Summer Goals for Kids: 2018 Edition

Although it pains me to say it, we are two-thirds of the way through our summer break. We had a big road trip and three family reunions over the past four weeks, but now things are quieting down for the rest of the summer, which means we're focusing on our summer goals with renewed determination.

This is our fifth year making summer goals (see past years here), and it is one of my very favorite parts of summer. Interestingly though (and this is probably because I recently read The Four Tendencies), I've been a little more aware of my kids' responses this year, and it definitely varies. While I don't have anyone who flat out refuses to participate, some of my kids definitely seem to enjoy the process of setting and achieving goals more than others.

For example, one of Bradley's goals was to complete a second grade math workbook. I thought it would keep him busy all summer, but he immediately attacked it with a vengeance and finished it before the end of the first week. Aaron is also very dedicated and looks over his list every day and chooses something to work on and check off. On the other hand, Maxwell and Clark require a little more reminding/encouraging. Goals may or may not be a part of their love language in the same way they are mine. 

I wanted to share our goals before any more of the summer slips away. As a reminder, we try to have a good variety of goals that are a mix between practical, educational, and fun. (I go into more detail about how and why in this first post about summer goals). Even though school starts on August 20, I usually give my kids until Labor Day to finish up their goals, and I think they're well on their way to having them completed before then.

Aaron, age 9 (almost 10)

• Practical
• Learn to mow the lawn (He has been waiting his whole life for this)
• Bake cookies (He can do it from scratch, completely by himself; my life will never be the same.)
• Make salad
• Sweep and mop the kitchen floor
• Educational
• Master five cards from Geo Safari History (yes, we're using an old vintage Geo Safari and Math Safari that I borrowed from my mom. They're so great for learning quick facts. Let's hear it for old school!)
• Master Math Safari fractions, decimals, and percents 
• Learn European capitols
• Six units in piano books
• Memorize The Living Christ (this is a carry over from last summer when we memorized the first half or so)
• Listen to history/science podcasts (our two favorites for this are The Past and the Curious and Brains On)
• Fun
• Three science experiments with Dad (Mike hasn't done any yet, so I guess this could end up being more educational, but knowing him, I'm guessing it will be more fun) 
• Play tennis with Dad
• Write a story
• Family book club (coming this weekend!)
• Three family hikes
• Insect kit (Just a little note about this one: I ordered an Insect Lore praying mantis kit. We have been so excited to see a hundred little praying mantises hatch, but even though the kit said it could take up to twelve weeks, I'm pretty sure ours has already failed. I'm pretty bummed about this since it was supposed to be one of the coolest parts of our summer, but I guess there's always next year to try again.)

Maxwell, age 8

• Practical
• Make macaroni from a box
• Clean bathroom toilet and floor
• Educational
• Six units in piano books
• Master five cards from Geo Safari Animals
• Master Math Safari Division
• 3rd grade geography workbook (He's been doing this one)
• Write a story (You might notice that this same goal is in Aaron's fun category)
• Memorize The Living Christ
• Listen to history/science podcasts
• Fun
• Gut a fish with Dad
• Run a mile and improve time
• Three science experiments with Dad
• Family book club
• Three family hikes
• Insect kit

Bradley, age 6.5

• Practical
• Wash breakfast dishes/utensils
• Follow a recipe
• Educational
• 2nd grade math workbook (He did this one)
• Six units in piano books
• Read six nonfiction books (He has read a lot of these books)
• Listen to history/science podcasts
• Work in writing book (We're actually using the same book Max used last year; as in, the very same book; Max didn't end up doing much out of it.)
• Memorize The Living Christ
• Fun
• Three science projects with Dad
• Practice throwing and catching a frisbee
• Family book club
• Art Fraud Detective (Aaron and Max did this same book two summers ago and loved it)
• Three family hikes
• Insect kit

Clark, age 4

• Practical
• Make toast
• Wipe the kitchen table
• Memorize address
• Educational
• Ten lessons in reading book (I've been using my favorite, How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons) 
• Learn 15 sight words
• Count to thirty
• Recognize numbers zero through twenty
• Learn 15 states
• Fun
• Pump a swing
• Ride a two-wheel scooter
• Put together 100-piece puzzle
• Insect kit

As we've done in the past, if the boys are making good progress on their goals, then we have a little family reward each month. In June, Mike took the boys to an air show. For July, we're going to see Newsies at Hale Center Theater. And we haven't decided on a reward for August yet.

What do you do in the summer? Goals? A summer bucket list? Camps? Tell me in the comments!