Plan a low-screen summer with me!

Boredom, independence challenges, and a fill-in worksheet for kids and parents

Another year, another summer of boredom — or at least that’s the hope :)

Last year’s inaugural summer planning newsletter was one of my favorites: not only did it embody much of what we’re trying to do here at The Connected Family — hopefully helping you to scaffold creativity, adventure, warmth, and fun in your home sans technology — but it also forced me to get my own plans in order! (Thanks, pals!) Looking back, it’s fun to see that it was one of 2024’s most popular posts.

Of course, laying a foundation for another low-screen, low-key summer has been on my mind as we round the bend on the school year, and I’m guessing it’s been on yours, too. It’s no secret that it takes careful planning to facilitate a slow summer — especially for working parents — but to me, it is worth every bit of extra effort: spending the hot, lazy days of summer at home were formative for me when I was in elementary school, and I cherish being able offer them to my kids.

Relaxed time to be a kid. Time outside. Time to be bored and to use their imaginations. Time to read. Time to play with neighborhood friends. Time to create. Time to grow closer together as siblings… that’s what we fight for over here. (And, you know, time for John and I to do our work with minimal interruption.)

I know a long, slow summer filled with imagination-fueling boredom is not every family’s goal. You might be looking for academic progress, or exposure to new activities, or ways to further your child’s passion, or socialization opportunities. You might also have more constraints given your job or finances. Your unique mix of priorities will almost certainly look different than ours or your neighbors’. That is okay.

But if you, too, are hoping to scaffold a summer filled with boredom — boredom that, at best, might bloom into creativity, relationship, resourcefulness, independence, patience, and passion — I’d love to share a few ways we’ll be doing it in our home this year, including how last year’s plan worked out and what we’re changing for the summer ahead.

And psst — I’m also sharing v. cute, v. fun “summer planning” worksheets you can download for the whole family to fill out together. (There’s one version for the parents and one for the kids, but many questions overlap!) I hope they lead to good conversation, and help surface some shared things to look forward to in the months ahead! We’ll be filling ours out at our upcoming end-of-the-school-year / beginning-of-summer celebration dinner.