I grew up having the most perfect summers: my parents sent my brother and I to a sleep away camp in Ohio for two weeks where we ate sloppy joes, played capture the flag and catapulted into a lake via a giant inflatable blob. When we returned home from there, they shipped us off to Spain to spend the remainder of our summer with cousins and grandparents at the beach and pool. It was glorious, long days of doing nothing, playing board games and eating pan con tomate and jamon, walking to and from the beach and watching dubbed 90210 reruns on TV.
I often wonder how my parents managed to make our summers so great, and the first answer is: they paid for it. And at the time, flying us to camp and to Europe every summer did not come at the cost that is does today… not even with inflation, not even close.
Of course the second reason for this is because my grandmother was willing to take us for 6+ weeks every summer. I don’t want to make generalizations, but there is a cultural thing about grandma’s in the mediterranean basin — the abuelas and the nonnas — they’re built differently. And as much as my parents do their best to lend a hand with my children, they don’t live for them the way that my grandmother did for me and my cousins.
My children’s grandparents like to travel, they have their Bowles and hiking clubs, they love coming to visit and lending a hand when they can, but we don’t have the kind of support they had with us.
I moved back to Spain 9 years ago — after 25 years in the US, after becoming a mother — to give my children the summers I had. The slow, lethargic mornings in the Costa Brava, the pan con tomate, the beach! Nothing could have prepared me for the reality check I was in for, no one could've predicted I was going to give birth to two neurodivergent children who hate sand, and sea water, and tomatoes!
I thought for sure, I would recreate the late nights spent playing boardgames outside with my cousins… except my children’s cousins and second cousins all live in other countries. I thought for sure, we would have the support my parents have, but none of them live close enough to give that to us. What I did not realize moving to Spain, was that my children’s summer vacation would last TWELVE WEEKS. Twelve!
So here I am, on my 9th summer back in Spain, living through summer very differently than I had imagined I would. Ha!
However much time kids have off, for a working parent, summer vacation is basically a juggle between overpriced camps, taking personal time off and, if you’re lucky, leaving your kids with their grandparents. But even with everything meticulously planned, there will still be the cry of “I’m bored” or “I’m hungry” 50 times a day along with the inevitable mom guilt that you’re not doing enough.
As a content creator, it’s not lost on me that what we’re seeing online is an idealized version of reality. Even the coolest influencer who takes their kids to the most beautiful hotel is struggling with meltdowns, hunger, boredom, etc.
Then there’s the pressure of the “you only have 18 summers with your child” content to push us towards trying to creating core memories every summer, to try and make it unforgettable for our kids, while maintaining our jobs, cooking 3 meals a day, and making sure everyone has their basic needs met.
I feel really fortunate to be in the position that I’m in, as a content creator, and have the flexibility to work from home, around my children. As a 90’s kid, I know the importance of boredom and spontaneity and the creativity it can inspire, BUT I also live in a house with neurodivergent kids who crave a bit of structure, who need to know what we’re doing in order to feel secure and regulated. It took me years and a bit of help from more experienced mom friends to work this out.
I know not all of us can afford to put our kids in summer camps, or maybe you’ve got toddlers at home and they’re not old enough to go yet, so I’ve put together some tips and ideas of things you can do in the summer with your kids both in and out of the home. If I missed anything, feel free to add to the comment section!
Follow instagram accounts for your local area, the algorithm will naturally start suggesting more accounts to follow and other suggestions of things to do and this is a great way to find out about local events or free activities. This is also great to do before you go on holiday so that you can get suggestions of things to do on your trip and find out about things you might not otherwise see when you are there. Some ideas of keywords or phrases to search in instagram would be “name of town/city”, “tourism + town/city name”, “kids events near me”, “family events this weekend” “family summer [town/city name] 2026”.
Get your kids involved, ask them what they’d like to do over the summer and try to incorporate that into your plans as much as possible (within reason!) so that they feel included and more motivated to participate. You could make it more fun by hosting a family meeting to discuss the options and decide together what is and isn’t possible and schedule the plans on a calendar so they have something to look forward to, for example “waterpark on July 28th”.
Don’t feel pressured to do something amazing every day, but try to have one thing your kids can look forward to each day. For example: “build a fort”, “watch a movie with popcorn”, “have an Art show”. Allow time for rest, for TV or movies, for reading, for drawing, not everything you plan has to cost money or be a major event.
Structure your time in the best way for your family. My kids function better when they have a routine and summer vacation can be difficult for them when the routine suddenly goes out the window for 12 weeks, if this sounds familiar, keep some routine and structure to the day, like a school day would be, having lunch at a set time (where possible) and giving your kids a plan for the day so they know what to expect. Here is an example of how our day might look during summer, obviously you can tweak the timings to work for you and your family:
You don’t all have to be together the WHOLE time. Make sure you all take time in the day to play independently, have some dedicated screen time, work, do some housework or simply lay in a dark, quiet room and listen to music or a podcast. If your kids are of an age where they don’t need constant supervision, then you don’t need to be in the same space together all day.
Make it enjoyable for you too. You will not be the fun parents you had hoped to be this summer if you’re only doing things that your kids enjoy. Incorporate some plans that also work for you and I'm not talking about supermarket shopping or chores, I’m talking about what you really want to do to feel like you have had a great summer and not just chaperoned your kids from place to place.
At home activities
Camping in the garden, or if you don’t have a garden you could bring all your bedding into the living room and sleep on cushions
Podcasts + audio books: we own a YOTO player which we love! Our favorite podcasts are: But Why?, Fun Fables, and Story Pirates
Make ice pops or fruit kebabs together, for some reason eating the fruit off the stick is more appealing to my kids than if I just give it to them on a plate
Set up a dedicated space for creative activities that doesn’t get tidied away. Have paper, pens or other crafts put out so in moments of boredom they are ready to go. Updating it each week with something new like some stickers or colored paper stops it feeling the same.
Garden picnic, or if you don’t have a garden, set up a picnic in your living room, get the kids to help preparing all of their picnic snacks.
Organize a playdate as 11 weeks can be a long time without seeing school friends
Making pizzas / tacos - basically anything where you have multiple ingredients that they can do themselves
Lego building - if your kid is into Lego but struggles with ideas of what to make, there are various apps which scan the bricks you have and suggests creations along with instructions on how to do it, alternatively there are also LEGO recreate cards my kids really love to use
Get your kids to write a movie then film them with your phone acting it out, get them to make costumes or use props where possible. If you feel confident using an editing app you can edit it and add music then watch it together, my kids love doing this!
Teach your kids basic chores, like doing the laundry or loading the dishwasher. This may sound boring but most of the time your kids just want to spend time with you so getting them to help out alongside you is a great way to spend time with them whilst teaching them basic skills they will eventually need as they grow older
Board games or table games - Monopoly, Uno, chess, Scrabble, Pictionary, Dobble, Exploding Kittens…all of these types of games are great for learning reasoning, problem solving, decision-making, how to follow rules, how to take turns; the benefits are endless and it is a great activity to do as a whole family
Disco night - you can buy disco bulbs for around $10 and pop them in your regular light fixtures to create a disco in your living room, let your kid pick out their own outfit, let everyone choose their favorite songs and have a dance party
Cardboard crafts - kids love cardboard so keep some aside before throwing it in the recycling and then let them be as creative as they want, my kids recently made a TV and took turns acting out different shows. My kids love to use Makedo cardboard screws and tools to build things with
Build a blanket fort - never fails. If you’re having a hard time finding things to hang blankets from, there are fort kit’s you can purchase to build out the structure for it.
Grow watercress - does anyone remember doing this as a kid? You take an empty egg shell and fill it with cotton wool, sprinkle the cotton wool with watercress seeds and lightly water it. Leave it by a window (out of direct sunlight) and let your kids be excited to follow the progress each day.
Ice excavating - freeze some small toys in a Tupperware or large ice cube tray and let your kid excavate the ice (with warm water, a spoon, a toy hammer, etc.) to get to the toy, do this outside or on a tray to avoid water going everywhere!
Escaping the heat or rain
Rock climbing centers
Trampoline park
Movies (sometimes you can get cheaper prices for a Sunday matinee showing)
Library
Bowling
Museums - a lot of museums are free or have a small entry fee, in Barcelona for example, a lot of the museums have free entry on the first Sunday of every month
Pottery painting or an equivalent art activity
Ikea - taking advantage of an hour of free childcare at Småland (for ages 3-10)
Shopping malls
Arcades (I only recommend this if you are not already overstimulated!)
A coffee and cake treat - you don’t always have to do a big expensive meal, sometimes just going to your local cafe for a drink and a snack can be just as enjoyable if not more so as it is less expensive and less pressure with picky eaters
Outdoor activites
Local farm and/or fruit picking
Local parks - some parks in your area might also have a splash pad which is great for cooling off on hot days
Day at the beach
Municipal pools
A bike ride
A local walk or hike
Water fight with balloons or water guns or just cups of water if you don’t have either of those
A pajama trip - when the kids are ready for bed, surprise them with a quick trip out to get ice cream
Mini Golf
Be a tourist in your own city - go and experience something new where you live
Food/Farmer’s markets - markets are a lot more fun than supermarkets as the produce is freshly prepared and open so kids can see how the food looks as a whole, fish, meat, whole fruit and veg, nuts, spices, it is a great way to learn about nutrition and where our food comes from
Big days out
Waterpark
Zoo
Aquarium
Theme parks
Circus or carnival
Theatre show
Click here for my list of summer essentials, but remember you don’t have to buy a load of new stuff, use what you already have at home or use marketplaces or second-hand apps to find specific items cheaper.
Lastly, I’d like to wish everyone reading this an easy summer, not the BEST summer ever, not the most memorable one, just one that feels slightly less hard than the last!
I appreciated reading this so much. It’s spirit, tone and the whole practical offering of it too. thank you.
Amazing!