighbourhood and be ‘findable’

 

EXPECT THE ASK

One thing I learned last summer is that when I am reading a book in the sunshine, having a Marmot Girl Summer, my kids will decide they have plans that HAVE TO happen RIGHT NOW. Then it is my own struggle between letting myself lounge and also wanting them to go enjoy summer (not on a screen). 

I am learning two things
One is to bring my lounging with me. Keeping my beach chair in the truck and a bag of snacks and books ready.
The other is to prep my own daily routine to allow for a kid-led outing – and ideally, have them plan it out with me ahead of time.

 

SUMMER CHORES

The pool is up, the deck is in full use, there are three loads of dishes happening before dinner, and a pile of towels is always ready to be washed or folded. 

Summer means more people at home which means more mess, which means the kids are expected to do more chores. 

Last summer I worked on fine tuning the chore chart based on the areas that needed to be cleaned regularly. This is the rotation where we have landed:

 

BE THE VIBE

And most importantly, it always comes down to me checking in with me.
How do I feel?
What do I need?
How do I want to show up?

Not for the goal of being perfectly happy and hospitable 100% of the time….just aiming for a health 50%! Because this is my summer too and I want to enjoy it! 

 

SUMMER ON PURPOSE WORKBOOK 

The workbook is now on ETSY!
Where I am learning how to put up different things I’ve created over the years…including the newly launched Marmot Girl Summer shirts (cause we all want to be a lil furry snacker lounging in sunbeams and leaving when there are too many people)