It’s estimated that more than 60% of people experience some form of post-holiday blues, typically in the form of depression or anxiety, because of stress, memories, or unmet expectations. If you struggle a little through the end of December and into January, I’m right there with you. Here are 7 ideas we can use to beat the blues and feel more joy in the new year.

1. Keep the festivities going.

No need to pull the plug on Christmas right away. If you love the sounds, sights, and smells, leave the decorations up a little longer. In my house, we don’t take the tree down until after January 6th. We celebrate the Epiphany, when the wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus. Fun fact: The 12 days between Christmas and January 6th are the OG 12 days of Christmas (before that partridge in a pear tree got so popular).

2. Call a friend or relative you didn’t get to see.

For some people, the post-holiday blues well up because they love the feeling of connection with family and friends and will miss it. Fill that bucket by FaceTiming with an old friend you haven’t seen in a while or reaching out to your favorite cousin across the country.

3. Rest.

You’ve been go-go-going since November 20th. Even if you love baking, caroling, decorating, and wrapping, you’re probably exhausted. Find something that allows your mind and body to rest. I always do a jigsaw puzzle the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Knowing I’ll have puzzle time to decompress gives me peace.

4. Feel your sadness.

Our culture doesn’t like feelings of unhappiness or discontent. Sadness gets written off as a problem you occasionally have to deal with. The reality is sadness can be helpful. Feeling sad can reveal what’s really important to you and help you grow in appreciation for what you have. When you feel the blues, ask what good things happened that you’re going to miss and consider how you can recreate them throughout the year. Maybe you start a monthly dinner with family that lives close by or bake cookies with the kids more often.

5. Tackle something that brings stress during the year.

You might feel crummy because you anticipate returning to work and school. Think of one stressor that work or school brings and what you can do to try to get ahead of it. Do you dread packing lunches? Search with the kids for a couple of meal prep ideas so you can make lunch just once each week. Are you dreading sitting in rush hour traffic every day? Make a plan to listen to a book a week during your drive, or find a podcast that will help you grow in your faith.

6. Set a monthly challenge or goal.

Are your post-holiday blues triggered by a lack of something to look forward to? I love having something other than the holidays that mark each month. Try brainstorming ways to challenge or set goals for yourself or your family throughout the year.

One month could be “explore our city,” another could be “learn how to crochet,” and another could be “read a devotional nightly before bed.” Having something new and challenging to look forward to each month can keep things fresh. And the brainstorming session could be a fun annual activity to wrap up the year together as a family.

7. Think ahead to next year.

Give “future you” a gift by writing yourself a letter. You can even address it: “To me. Open on November 1.” Stash it with your holiday decorations so you know you’ll see it. In this letter, write what brought you the most joy this season and what you wish you’d avoided. Tell yourself how you feel about the money you spent (maybe you give yourself an “attagirl” because you followed a budget) or how you wish you’d drank a little less alcohol or gotten just a bit more sleep.

Processing the season that’s passed will help you name what’s making you sad now and hopefully set you up for a healthier holiday next year.

If the post-holiday blues really get to you, listen to this episode of the iMOM Podcast, “Beating the Post-Christmas Blues.” Subscribe to the podcast to get new episodes every Monday.

What helps you get over the post-holiday blues?

The post 7 Ways Moms Can Beat the Post-Holiday Blues appeared first on iMOM.

But I used to be a single mom, and I remember the stresses of sharing my son during the holiday season. It felt like a game of Jenga. One wrong move would send it all crashing down. One thing I have learned over the years is when you’re co-parenting holidays together, you have to be creative, flexible, and willing to let go of the norms. Here are 4 ways to do that and ease co-parenting holiday stress.

1. Celebrate on a different day.

Holidays are special. Those earmarked days on the calendar symbolize what I always think of as the perfect family day. However, when co-parenting holidays together, celebrating on the actual date of the holiday may not work. The good news is you can celebrate any day you’d like. My husband used to turn Christmas Eve into Christmas Day because his ex-wife had the kids for Christmas Day. The kids loved it and it showed them holidays are about family, not dates on a calendar.

2. Combine holidays.

When my husband was a single dad, he didn’t always have the kids on certain holidays. So he created a tradition of combining Thanksgiving and Christmas into “Thanksmas.” Crazy as it sounds, his two kiddos liked the idea of combining Thanksgiving food with Christmas presents and decorations. It lessened the hard feelings when the holiday rolled around, and he couldn’t have the kids with him.

3. Invite your ex’s family to join.

Maintaining good relationships with an ex’s family members can be difficult, even impossible. People take sides for obvious reasons. But if you have a good relationship with your ex-husband’s family, one way to make the holiday more fun for your kids is to invite those family members to join in. My husband often has invited his ex’s grandmother and cousins into our holiday celebrations. Open-ended invitations to the other part of your children’s family allow you to keep communication flowing and surround your kids with people who love them.

4. Remember it’s the time spent with your kids that really matters.

Kids make a big deal about the presents. They love the decorations. They can’t wait to have their favorite foods. But when all is said and done, it’s the time you’ve spent with them that really matters. Sure, all the other things are fun, but investing that focused time will mean so much more. My son and I still sit and giggle watching the Grinch together each season. Put the gift-giving stress aside for a moment to bake the cookies, sing the carols, and watch the movie you have memorized because those are the things your kids will remember.

How will you make sure you find joy in the holiday stress?

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Make New Year’s Eve memorable with fun family ideas, enjoy the Super Bowl with trivia and games, or just grab one of the classic movies on our list and cuddle up with your spouse. There’s something for everyone with these winter activities! So put another log on the fire, pour a hot cup of coffee, and get ready to be inspired, winter-style!

New Year Fun

The end of the year is a great time to look back and reflect on everything that has happened. Your kids will love the idea of making a family time capsule and we’ve made it easy with this free Time Capsule printable.

Ring in the New Year with the whole family!

• Here are 4 Ideas for Family Fun on New Year’s Eve.
• For older kids, here are 5 Ideas for Teens on New Year’s Eve.
• And there’s no better time to help your child set goals than at the start of a new year. Use our Brilliant Goals Chart.

Super Bowl Fun

Even kids who aren’t into sports love watching the big game. Just use our free printable Family Football Fun Guide to help explain the rules and have fun with a game on the side.

There’s more Super Bowl fun!

• Take the fun up a notch with our 2 Great Super Bowl Games for Kids.
• Our Couch Potato Kick Off game will help burn energy while the commercials play.
• For something a little less physical, stump the kids with this Super Bowl Trivia.

Just for Fun

If you’re picking up some inexpensive decorations for a New Year’s Eve celebration, bundle up the kids and keep them busy for a while with our printable Dollar Store Scavenger Hunt.

Stay warm with these fun winter activities.

• Learn how to make amazing homemade snowflakes.
• Cuddle up with these 10 Classic Family Movies.
• Stay in for the evening but have a blast with 20 Ideas for a Family Fun Night.

The post Winter Activities for Kids appeared first on iMOM.

When we have an eventful year or one we want the kids to grow from (and isn’t that all of them?), it’s important to take time to look back and talk about it with our kids. It’s healthy for kids to remember the good that happened in a given year and to process the not-so-good things, too. Want a place to start? Here are 7 end-of-year questions for kids.

1. Which place was fun to visit this year?

Out of all the places your family went this year—a vacation, a trip to visit family, or a quick stop to grab ice cream—which trip does your child have fond memories of? Are there any places he or she wants to visit again in the future?

2. Who did you become better friends with this year?

Talk with your children about their friends. Is there an old friend they’ve grown closer to? Or maybe they’ve enjoyed a new friendship this past year.

3. What’s the hardest thing you did this year?

Some end-of-year questions for kids are hard to answer. This might be one. Have your child tell you about the most difficult thing he or she did this year. You can even take this opportunity to talk about how the “hard stuff” leads to “good stuff” like overcoming fears and taking on responsibility.

4. What’s the first good memory about this year that pops into your head?

This is a fun one! Find out what moment your child remembers as the best memory from this past year. It might be something you wouldn’t expect. Depending on your child’s answer, this question can give you insight into what brings him or her joy.

5. What’s an adventure you would like to go on next year?

This is a great way to learn what truly excites your children. You can ask them to tell you about a wild adventure—even if it’s something you can’t realistically do next year. Then ask them to choose something they can realistically do, and maybe even help them think up a smaller version of the big adventure they have been dreaming of!

6. What’s something new you want to learn next year?

Is there a sport your child might be interested in trying out? Maybe he or she enjoys being in the kitchen and wants to learn how to bake a favorite dessert. Find out what aspirations your child has! Use iMOM’s Goals Chart to get it on paper.

7. What things do you want to pray about for the upcoming year?

Sit down with your child and make a prayer list for the upcoming year. You can add to the list throughout the year or help your child keep a journal. This is a great way to start a habit of prayer.

Add a couple of your own end-of-year questions for kids. What would you ask?

The post 7 Questions to Ask Your Child at the End of the Year appeared first on iMOM.

So what can you do with one extra day off? Here are 5 things to do on a long weekend that will get your bodies moving without costing an arm and a leg.

1. Rearrange a room (or two!).

Have you ever changed up a room and thought, “Why hasn’t it been like this the entire time?” It’s wild what moving furniture can do to make you love a space again. Any time you move furniture, you end up having to do some tidying, so a long weekend gives you enough time to get the job done and still get in some relaxation. Focusing on your kids rooms will make them feel special, and it might even get them to keep their rooms clean for a few days.

2. Have a no-rules night.

A no-rules night is definitely one of those things to do on a long weekend. Sure, you can do it on a regular weekend, but you’ll be hurting on Sunday. And if you’re like me, you won’t fully recover from the lack of sleep until Tuesday. Check out All Pro Dad’s guide to a No Rules Night. Kick it off on Friday or Saturday evening, and then enjoy the bonus recovery time. You’re going to need it!

3. Try out geocaching.

A few years ago when geocaching blew up, it was not on my radar. But now that I have two kids who love the idea of a real-life treasure hunt, it’s a great family activity. Geocaching is hiking for hidden “caches” you can track by their GPS coordinates. We did it for the first time and discovered there was a cache hidden right outside our neighborhood! All you need is transportation, a pen, and a smartphone.

4. Get weirdly local.

This is a twist on the whole “be a local tourist” idea that encourages people to do the things tourists do in their city. Maybe you’ve done “that thing,” but have you done the weirdest thing? Every city has a weird museum, landmark, or tourist trap. Pick a max traveling distance, do some research with the kids, and go embrace your city’s oddities.

Take our free printable City Scavenger Hunt along if you find yourself downtown.

5. Rent a pool.

OK, this one isn’t free, but it’s less expensive than staying at a hotel. If you don’t have a pool but want to get some sun, there are websites that allow you to book a local private pool by the hour. Swimply is one of them. I did a quick search and found options near me between $15 and $60 an hour. I’d have to get over the awkwardness of being at a stranger’s house, but a few minutes of floating on a raft in cool water would definitely help.

What are some fun other things to do on a long weekend?

The post 5 Fun and Frugal Things to Do Over a Long Weekend appeared first on iMOM.

Now that I’m a mom, I want to use what I learned from that experience to inspire some family goals. After all, kids can’t grasp sticking to a goal for an entire year. Want to try? Choose one goal for every month. You can keep it simple and just put up a list with the goals, or you can have a family celebration at the start of each month to kick off that month’s goal and get input from your kids. Here are 12 family goals to achieve together this year.

1. Cooking

Most moms want their kids to learn how to cook before they move out so they’re able to take care of themselves when they’re on their own. For this goal, assign each child a meal to prepare for the family. For younger kids, it can be breakfast or lunch. Older kids can cook dinner.

2. Service

Meet as a family to come up with a way to help others. Let the kids have a say in where you give your time. You can spur them along by asking who in the neighborhood, at church, or in the community needs a helping hand.

3. Money

You can use our share, save, spend printable to kick off this month’s goal. For older kids, consider explaining the financial basics of running a family. You can use beans to show how much goes into each category—housing, cars, food, insurance. It might finally make sense why you keep yelling for them to turn off the lights when they leave the room. This is a family goal that you could continue for more than a month, as your kids will love to see their wallets, savings, and giving funds grow.

4. Poetry

Don’t laugh! Poetry can enhance your family life by showing how words can help us express emotions. You can make this fun and funny. Have your husband read a love poem by Emily Dickenson or look up some quirky poems by Shel Silverstein for your kids.

5. A Fast

Fasting isn’t just about food, although you could try that, too. Consider what has a little too much presence in your family’s life. Electronics after dinner? Going out to eat? Sweets? Go without it for a month and see how the fast frees up time, makes you feel healthier, or helps your budget.

6. Kindness

Make your family goal to say one kind thing to each other every day. At first, it will feel hokey. But pretty soon, you’ll see that it really does encourage more kindness.

7. Reading

If you can get your kids to read for an hour a day, studies show their vocabulary and comprehension will be off the charts. That’s the science behind this family goal, but it can be fun, too. Choose one book to read aloud as a family, or have your kids read independently, and then meet at the end of the week to talk about the chapters they read. Entice them to read by eating foods related to the book when you have your mini book club gathering.

8. Movement

This month, focus your family goal on moving. Go for a walk as a family after dinner or on the weekends. Play doubles tennis (there are large tennis balls that slow down play for younger kids) or make a circle and do jumping jacks facing each other.

9. Faith

Explore faith if it’s not already a part of your life. Since studies show that attending faith services strengthens families, visit a church. If your family already practices a faith, add another element like daily reading or nightly prayer. Unsure about how to shape your family’s faith? These ideas can help.

10. Thankfulness

Research shows that when we show thanks to others, it improves our overall happiness. This is a great skill to teach children. They can use this to help themselves through tough times when they’re out on their own. A fun family goal would be to write one thank you note per day and pop it in the mail. Take turns writing the note. (This doesn’t have to be all on you, Mom!)

 11. Online Awareness

It would be easy to make this month about turning off all the devices. Instead, use it to teach your family about being aware of how much time they spend looking at screens. You can have everyone keep track of their screen use for a day or a week. Don’t be afraid to try a no-electronics day or two.

12. A New Skill

What will it be? Knitting? Juggling? Shooting 10 free throws in a row? Everyone chooses a skill and works on it throughout the month. At the end of the month, you can have a skills showcase.

You may also want to look at these 5 Conversations to Have With Your Kids Before the New Year. 

What about long-term goals? Check out 10 Goals You Should Accomplish in 10 Years.

What other family goal would be a good addition to the list?

The post 12 Family Goals for the New Year appeared first on iMOM.

Have you found that you pick resolutions that matter to other people, but not a mom in your stage of life? Don’t set yourself up to fail. Look at these 5 New Year’s resolutions moms can actually keep . Don’t feel like you have to commit to every resolution; just pick one to focus on and achieve.

1. Resolve to be flexible about family meals.

Family meals are so worth the effort. If your family doesn’t have a predictable schedule, try to pick at least a couple of days a week when you can eat together. Be flexible: make breakfast your family meal. Have a weekend tradition of eating your family meal in the living room with a sit-on-the-floor picnic. If you didn’t have time to cook, get take out. One family I know has hors d’oeuvres every Saturday night — pigs in a blanket, mini quiches, things that are easy to make or easy to find ready-made at the grocery store. The kids love the finger food and the prep work is easy too.

It also helps to plan if you can. On Sunday, I pull out the calendar and pencil in the days it looks like we can have dinner together. I then do everything I can to make it happen. I shoot my husband a reminder text with the time and any last minute ingredients I need him to grab on his drive. Once you do sit down together, keep the conversation light. 

2. Resolve to hug your kids for 10 seconds daily.

This one is super easy when our children are small, but as they grow older and taller, it takes intention. Trust me, my 13-year-old would probably rather text than wander over to hang out with me in the kitchen, but as he makes his way across my path I pull him over and say, “Ten-second hug,” and we both count out loud.

A ten-second hug has been proven to be the magic number in reducing stress, easing depression, and boosting the immune system. But beyond that, hugging your child intentionally for 10 seconds just makes your heart feel wonderful. (Try one of these seven fun hug a day ideas.)

3. Resolve to disconnect daily.

Even if it’s only 15 minutes, have a daily window where you and your children share time away from any screen. For the best results, have your devices out of sight and not in your pocket or on your lap. Studies show that even seeing a device makes us less empathetic. Use that non-screen time with your kids to chill, read, or play a quick game.

4. Resolve to use kind words.

I wrote about my efforts to use my words to build up my children in Wise Words Mom. The best way for me to get into the kind words mindset is to pray every morning that the words I use will be loving and that when I do have to be firm with my children, I’ll be kind instead of harsh. This awareness will actually help you be more patient with your kids throughout the day. Other ways to inject kindness into the words you share with your kids? Resolve to say three kind things to them each day.

5. Resolve to share what’s important to you.

My kids have started calling my little talks, “Life lessons with Nancy.” But even when they roll their eyes and give me a two-syllable, “Mo-om,” I power on. Sometimes I’ll say, “Hey, come here guys,” and quickly launch into an article I found, a verse that inspired me, or something that happened in my day that strengthened my own faith. So, since sharing my faith and how it informs my choices is what I most want to share with my children, I’m resolving to do that once a week.  So zero in on what you really care about, and pass it onto your children.

Whichever New Year resolution you choose, remember, keep it simple. Start with one and move on from there. Even one resolution kept is better than a dozen made but broken.

Which of these resolutions do you want to try?

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Do you sit with your kids and set new year goals? Unless you’ve got a highly motivated kid, it might be like pulling teeth. But when you explain goal setting in a kid-friendly way, your kids can understand the importance and take ownership of their goals, which of course, leads to greater success! To help, we’ve broken it down into 3 steps. And remember, these are their goals, not yours!

Step 1: Teach your kids why we need goals.

It was natural for me to teach my kids about manners and managing their emotions, but several years into parenting, I realized I also needed to teach my children about setting goals. Goal-setting can help a child connect his present to his future. Goals help kids direct their energy and time toward something that’s important to them and learn to break down what’s overwhelming into small, manageable steps.

For instance, my high schooler would love to play first chair in the orchestra. When that desire is set up as a goal, he learns how best to use his time and resources to meet that goal—perhaps by increasing his daily practice by 15 minutes or adding in technical exercises to increase proficiency.

Step 2: Teach your children how to set goals.

One of the best ways to teach kids how to set goals is to use the SMART method. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound.

Specific goals are well-defined. Instead of “do well in school” kids should set a specific goal such as “make an A in algebra I.”

Measurable goals mean your child can track her progress toward the goal. Instead of “be a better basketball player,” she could choose measurable goals, like “make 60% of free throws.”

Attainable goals help your child figure out how to get to the endpoint. This is where your child will determine the steps needed to meet a goal. If his goal is to “save up $1000 before college,” then he can begin to list the steps needed to get there.

Realistic goals will teach your child to shoot for something reasonable and not so challenging that he’s bound to fail. Ask your child whether she has the skills and resources to achieve that goal. Listing those resources can be a reference tool for him to look back on as he’s working toward the goal.

Time-bound goals need to be achievable within a specific timetable. You can choose goals for the semester or goals for the year. Younger children usually need a shorter time frame as a full year can seem limitless to a 7-year-old. Our You Can Do It printable is a fun way for your child to keep track of how many days she’s been working toward her goal.

Step 3: Teach your children what areas need goals.

Giving your children a few areas in which to set goals will help them think through where they are now and what changes they want to make. In our family, we ask our children to set goals in five areas: academics, health, relationships, extracurricular and personal/spiritual.

Academics covers primarily school goals but also can include outside reading and tests like the SAT or ACT. Health goals include eating and exercise habits. Relationships cover both family and friends. Extracurricular goals can include outside sports, music, clubs, and volunteer work. And personal/spiritual lets the child look at personal habits that need to be challenged or changed.

Two more tips will help make your goal-setting work: have your child write the goals down and pin them to a bulletin board or put them in a notebook where progress can be measured along the way. We have so many new year goal-setting tools and school year goal printables, so be sure you check them out here and help your kiddo get motivated!

What about long-term goals for yourself? Check out 10 Goals You Should Accomplish in 10 Years.

What are some of the goals of your children and family?

The post 3 Steps to Help Kids Set Goals appeared first on iMOM.

OK, no more rhyming, but I can’t be the only mom who has less-than-zero motivation the week between Christmas and back-to-school. Part of me says it’s fine for the kids to do nothing all day, but I also want to make the most of the end of the year and keep the Christmas cheer going. So how about we meet in the middle? Don’t go crazy and over-schedule. Leave some downtime, but pick one thing per day or maybe just two ideas for the week from this list of 10 things to make the week between Christmas and the new year memorable.

1. Make a time capsule.

A time capsule is a fun way to wrap up a year and teach your kids patience. Have everyone in the family pick a few items to put in the “capsule” (a shoebox or jumbo Ziploc bag), fill out our free printable time capsule page, and then decide when you’re going to dig it up. Can your kids wait a whole year? If you have a new middle schooler, can they make it ’til high school? Be sure to write down where you bury or hide it.

2. Create a photo album.

It’s so much easier to take photos today than when we were kids, but the downside is that we don’t print as many. I have this fear that the cloud and Facebook will crash and burn and all of my photos of my kids will go down with them. If you fear the same, take the week after Christmas to create an album you’ve been meaning to compile. Let the kids make their own mini-albums.

3. Relax with a puzzle.

If I ask my kids if they want to do a jigsaw puzzle, they’ll turn their noses up, but without fail, if I start doing one, they are like moths to a flame. And if I’m sneaky enough, I can turn off the TV and we sit with just music on and talk while we puzzle. It’s my favorite way to spend the downtime after the holidays.

4. Get your calendars set.

If you love checklists and organization systems, this might be as exciting as Christmas morning. Print your iMOM calendars and fill in key dates, birthdays, and vacations. Just getting some dates recorded will help you feel like you’ve accomplished something in this lazy week after Christmas.

5. Meal prep.

This is another great way to scratch that productivity itch. While you have some downtime, make some meals you can freeze and eat later. Make a big pot of soup or chili, a casserole, or your family’s favorite freezer fixing. You might remember how much you love cooking when you’re not having to whip out a meal in 10 minutes.

6. Get physical.

Chances are, after a full week (or five) of indulging, your body may want to sit still, but once you start moving, it will thank you. Take the kids on a walk around a park. If it’s too chilly outside, grab some glow sticks, turn off the lights, blast Christmas music, and have a Christmas dance party.

7. Keep Christmas going.

Some faith traditions and cultures don’t start celebrating Christmas until Christmas day because for them, that’s when the Christmas season begins. You might be sick of red and green by December 26th, but if you want to try to maintain the merry for a bit longer, leave your tree up, bake some Christmas cookies, and even do a small gift exchange within your family. The 12 days of Christmas could become your favorite new family tradition!

8. Hit the sales.

The day or week after Christmas is the ideal time to find some great sales. So if you or your children received Christmas cash, you can make it stretch today—especially if you use this Ask Why Before You Buy Printable.

9. Embrace winter.

The season of winter gets overlooked because of Christmas. Once we take Christmas decorations down, many of us just sit and wait for spring to arrive. This year, get outside and play in the cold. If it’s too unbearable, stay inside and make paper snowflakes.

10. Volunteer together.

Sometimes, Christmas gifts bring out spoiled attitudes or a sense of entitlement in our kids. Volunteering is a great way to bring your kids back to reality. If you can’t find somewhere that needs your help right away, talk it over as a family and decide what organization you want to give your time to, and sign up to help in the new year.

What do you do the day or week after Christmas?

The post Twas the Week After Christmas and… appeared first on iMOM.

When a school break starts, we tend to let our kids sleep in and veg to recover from being overscheduled throughout the rest of the year. Extended breaks need some purpose and a plan, though. Try these 6 ideas for keeping your kids active and engaged during school breaks.

1. Maintain normal hours.

If your children stay up until the wee hours, they’re naturally going to want to sleep all morning. Try to keep the family on a reasonable schedule, even when school’s out so that more can be accomplished during the day. You don’t have to wake them up at their normal alarm time, but sleeping until noon will lead to lazy days.

2. Set aside some tasks for the break.

We all have those things we would get done if we “just had the time.” Whether it’s cleaning out the kids’ closets or getting all those decorations back into the attic, you have a golden opportunity to get caught up with family to-dos (or maybe just one to-do) during the break. Delegate portions of each task to the kids so everyone is part of reaching the goal.

3. Focus on service.

Giving time to others in need is difficult during the school routine. Do some research in advance and make plans to volunteer at a local shelter or nonprofit during a longer break. Or let the kids grab $5 from their piggy banks and run to the store to buy groceries for a local food bank. Remember those closets that you cleaned out? Let your children participate in the process of donating those items.

4. Put limits on screen time.

When the exhaustion of homework and activities overwhelms you, it’s incredibly difficult to resist the temptation to let the kids entertain themselves with screens. But they’ll feel a greater mental reset by spending time outside breathing in fresh air or playing a game with you. It’s unrealistic to say no screens, but go in with limits using our screen time tickets to strike a balance.

5. Schedule some friend time.

Make plans with other moms to have a friend or two over. It will keep your crew engaged and having fun, and you’ll get to see how they interact with their peers. You never know what you might overhear!

6. Make a stop at the library.

A building full of books might be the last place your kids want to be during school breaks, but there’s something about walking through those aisles that sparks excitement for learning. Your kids can search for books that match their interests instead of what’s required by the school. And the quiet environment automatically creates some mental white space that can help some kids feel restored. If your kids aren’t reading age yet, check the library for special activities or story time. You might even make a new friend.

Want more ideas for enjoying time off of school with the kids? Check out the iMOM Podcast episode, “Making the Most of a School Break.” Be sure to subscribe to receive new episodes every Monday.

What makes you feel like the time during school breaks has been spent well?

The post 6 Ways to Make the Most of School Breaks appeared first on iMOM.