In a world that says, Sign them up for everything!
I'm going to advocate that you should sign your kids up for nothing.
Well, maybe not nothing. But be sure to protect your family time and protect their childhood.
Give your kids lots of time to just enjoy being home and playing together. Give them lots of chances to be bored and make up their own games. Make sure your schedule has gaps and free time. That'll give you opportunities to say yes to birthday parties, yes to adventures when the weather is nice, yes to trips, yes to waulity time and fun things on the weekends. Most importantly, it'll give you free time to enjoy being home together and finding favorite things to do at home.
My kids are currently signed up for nothing and we are thrilled about it.
We are adjusting to life at three different schools, working on finding our groove at home with two working parents, going to church/youth group on Sundays and I haven't signed anyone up for anything extra. We all look forward to zooming home from work/school to just hang out together.
The kids are signed up for nothing, but we are working on:
1. Making your own rice krispie treats
2. Folding laundry together
3. Improving volleyball skills
4. Tennis in the street
5. Riding bikes
6. Playing in the backyard
7. Inviting neighbors over to play and making play date plans with friends
8. Playing games together
9. Doing homework
10. Grocery shopping and errands together
Our days are very full, but they are very full of the things we LOVE.
I'm sure busier seasons will come where the kids are eager to sign up for extras. Right now, we are just enjoying life together with kids ages 11, 8 and 4 and not having to run people a million different directions on the evenings and weekends.
Favorite moment of the week: We got a surprise rain storm after school yesterday. The kids were playing with a neighbor and instead of coming in when it started raining, they invented rain games in the driveway. It was the highlight of my week to watch them be little and just play together.
I love this so much!! ❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteGirl, we are right there with you! I love these days of creativity and togetherness. We are in one monthly homeschool group. Other than that, our weeks are filled with whatever we want to fill them with-- trips to parks and nature centers, play dates, or simply just playing at home, cooking, board games, etc. My kids are all very friendly, creative, self-motivated, and energetic and I think our choices to not over-schedule their days have cultivated those characteristics!
ReplyDeleteI do wonder sometimes where some people find time to just relax at home with all the clubs and teams that their kids are involved in. My girls used to do a few clubs after school but we still made plenty of time for family fun. I love the things that you are working on, enjoy this time!
ReplyDeleteI’m really happy with the idea that I didn’t sign my son up for any day camp, etc. this year. He had a good summer and it was a little more spontaneous and flexible for the whole family.
ReplyDeleteI love this! This is how I grew up, and looking back I'm so grateful for it.
ReplyDelete