A year ago, I left a teaching job to stay at home full-time with my three little bambinos.  I started writing about our little adventures, big ideas, and family meals.  Then, in the fall, my oldest went off to kindergarten.  We survived!  Summer officially begins this week, so I am taking some time to turn off the electronics, shuttle kids to swim lessons, find a campfire to roast some marshmallows, and relish some time with our party of five.  Before I grab my swimsuit and stock up on water balloons, here are some things that might help spark some summer fun.  Happy June!  And, Happy Summer!

Create a summer bucket list, wish list, checklist…Call it what you want, but actually writing down family outings, fun food, and quick trips helps you actually get them done.  Use small post-its for a flexible calendar (items are easily moved if weather or budget don’t cooperate), get the kids to create a summer checklist a poster their first day out of school, or make it family affair and brainstorm together one night during dinner.

For our list, each person was given their own colored note card.  Each picked three things they wanted us to do as a family this summer (we keep it simple – that’s still 12-15 activities).  I hole punched them and put them in my meal planning binder so when I make a menu for the week, I can keep an eye on each person’s list and add things to the family calendar.

Head to the clearance aisle or dollar store and stock up on fun summer goodies you can hide back and spring on the kids during a hot lazy afternoon.  I tucked away birthday party candy for reading time, beach inspired paper plates, dive sticks for the pool, new sidewalk chalk, Velcro catch mits, and a handful of new kid-friendly snack & drink recipes.

Surprise a friend with a Summer’s Here!  Basket.  The boys brainstormed for our fave mother-daughter duo.  We grabbed a dollar store bucket and filled it with sunscreen, beach towels, nail polish, bubbles, a beach ball, water balloons, a kite, a water gun, gummy bears (my kids think gummy bears MAKE any gift or occasion), a special Minnie-Mouse cup, sidewalk chalk, and glow sticks.  We will leave it for them to find when they come home from their last day of school.  Most of the items in ours were right around $1, so we were able to give a lot for just a little out of our weekly budget.

Throw a Welcome to Summer Party the last day of school.  Break out the slip and slide or sprinkler, water balloons, hop scotch, bean bag toss or any other DIY backyard fun to let your brood know you’re glad as glad as they are that summer has begun.  I’m going to try Valerie’s  water sponge bombs – she has so much great stuff! Check out my Summer Pinterest board for more ideas than I have time to make!

Pick them up from school the last day and go on an impromptu family vacation or outing.

Complete a Mom Challenge.  I like this one from iMOM.  It is 30 days, so it’s perfect for June.

Prepare to keep your sanity.  Read about some of these parent tactics (this mom’s creative gounding, his get along shirt, and their creative consequences), assemble your own incentive program (my kids chose a marble jar model – Super Summer Jar), make or order a cute chore chart, and plan out some scheduled activities.

Find local lessons, camps, or classes to enroll the kids for some away from the house fun.  Check into summer reading programs at your library and easy games you can play with them to help retain all the academic strides they made this school year.  Avoid that famous line, “I’m bored!” with these free printables (I’m Bored and I’m Bored too).  Just post them somewhere easy for the kids to find and when they come find you, point them to the idea sheet.

The main thing is to be present with your kids.  Big or small, they will just remember they enjoyed hanging with mom & dad (or grandma!).  How do you create sparkle in your summer?