I really screwed up! I missed the deadlines for signing my first- and fourth-graders up for summer camp and now I’m freaking out. My husband and I both work from home, so they’ll be spending a good amount of time on their own. How do I keep them safe and engaged, but off screens?

As a working mom and stepmom of three school-age kids, I see you, reader! While the day care and summer camp industries have grown to meet demand, competition remains high. Snooze on deadlines, and you can feel like you’ve lost the luxury of options. But don’t worry, if camps are the only way that works for your family, you can still find some fun ones. (Might I recommend starting by checking out our Summer Camps advertorial?)

I understand the necessity for a good fit though, and can help with that DIY style too. Alternatives might include working remotely from one of the several work-and-play spaces around town, swapping child care with other home-office parents, or involving your kids with the ever-
popular AADL Summer Game. 

Related: AADL’s Summer Game

If you’re still feeling anxious about that screenless free time, enter a credentialed voice of reason: “You did not ruin summer. I promise.”

This reassurance comes from fellow mom, social scientist, and licensed social worker Chidimma Ozor Commer, PhD, LMSW. “These long stretches of time at home during the summer can actually be a wonderful opportunity to build independence, creativity, and confidence,” she says. “A little boredom is not a crisis—it’s often where imagination and innovation converge.”

Okay, sounds lovely. But how do we take this from theory to practice? Ozor Commer’s advice matched what worked for our family during the pandemic: helping our boys build a daily schedule—written together—gave them the right balance of structure and freedom to choose their own adventures. The focus shifts from the few things they can’t do to all the many things they can.

Your children can establish their own “ideal day,” starting with breakfast, moving into blocks of creative time, outdoor play, and quiet reading, and even including some screen time later if manageable. You can support their choices by supplying their interests, creating available inventories of everything they need in order to operate independently.

The time has come for me to turn in my advice maven badge. This will my final column. 

Analog Summer Activities

Practical Life / Helping Around the House

  • Prepare their own simple breakfast or snack
  • Pack a picnic lunch for the stoop, porch, or backyard
  • Help prepare ingredients for dinner
  • Organize toys, books, or art supplies

Creative & Hands-On Activities

  • Create a “maker box” with craft supplies they can freely use
  • Put on a small play or puppet show
  • Make greeting cards for relatives or neighbors (or for other children at Mott Children’s Hospital or any of the local senior centers)
  • Design an indoor or outdoor obstacle course

Outdoor Independence

  • Sidewalk scavenger hunts
  • Nature collections (leaves, rocks, sticks)
  • Chalk art competitions
  • Water play with buckets, cups, and spray bottles

Learning Through Curiosity

  • Read independently or listen to audiobooks
  • Write letters to friends or family
  • Practice math through cooking or baking
  • Create a “research project” about an animal or topic they love
  • Keep a summer journal or sketchbook