During the summer, most people look forward to going to the beach, relaxing with a tall glass of lemonade in their backyards, and being around family. When school lets out, however, your summer plans might include taking care of a household of listless children. If you are a mom who is wrapping up a semester at the University of Cincinnati you might find that keeping up with your studies is harder in the summer than the rest of the school year because your children need constant supervision. In addition to having to prepare several meals a day, kids who are out of school for the summer think that it is a prime time to be lazy. If you are set on earning your online bachelor of science in respiratory therapy degree, you need to lay down the law and get your kids on a set schedule. Here’s how to take charge of your household during the summer without having your children view you as a tyrant.
Enforce Regular Bedtimes
It is hard to keep children on target when summer begins because they no longer have a schedule to follow. There’s no school bus to catch in the morning and no big projects to plan out, so they might start staying up late into the night and waking up closer to the early afternoon. You can give yourself a huge break just by having your children go to bed at a decent time. You don’t need to make them stick to their exact school schedule, but it is good to have them wake up in the morning with breakfast prepared for them so that you give yourself at least an hour to continue studying. By the time they are fed, washed, and dressed for the day you can take a quick break to let them know what they will be doing next.
Plan Activities That Allow For Easy Studying
As long as your children are old enough to go to school, you can give them assigned tasks to stay busy during the day. Let them play quietly in the backyard for a couple of hours as you read books for your bachelor in respiratory therapy program before it gets too hot outside. After that, you can tell your children that it is time for learning and give them a few worksheets to complete while you fix their lunches and look at your notes.
Pull Out the Arts And Crafts
Children love to color, paint, make beaded bracelets, and play with pottery, so make arts and crafts a staple during the summer. You might need to clean up after them when they are done, but you can literally buy yourself hours of quiet time to study if your children are occupied. Allow your children to be creative and periodically ask them what they are up to so that they don’t feel ignored.
Childcare can be expensive if you need all day care, so many parents opt to keep their kids home during the summer. If you are a full-time student, you might need to change how you do things around the house, but everyone will be happier if they are able to enjoy themselves. Set aside some time so that you can enjoy the summer weather and the time will pass faster than you think.
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