When summer rolls around, it’s easy to feel the pressure to pack every moment with adventure—road trips, camps, outings, bucket lists a mile long. But what if this summer didn’t have to be about going all the time? What if it could be about being right where you are? What if you could have a slow summer?
Some of the best summer memories don’t require a plane ticket or packed schedule. They happen barefoot in the backyard, in pajamas till noon, or with popsicles dripping down little fingers on the front porch.
Here’s a gentle reminder: you don’t have to be on the go to make summer magical.
Summer Fun, Right at Home
Backyard Water Days
A sprinkler, a kiddie pool, and a hose can bring just as much joy as a trip to the water park, minus the long lines and sunburns. Bonus: your own bathroom is just steps away.
Picnic on the Lawn
Lay out a blanket, pack some sandwiches, and call it an adventure. Something about eating outside makes it feel special even if it’s just grilled cheese and watermelon.
DIY Camp Week
Pick a theme for each day, Nature Day, Cooking Day, Art Day, and let the kids help plan the fun. No schedule, no pressure, just connection and creativity.
Evening Fire Pit + S’mores
Let bedtime stretch a little later. Watch the fireflies, tell silly stories, and toast marshmallows like you’re at the fanciest campground around your backyard.
Screen-Free Mornings (or Afternoons)
Create a rhythm where the screens stay off for a bit. Offer books, Legos, paint, or good old-fashioned boredom, which is often where the best imagination lives.
Why Slowing Down Matters
There’s nothing wrong with vacations or outings, those are special, too. But when we’re always on the go, we miss the slower, smaller moments that build the kind of memories that stick.
Home can be holy ground for your kids’ summer. It’s where they learn to rest, to play without performance, to feel secure and rooted. And maybe, just maybe, it’s where we moms learn the same.
This summer, let’s give ourselves permission to be still. To say no to hustle. To soak up the sunlight that streams through our own kitchen windows. Because the beauty of summer isn’t just out there somewhere it’s here, too.
A slow summer.
Right at home.
Enjoy this FREE downloadable ‘Backyard Scavenger Hunt‘ pdf!
Need help with a bedtime routine? Here’s some things that might help!
We try to live similarly. Love this. The DIY camp week sounds like so much fun!!!
Thank you for this reminder to slow down! I honestly enjoy the slow, simpler mornings myself.
I needed this reminder more than you know and love the suggestions. Thank you for the inspiration!!
Yes! My kids grew up this way, and I felt a little weird sometimes. They really learn to get creative and become friends in a different way when they are at home quite a bit, though. I love your rationale for slow summers, and that you present the benefits, which seem to get lost sometimes in the current culture. Nothing wrong with being out and about some of the time– that’s great, too– but the gifts of home and family and time to relax and make your own fun offer their own special delights.
Love this post! Simple and to the point with great ideas! Thanks for sharing
This is so good, We go to the beach a ton but it’s right down the road, if we can’t then we do kiddie pool in the backyard. Summer should always be relaxing.