13 Ways to Enjoy the Last Days of Summer with Your Family! #tips
This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label.
Ways to Enjoy the Last Days of Summer with Your Family!
This summer seems like it simply flew by! Summer break is almost over and it’s time for kids to fall into a back-to-school rhythm. I know that I’ve started with some Fall prep for home and the school year already. But the end of summer doesn’t mean the fun has to stop.
Read on for 13 tips on getting your little ones school-ready for school. Plus, ways to enjoy the last days of summer as a family.
1. Set your clocks for more fun!
The week before kids go back to school, it’s time to start gradually implementing familiar routines and bedtimes, and that means earlier wake-up times. But waking up early doesn’t have to be a chore. After breakfast, start your day with a family outing—playing ball in the backyard or taking a hike to the park beats the couch any day!
2. Sleep-In
Wait, what? I know the first tip was to get them ready for the upcoming school year. But, at least one day of the last couple weeks, let them sleep in. That is one of the things that my daughters both love and tell me they miss when the school year starts.
3. Get Outdoors but, Treat Those Allergies
If your kids have seasonal allergies that flare up around school time (hello, ragweed), it can be tough convincing them to take their medicine. Luckily, we have some effective -medicine that relieves allergy symptoms and come in great flavors! Your kids will be ready to hit the great outdoors with AERIUS Kids® or Claritin® Kids. Both offer 24-hour non-drowsy relief and come in a great-tasting syrup.
4. Eat Breakfast Outside
Have you ever had a picnic breakfast? Maybe not so much picnic but, eating breakfast and brunch on the patio is always a hit in our house. Coffee tastes better when you’re outside, let me tell you. The kids love the chance to eat al fresco. It’s always a treat. Plus, when they’re done, they can sneak off and play while you try to maintain this summer’s tan!
5. Have a Cook Out
Nothing screams summer than a delicious cook out in the back yard. It truly is a shame to put that grill away without a few last meals. You can even make it a pot luck and ask guests to bring sides and desserts, and all you’ll have to supply is the burgers, hot dogs and steaks. This is the perfect moment to enjoy all those typical summer food to the fullest. Enjoy summer fruits like mango, strawberries, watermelon or pineapple. It’s also really nice to organize a nice BBQ during one of the hotter days and don’t forget to invite some friends to make an evening to remember.
6. Backyard Camping & Treat Nasal Cold Symptoms
Don’t let a summer cold or stuffy nose put a damper on your kids last summer days. hydraSense® has a solution just for young children that can clear nasal passages without medications or chemical additives. They will be all clear and ready to go! Set up a tent and grab the flashlights and camp!
7. Look at the Stars
Choose a nice, clear, and cool night and put down a blanket and look up at the stars. If you have a trampoline, you can get in and lay down and try to spot constellations. Either way, it’s a nice way to enjoy a summer evening. I always remind myself to enjoy them before the cooler weather sets in.
8. Go for a Last Road Trip
The girls love a good road trip. When we pack an overnight bag and a cooler with snacks and drinks and hit the road. Bonus points if we don’t know your final destination. But, if you’d rather plan ahead, I’m not judging. Pick a city nearby and enjoy a day trip up or book a night at a hotel, motel or cabin. Be adventurous, that’s what summer is all about.
9. Go to the Beach One Last Time
If you have a beach in your city or town, make it a point to sink your toes in the sand one last time. We have a couple beaches nearby and we always make it a priority to hit the beach. Even if it’s just to make sand castles, play beach volleyball and wet our toes! Don’t forget the sunscreen!
10. Go for a Picnic
Scope out a park in your city that you haven’t visited. Ask the kids to pick one of their favourite dishes and pack a picnic basket, blanket and a frisbee. Have a good meal, hike a few trails, explore some ponds and play a game of frisbee. You’ll have fun, trust me!
11. Go to the zoo
Going to the zoo during the summer is so much fun. The weather is hot, the animals are usually laying in the shade and it’s generally nice to walk around. You can slip inside to the exhibits indoors to stay cool too. Once the cooler months hit, some zoos close while others remain open with limited exhibits and isn’t very fun to walk to each indoor exhibit!
12. Take a School Tour
Heading back to school can cause stress for some kids (and parents!). Take some time together at the end August to visit the school before it’s time to start classes. It’s a great time to talk about all the fun possibilities that come with going back to school – like seeing your friends or favourite teacher, or joining a school team.
13. Set Aside a Special Day
The days before back-to-school can get hectic. Make sure to set aside some time to have a special day with your little ones doing a favourite activity. My kids love to swim, so I will definitely set aside a special day to enjoy the water. Maybe stay indoors and bake your hearts out or head to the bookstore for a new book. Whatever it is that your kids enjoy, make it a day just about them!
What do you do to enjoy the last days of summer?
Let me know, til then–cheers m’deres!
This post is sponsored by Bayer. To make sure these products are right for you, always read and follow the label.
Nancy Polanco is a freelance journalist, lifestyle content creator, and editor of Whispered Inspirations. She is a proud Mom to Gabby and Michaela and partner and best friend to Darasak. Having worked as part of a health care team for almost a decade, Nancy is happy to be back to her passion. She is a contributor to the Huffington Post, TODAY’s Parents, and an Oprah Magazine Brand Ambassador.
We have a little over a week left and we are heading to Disney on Monday. That’s a great way to enjoy the last week of summer if you ask me 🙂
OMG, it sure is! Have a great time.
These are some lovely ideas, it has been ages since I spent some time looking at the stars as well, I could totally get into doing that one.
Yes, take some time and do it!
I’m squeezing every drop out of the last days of summer. It’s my favorite season and I love all of your tips.
I do love Fall but, the kids ADORE summer.
School has now started here but we didn’t have one last hurrah before it did start. We won on a week long road trip and we had a blast.
Oh, that is awesome!
All wonderful ideas for extending and enjoying summer for as long as possible. We will be enjoying the outdoors right into fall and onto winter. Love being outdoors.
That is awesome, enjoy!
One of our favorite ways to enjoy the last days of Summer is a family backyard BBQ. We have a large backyard and it’s so much fun to gather the family together and have everyone over.
Oh, that sounds like so much fun!
We just spend as much time outdoors as we can! Biking, picnics, BBQs. Because before you know it, we’ll be wearing parkas again! Boo.
You are so right!
I love all of these tips, starting a routine early to get used to being back at school is good idea but then again so is a cook out.
Who say you can’t do both?
Oh, I’m so sad summer is almost over. Less than a month left! 🙁
Yes, less than two weeks for back to school.
I’ve been taking my kids out to eat this week since they go back to school next week. We have been sleeping in–we hate waking up early so we sleep in as long as we possibly can!
Hehe, I am with you but, I try to get them back on schedule. 😛
You know, we plan to start getting in bed earlier. Never thought about starting to wake up earlier on purpose. LOL.
It helps, you would be surprised.
These are great ideas for the last days of summer break. My kids have about 2 weeks to go and we are working on a lot of these things. It’s tough finding a balance between being too busy and too bored!
It can get tough, for sure.
I like the idea of having breakfast outside. It has been cool enough here that would be enjoyable. And I am all about sleeping in.
Yes, sleeping in is awesome.
It’s “summer” almost year around here in Florida and my kids are back in school already but we’re still trying to take advantage of my last summer Fridays at work and plan to do something fun this weekend if the storm doesn’t rain on our plans. These are all great ideas.
Lucky! We have fall and winter so, we can only enjoy summer weather for so long.
These are all awesome ways to spend the last few days of summer. My family and I are planning on taking a road trip and enjoy a weekend staycation or visit a water park betore school starts.
Sounds like fun!
Summer seems to have flown by faster than I imagined. My kids go back to school in 1 1/2 weeks. I am planning the week FULL so that we can get as much done as possible.
Yes, it flew by way too fast.
We always like to have a good cook out at the end of summer. It’s fun and we get to enjoy each others company.
It is always a good idea to get together with the whole family.
These are such great tips for the end of summer. We are trying to squeeze in as many fun things as possible before school starts.
Awesome, we are too! Trying to do as much as we can.
I don’t have young kids anymore, but these activities are all so awesome! If I were to choose, you can be sure I would pick a weekend at the beach. Always a fantastic time for the family when we go on road trips to the beach.
The beach is always fun! We love it too!
School started yesterday her. The weather is still beautiful here
Hope it went well!
We just had a cookout last night in the backyard.We had some fresh corn on the cob, and barbecued some hamburgers and hotdogs.They were so good and we had banana chocolate chip muffins for dessert.It was some great quality time with family and friends and a great way to end the summer.
What a great way to end the summer!
We had our last cookout at the cottage this past weekend,i can’t believe the kids are back in School!
Summer break went by too fast! Glad you ended it with a bang!
I was reading this for ideas last night – and we had breakfast outside this morning! My daughter thought it was the coolest thing ever!
I’m so glad she enjoyed it!