A parent asked me the other day, “Are you sending home a packet of  work for the summer?” I paused and felt half-guilty as I replied,  “No...” 

You see, there are these  packets you can create to send home so that parents can work with their  child reviewing skills learned and preparing for what is up ahead. 

 This is so great, in theory. And maybe one day I’ll put one together.  Although, the more I thought, the more I decided that this summer packet  should be less addition practice and sight words and more...LIFE.  

So take it or leave it...here’s my “Summer Packet.” 

 -Teach your child to tie their shoes. Find a fun trick! Watch a video!  Give an incentive! Be persistent! Just make sure your child isn’t the  one dragging their laces through the bathroom and cafeteria then asking  the teacher to tie it.

-Keep bedtime in the routine. It may be a  little later and there will be nights that bedtime doesn’t apply. But  overall, if we keep our bodies in a routine with sleep, August won’t hit  quite so hard. 

-Choose a few family members and friends to  write a letter to this summer.  Ask your child to write in full  sentences, ask questions and give details. Writing with a purpose makes  it relevant and real for your child. Maybe someone will write them back!  Include an envelope with return address and stamp to encourage that! 

 -Sit at the table and eat together. Really watch your child. Is he  sitting on his knees, mouth wide open, food everywhere? This is how he  looks in the cafeteria. Work on that. 

-Encourage kindness.  Find  someone or several others that your child can do something simple to  bring a smile. Deliver cookies, make a card, flowers, chores, a  song...something simply for a smile. 

-Don’t rush to the rescue.  Hear me out. Our children need us. But they need us to let them learn to  problem solve.  If your child is in a situation that is frustrating,  but not harmful (example: can’t put together a new toy, can’t open a  lunchable, can’t decide which color shirt to wear) let them work it out!  It saves time and our nerves to just do it! But in the long run, it’s  crippling our children of the basic and necessary skill to problem solve  and think through an issue...for themselves. Hang back...just a bit.  They’ll be ok! 

-Read TO your child.  I can’t encourage reading  enough! Please visit the library and make books a part of your summer  days. Most importantly, let your child see you read- to yourself and to  them.  Let them hear your silly voices.  Let them tell you the best  parts and predict how it will end. We tell them all the time they must  read, but are we showing them WE read? 

-Put down your phone. On  Mother’s Day, I create a booklet with my students. They answer questions  all about their Moms, write sentences and draw pictures. One page is  “Mom’s Favorite Things.” Can I tell you the top item colored first on  most booklets?  Iphone - We must look up from our screens  and look at our children. They are growing so incredibly fast. We could  spend this summer scrolling through strangers’ vacation pictures wishing  we had their reality or we could be chasing our reality through the  sprinkler in our own backyard.  

-Rest. Be ok with not constantly  going somewhere. Society, media, Facebook all have us believing we must  seize the day and do it all. Our children have worked hard and they  need to rest. If we keep them in perpetual motion through the summer, it  will feel like a continuation of the chaos with less homework. Squeeze  in the fun, but allow the time to rest.  Boredom gives way to  creativity. Rest renews our bodies and our minds for all the next school  year has in store. 

💗 - Mrs. Eggart

**UPDATE**
 When I sat down and typed out these words, I never dreamed they would  receive this response.  I am OVER THE MOON excited that this post has  resonated with so many.  I have had many many requests in regards to  sharing my "summer packet."  I created an easy to print (1 page)  version.  If you'd like to download a copy, please visit this link at  Teachers Pay Teachers.  Thank you so very much for every single kind  word, every share and every extra minute you're spending with your  little ones this summer.  <3 - Mrs. Eggart 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/…/Summer-Packet-Letter-…

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