Last minute summer fun

This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support!

     I was never the Mom who could hardly wait for her kids to go back to school.  I have always loved having my entire family around me at home as much as possible, creating strong family ties and making memories. 
      I know that some families have had school start already, others are starting this week, some not until much later in the month.  But, the time flies when it comes to family time together and some children really stress out about starting school.  Giving them that feeling of family togetherness, love and support can help them cope with life at school as the new school year begins.  Even though I hated sending my children back to school on the inside, on the outside I tried to be excited and encouraging and let them know that our family was there to help them be successful. 

      We were blessed over the last couple of weeks to have some of our grandchildren with us during these last days before school.  We had so much fun together going to the waterpark, swimming and crafting.  We played old school Wii and had bowling tournaments and fun on the Wii Fit.  We watched our watermelon grow in the garden (no ripe ones yet, darn it!).  We also did 1/2 hour of reading every morning  AND, we did a bunch of little activities that cost very little, but were super fun!  Having cousins together was also a highlight of our time together.

       My message to you in this post is to find little ways to help your kids squeeze every minute of fun and enjoyment out of their summer.  Even if they have already started school, many of these activities could easily be done in the evening or on a weekend and would be a respite from the homework grind! 

• Have food preference/comparison contests!  We've done milkshakes, donuts and smoothies from various places.  On these posts we've created printable scorecards here and here that you can use.  With my grandchildren last week we compared Dutch Bros. Strawberry Smoothies with Starbucks Frozen Strawberry-Acai Lemonade.  We also compared Sprite to 7-Up in a blind test.  Simple, but the kids loved it and kept referring back to the results for days! 
• Have a Nailed It competition!  During the pandemic, we had a virtual cupcake decorating competition that was a lot of fun!  I don't think I ever announced a winner because my grandchildren were all so proud of their work.  You could come up with various categories to award prizes for,  for example we decorated cupcakes to look like dogs.  We could have awarded most colorful, best nose, cutest eyes, best fur, most lifelike, most cartoonish, Picasso style, etc.  You get the idea! 

    The adults also joined into this competition! 

• Re-live earlier family moments with treats and videos.  For example, if you went to a Disney park for vacation,  watch your videos, look at the photos, admire your souvenirs and make treats to enjoy together.  We shared some Disney treat ideas on this post that we took with us to Disneyland one year.  Your kids will love them! 
• Have a Back to School Family Dinner!  Use some new school supplies to decorate the table. Serve the kids favorite foods.  Present a family motto for the year, it could be a scripture or a quote or theme that will help encourage or set a goal for the coming school term.  Make a cute back to school cake with your theme written on it! 
• ​Make jewelry with clay and beads that you can use with essential oils.  I have a couple of grandchildren with  ADHD and/or anxiety.  I have noticed when working with them on school work that breathing in essential oils can really help to calm them.  One summer when I was doing summer school with a couple of my grandkids, we made charms to wear from clay that they could add essential oils to to help them concentrate.  That would be a fun activity that will help them feel more prepared and proactive in managing their feelings and ability to concentrate.   Since that time, I've learned more about the use of essential oils. I use Doterra oils.  Here are a few that I would recommend to help kids relax and be able to concentrate: 

• Thinker Blend from Doterra for concentration
• Frankincense for concentration
• Lavender to calm
• Peppermint for alertness
• Vetiver for calming and grounding
• Cheer Uplifting Blend to beat the blues

     Do you have any end of summer traditions that you do with your kids that squeezes in one more fun activity that starts them out in school with happy memories?  Please share them with us in the comments!