Keep It Simple. Keep It Fun.

It’s summer! We all have memories of childhood being a time when we were out of school and the summer was full of adventure. It wasn’t complicated, life was simply…simple. When we were kids, we were free to explore our imagination and create our own make believe world. Life seemed unrestrained, limitless and full of opportunity.
As adults, it is worth paying attention to the perspective of a child. We see that life is complicated, moves fast, and time is at a premium. There are however times in life when we need to slow down. The summer break is a time when we need to change our perspective a bit and remember what it was like to just have fun, unwind, and relax. Relationships can be built when they are free of a sense of obligation. So, here are some ideas on how to slow down and invest not only in yourself but your children. Regardless of whether you have small children, teenagers, or everyone is out of the home, have some summer fun. In doing so, your family will be all the better for it!

• Take a walk…together! Or a bike ride. Just walk out the door and slow down by looking around.
• Play with water! Water balloons are fun. So are sprinklers! Washing the car can even be fun if you make sure you get someone else wet!
• Laugh…a lot.
• Play tag or chase someone around. Young or old, sometimes being chased is just silly and fun.
• Make your own popsicles, out of your own lemonade that you have made from scratch.
• Share a coke float with someone.
• Lie on the ground and look at the stars. Learn some constellations. Make some up if you only know a few!
• Pick berries and then have a picnic!
• Throw a ball or a Frisbee and make up a game. Be sure to keep score!
• At the last minute, do something. See a movie or go somewhere but make it spontaneous.
• Read a perfectly fun book.
• Go outside in a rainstorm (avoid the lightning)!
• Be together with the people you love!