As a family, our world tends to calm down a bit during the summer . There are no morning school drop offs and pick ups, extra curricular activities go on a break and I don’t have to make school lunches!! Check out my June summer must haves for kids and families. Check out my favorites to see ways I keep the kids minds active, how I connect with the kids on a deeper level, and random things that make us happy during the summer.
This list may be unconventional and completely different from other lists you find… but that is the beauty of each of our individual personalities… 🙂
Please note that affiliate links may be used in this post.
Ways To Save Money during the summer
- Ebates – Who doesn’t want money back when they are shopping? I’m a good deal kinda girl and if I can shave off a few dollars here and there I’m definitely going to click the button! E-bates gives you cash back at most of my favorite online stores. You can sign up for a free account here.
My favorite things to keep my brain and home organized and clutter free:
- MomAgenda School Years Journal – I have done a whole blog post on how much I LOVE our Mom Agenda: School Years – School Memories Keepsake book. I never lose report cards, pictures and important school documents. Everything is neatly filed in the journal’s grade files plus during the summer we fill out all the important details about the school year. This includes which sports and activities my children did, who their best friends were and even their current signature!
- Mr. and Mrs. Ring Dish – organizing makes me happy as you might have already noticed with my homework cart/art cart… but there’s something extra magical about this ring dish. Firstly, it lets me know if one of us forgot to wear our ring each day and second, it’s such a beautiful reminder of my spouse! (Apparently, it’s not just me.. my husband smiles every time he looks at this dish.)
- Drink: Instant Cappuccino – With the kids at home all summer I need my 15 minute coffee/tea break… I don’t want to waste any moment of that time by needing to make my coffee. This instant cappuccino is my favorite! I don’t like my coffee very strong and I have not found anything that can compete with this particular brand of Instant cappuccino. It is also a great way to give yourself an energy boost after those later summer nights. Because let’s face it, late nights with kids often do not mean late mornings too!
Favorite Toys
- Red Tricycle – There is not a single day that my 3 year old daughter does not use her red tricycle. It is MUCH loved and definitely a must have for a preschooler.
-
- Scooter – We have had our scooters for over 5 years and they are still going strong. They are used EVERY single day especially in summer! My 8 year old and 3 year old have pink ones while my 10 year old son has a blue one. Once you go with MicroScooters there’s no turning back. Their quality of scooters are amazing and the kids LOVE using that they use their body in order to guide their scooters in different directions.
- Kids Water Table – Our water table is my preschoolers favorite way to cool off during the summer. It is placed in our backyard in the shade with some fun water cups. She is often drenched afterwards but loves EVERY single minute of it. Plus, I get to sit down and relax while she is busy. (It is a great time to drink my instant cappuccino.)
Favorite way to connect with the kids and work on their writing!
- Mom and Me Journal: A mother and son journal and Mom and Me Journal: A Mother and Daughter Journal. Journaling is something that I started doing with my kids last year. It is a great way to get an inner look into my children’s thoughts while seeing what their writing and storytelling skills are like. Within the first week, I learned that my daughter felt frustrated with typing at school (which, she had never vocalized to me before) and I found a typing game that would help her through it. Each and every time we write to each other, I learn something new about my daughter. Even though I am her Mom and thought I already knew everything!
- Polaroid Zip Printer – The zip printer takes our journaling sessions to the next level. We are able to take random pictures using my cell phone and then print them out immediately using the Polaroid Zip Printer. We recently got the Polaroid Snap camera and it’s been fun playing with this. I will have a journaling blog post coming to you soon! These tools are a great way to capture those summer memories!
Favorite boredom busters and kids activities
- Kiwi Crate – If you are a regular reader of Fun With Mama then you probably already know how much I love these boxes. They are the perfect summer boredom busters. You get around 2-3 wonderful kids activities that often include STEM and STEAM components.Check out my Koala Crate Reviews and Kiwi Crate Reviews here. Use code FUNWITHMAMA30 for 30% off your first box.
- Ed Emberly Fingerprint Art book – I did an in depth review of this book. You can find the review of fingerprint art books here and grab some printable drawing frames too. Summer is the best time to work on a child’s creativity and art skills. I LOVE Ed Emberly’s drawing books and often sit down with the kids and work through it too! I guess you are never too old to stop filling your creative bucket.
- ABC Mouse – Just because it’s summer, it doesn’t mean that I want my kids to forget what they’ve learned in school. We have allotted 30 minutes of educational app playing each day. We normally use ABC Mouse at this time.
How I don’t miss out on capturing those summer memories:
- Portable Chargers – I have 2 portable chargers. A small mascara sized one that I keep in my handbag and another slightly bigger size that I keep in my car. When I am at the beach taking pictures of my kids, the last thing I want to see is my battery dying. Does your phone always die during the most important moment? Mine used to.. but not anymore.
What are YOUR summer must haves?
Leave a Comment