14 Best Tips On How To Survive Summer Break As A SAHM

You’re a stay-at-home mom and summer vacation is creeping up on you, or it just started… And you are already dreading the thought of entertaining your kids for hours on end while dealing with the sweltering heat, constant “I’m hungry”, and the “I’m bored”. But don’t worry, you are in good hands with these awesome tips on how to survive summer as a SAHM!

Here are 14 Tips on how to survive summer as a SAHM

I get it! I have four kids, ages five thru nine, the last two being twins, summer months can feel like the longest season of my life, especially if i’m not prepared or organized. My goal every summer is to have a balance of routine, family time and relax time. These summer hacks and tips do exactly that!

How to Survive Summer as a SAHM Tip #1: Have an established wake up time

With four kids, having an established wake up time is so helpful! 

If I didn’t have a set wake up time, all of my kids would wake up at different times creating chaos first thing in the morning, and that is NOT how I want to start every day during summer.

Having the same wake up time for all of the kids, allows me to have my own morning routine and get some things done before the day gets busy with kids.

Bonus tip: Have your kids do Independent Play in their rooms if they wake up before your established wake up time.

To help extend sleep during the summer, buy black out curtains so your kids don’t wake up earlier due to the sun peaking in. As an inexpensive DIY summer hack, take a dark sheet and cover up the windows using command hooks. It really helps and many times can get you an extra hour of morning sleep! 

Tip #2: No technology / devices until all chores are done

The carrot of iPads is a huge pull in our household. It’s a great time for me to get the most work and help from my kids.

Before morning screen time or devices, my children know that chores need to be done first. 

Chores include:

• Clean Room
• Make Bed
• Put clothes away
• Dishes, Trash & Laundry for older kids

This is such a win/win in our family. Ages 5-9.

Use this FREE Kids Daily Checklist to assign chores and daily responsibility for your kids.

Tip #3 -Have a self serve / ready-to-go breakfast station

For me one of the hardest parts of summer is the constant feeding and “I’m hungry”. A few years ago I created a self serve breakfast station and it was a huge hit and success with my kids! It allowed them to get their own breakfast each morning, and allowed me to finish my morning routine, finish getting ready, & fake clean my house!! All needed things so I can guarantee I as a mom have a great day!

I highly recommend adding this ASAP to survive summer as a SAHM! 

Step 1: Create the menu and tape it to the inside of the refrigerator 

Step 2: Prepare and prep the food

Different breakfast foods that I include: muffin pancakes, egg bake, washed & cut fruit, cereal with mess free milk containers, yogurt with granola. 

I meal prep and food prep year round, and summer is no different. In fact, I often prep more food during the summer since the kids are at home more and eating more. To spend LESS time in your kitchen, food prep as much food as you can at the beginning of the week, it literally will save you HOURS each week! And not just for your kids, but food and meal prep for you too! (It’s also a sure way to not snack all summer and gain “summer weight”)

For more meal prepping and planning hacks, check out: 5 Meal Planning Hacks – How I save HOURS Each week

Step 3: Have self serve snack plate option too

I love these snack platters and use them daily, especially during summer. You can throw any fresh or packaged food on these platters and instantly they become the best snack your kids have ever had!

Take this platter outside and it becomes a super fun picnic!

Survive Summer as a SAHM Tip #4 – Have a schedule / routine

Kids are used to routines, especially coming off of a year of school, which circulates around routines and schedules. While I do love summer to feel more relaxed and flexible, I would be setting myself up for failure if I did not build some routine in to our summer days.

Here’s what a typical (non-camp) day looks like for my family:

8am – set wake up time (Individual play in room if wake up earlier)

8am – 9am – Chores & self serve breakfast, dressed, teeth brushed. Can watch tv or get on device once everything is done

9am – 11:30am – Outside play or morning activity

11:30 – 12:3pm – Lunch

12:30 – 2:30pm – Quiet time, Individual time, errands

2:30 – 4:30pm – Outside play / swim

4:30 – 6:00pm – Tv, devices until dinner

6:00 – 8:00pm – Evening routine, time with dad, bedtime (varies per age of child)

We have lots of different things going on this summer, so not every day will look like this, but it is nice to have plan of attack and an idea of what a typical day looks like to help set expectations and transitions for your kids.

Kids respond better when they have an idea of what their day looks like. 

We try to stay consistent with bed times, nap time, quiet times (with Independent Play), and wake up times to have structure around our day.

Save this schedule to your Pinterest board for reference later.

Tip #5 – Get out of the house every day

This can be as simple as going in the backyard to play. It doesn’t have to be an expensive activity or day trip. A morning walk to the park is a great daily activity to break up the day and get out of the house. Sunshine, vitamin D and nature can make the worst of days, and bad moods melt away.

Tip #6 – Don’t skip your morning routine 

Did you just spend all school year refining and creating a habit of having a morning routine? Don’t throw it all away because of summer! I honestly feel it is summer that has the biggest reward in being consistent with your morning routine.

I need my morning routine to prepare my attitude for a day of extra patience, to deal with four kids all day long.

I’m passionate about moms moving their bodies every day and I have a very doable daily exercise plan that I do each morning in my morning routine. Check it out here!

Survive Summer as a SAHM Tip #7 – Have your car stocked and prepared

Do you feel you live in your car? I do, especially during summer! Last summer I stocked my trunk with all of our “must have’s” so we were always prepared for wherever the day took us.

We have lots of flexibility in our summer, which also means, at any given moment we could be doing something completely unexpected. Having my car packed, ready to go, allows us to be flexible, spontaneous and enjoy all of the fun moments of summer!

What do I pack and stock in my car?

For the ultimate car organization and cleaning hacks and tips, check out: 6 Easy Car Organization Hacks – The Ultimate Guide

Here’s a quick list:

• Blanket

• 40 case of bottled water

• Extra towels

• Sunscreen

• Snacks

• Sports equipment (football, frisbee, ball & glove)

• Extra swimsuits & shoes

Tip #8- Have the kids help you reset your house

Before you head out to a fun activity, have your kids help you pick up the house and their rooms, and everything they were playing with that morning.

Don’t leave until it’s all picked up. They have urgency because of the fun activity they want to get to. Make sure you give them plenty of time. 15+ min to complete the task. But if they screw around and don’t do it, you have to be willing to FOLLOW THROUGH with not going until home is all reset. Be consistent as this is a great hack to get your kids to clean up their messes.

Tip #9 – Summer Fun Bucket List

All year long I add things to our Summer Bucket List stored in “Notes” on my phone. While we might not get to every item on our bucket list, it’s very helpful to have a list for those “no plans” kind of day where you are itching to get out of the house. These activities create opportunity for quality time with my kids, creating the best summer memories.

Just pull up your bucket lists and pick an item and off you go. 

Our fun summer activities include ideas like:

• Water park
• Beach
• Go on a hike
• Roller skating
• Zoo
• Road trips
• Backyard water slide
• Homemade ice cream

Snag your FREE Fun Activities List for summer printable HERE!!

Tip #10 – Survive summer as a SAHM with Local FREE programs and events

Getting out of the house everyday can be challenging if your summer budget is tight. Luckily, there are lots of local FREE kid friendly activities available in your local town / city, local library, you just need to know where to look. Check out this list of 75 FREE things to do with kids this summer!

Tip #11 – Camps

If the budget allows it, a summer day camp, or over night camps are great options and wonderful growing opportunities for your kids! Some of my best childhood memories occurred at summer camp.

It is also a great way for busy and tired SAHM mom’s to survive summer!

I’ve even volunteered a couple times at the VBS camp my kids go to and it was a wonderful experience with my kids. So many great memories and LOTS of fun!

Tip #10 – Minimize dishes

With the constant eating comes the constant dishes. Minimize the extra work for yourself by using paper plates. Or, quickly rinse off the dish that was just used and re-use at the next snack or meal. No need to have extra dishes. Surviving summer as a SAHM is hard enough!

Tip #11 – Run a lap

This is different than having your kids “play outside”. Outside play is definitely part of our daily summer routine, but I use this hack for when we have transitioned back inside and the kids are acting crazy.

I can’t take credit for this mom hack, as a friend of mine told me about this idea. But immediately when I heard it I knew I loved it! This is a great year round mom hack, but I have a feeling I might be using this mom hack even more during the summer. haha!

We have 3 boys, and the energy of boys is like none other. So when my boys get super rambunctious inside the house, I tell them to go “run a lap”.

Which means they put on their shoes and they go outside and run our circular driveway. It allows them to run off that extra energy, and it signals to them that they need to calm their bodies down before they come back in to my house.

If they come back inside and are still acting crazy, back outside for another lap.

It sounds so simple, but is very affective.

Tip #12 – Let them be bored

Be OK when your kids say they are bored. With technology, children are being taught that instant gratification is a demand. Often not able to handle self play or creative play. 

Encourage more outside play and be OK when your kids say “I’m bored”. Don’t try to entertain them all day long or fix their boredom.

Let them figure it out on their own. You will be so surprised what they think of and the creativity they use. Summer is the perfect season to encourage your kids to explore and entertain themselves. It’s a life skill not talked about enough.

Here is a list of 80+ things to do when your kids say they are bored, including fun indoor activities!

Tip #13 – Don’t neglect Self Care

Avoid summer mom burnout by making sure you make self care a priority. The days of summer can feel long, especially if you are solo with your kids most of that time. Get creative and plan in some self care time for you to survive summer as a SAHM.

Related Post: 7 Important Self Care Items for Busy Moms – Do these daily!

Survive Summer as a SAHM Tip #14 – Ask for help

As a stay-at-home mom I planned ahead and built in to my summer schedule a babysitter coming over every Thursday for a few hours to help me out. If your budget does’t allow to pay for a sitter, consider a friend kid swap or asking a family member to help.

I just know myself, and after 10 summers at home alone with my kids, I know that I will burn out and start hate being a mom if I don’t bring in some re-enforcement and reprieve.

HOW TO HAVE A HAPPY SUMMER WITH YOUR KIDS

Lower your expectations, and then lower them some more. As moms we tend to go into summer with grandiose ideas of these amazing summer experiences and memories we want to make with our kids.

All great intentions, but often times not very realistic. Children love the simple lazy days, in pajamas all day long, binging Star Wars, just as much as the insane, expensive trips.

Don’t get caught up in the hustle and pressure of social media or FOMO, that usually ends in a stressed out mom hating summer.

Slow down, lower expectations, keep things simple, and use these tips to survive summer as a SAHM.

How to Survive an Entire Summer as a SAHM Recap

With some careful planning, a little creativity, and these few survival tips, you can make it through summer with your sanity (mostly) intact.

From simple activities like picnics at the park using a snack tray, to backyard water games, to planning special outings and getting help from fellow mom friends, there are plenty of ways to keep yourself and your little ones entertained while also enjoying some much-needed relaxation time.

So let’s tackle this summer together and make it one to remember (for all the right reasons)!

While summer at times may feel long, before you know it, back to school will be here. So check out The ultimate Back to School Checklist for Moms so you are ready!

Looking for more genius hacks? Don’t forget to check out…

• 100+ FUN SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS (FREE PRINTABLE)
• 80+ Fun & Amazing Things To Do When Kids Are Bored
• 85 Best & Fun Youth Indoor Activities for Your Kids

Want other amazing mom routines to help you stay on top of mom life?

Check out 13 Important Routines for Moms

I would love to hear from you, leave a comment, and share your favorite tips below.

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