Here in North Texas, we are on our 100th day of temperatures over 100 degrees. Maybe that’s an exaggeration but not by much. Everything is hot. The heat on the playground slide will burn right through your shorts before it even reaches noon. Even the floating thermometer in the pool reads 90 degrees. Let’s face it, we are quarantining from the sun and the summer heat. When this happens, even the siblings who are the best of friends start to get on each other’s nerves. If your home feels more like a battleground than a family home, we understand. Our team put our heads together and have a few hacks to help you survive the last few weeks of summer vacation.
Assess The Situation
HALT—Are the kids Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired? If they are any of these, start there with resolving the situation before it gets out of hand. Have healthy snacks available for kids to grab when they are hungry. Nothing can be meaner than a hangry 10 year old. If you sense anger brewing between your kids, help them talk it out before it erupts into a battle. If it has been days since your Yellow extrovert has seen friends, help them organize some people-time. If the kids are tired and cranky, look for some low-energy activities they can do to rest and recharge.
A side note… you are not the summer cruise director. Teach your kids how to monitor their own needs and determine appropriate ways to respond; it’s a key life skill they need.
Set The Timer
Mandatory Quiet Time. Even if your kids have given up nap time years ago, an hour of alone time each afternoon in a private space will help everyone reset their mood for the day. Kids can play quietly with toys in their rooms, read, or do art projects. If you get lucky, they might even fall asleep.
Rotating Screen Time. Give each child in your home their own hour of the day where they can watch their choice of shows or play video games. Siblings can share their brother or sister’s time, but they don’t get to have input into what to watch or play.
Set Limits and Schedules
Sleep schedules. Back to school season is just a few weeks away. This is a good time to start transitioning back to a normal sleep schedule. Start sending the kids to their rooms a little earlier each week. They may not be ready to sleep yet, but following the bedtime schedule, followed by quiet play or reading, helps them transition to sleep more easily.
Then, as much as you love an early quiet morning, wake them early on a schedule. This helps to reset their back to school body clock, and it allows them to get indoor and outdoor chores out of the way before it gets too hot.
Have meals at regular times. As mentioned above, always have healthy snacks available, but serving meals on a schedule will help eliminate the arguments over who ate the last hot pocket, the last waffle, or all the chips when no one was looking.
Everyone needs a job. In both big and small families, it takes everyone’s help to make the home function. One of the best ways to eliminate arguments is to have everyone contribute to the operation of the home. In our Teaching Responsibility resource, we outline jobs and skills for every stage of life.
Remember Summer Fun
Make sure you and the family are getting out at least every couple of days by going to a movie, a splash pad, a water park, or anything that breaks up the monotony of day after day stuck inside hiding from the heat.
Celebrate success. If the kids last the day without a battle erupting, make a surprise run to Sonic, DQ, or your favorite snow-cone shack.
Theme nights at home can be great ways to get everyone involved and looking forward to something that evening. One child can plan the menu, one or two can plan the decorations, and another can plan games. The point is to engage the kids in something constructive.
Additional Hacks
- Establish no touching zones. If the kids always end up fighting when sitting on the couch, that becomes a no touching zone. Violation of the zone results in lost couch privileges for 24 hours.
- Private space is private space. Siblings are not allowed to go into each other’s rooms or use their stuff without permission.
- Battles result in immediate separation and time to cool down before digging into the issue. Always allow both sides of the argument to explain what happened before moving forward.
