Surviving May-cember: The Core 4 Strategy for Planning a Summer Your Kids Will Love
Right now, parents and educators everywhere are feeling it. The emails. The performances. The field days. The deadlines. The graduation parties. The summer planning. The emotional rollercoaster of transitions. Welcome to May-cember. 😅
It’s that chaotic season where the end of the school year somehow feels even busier than back-to-school season. At least in August, there’s excitement around fresh routines and new beginnings. But May? May is a whirlwind of endings, transitions, emotions, and pressure.
And in the middle of all of it, one big question keeps surfacing: What are we going to do this summer?
As parents, educators, and school leaders, we often underestimate how significant the transition into summer really is. Summer is not just “time off.” It’s a complete shift in rhythm, structure, community, and expectations for both children and adults. And if we don’t plan intentionally, summer can quickly become overwhelming.
That’s why I want to share something that has completely reframed the way I think about summer planning for families and educators alike:
The Core 4 for Summer
Camps
Creativity
Community
Care
These four things have become the foundation for creating summers that feel meaningful, balanced, and life-giving instead of stressful and chaotic.
The Reality of “May-cember”
At the end of a long day…I had just finished a full day of meetings, school responsibilities, planning, and administrative work. I looked at my calendar for May and immediately realized: There is not a single free day. Soccer tournaments. Graduation prep. Summer camp planning. Field days. Family visits. College preparation. School showcases. Report cards. Teacher Appreciation Week. It’s all happening at once. And I know I’m not alone.
Parents everywhere are carrying the mental load of:
Managing children at home for the summer
Limiting screen time
Finding affordable activities
Planning childcare
Balancing work responsibilities
Somehow creating a summer that feels magical
Meanwhile, educators and microschool leaders are trying to:
Finish the school year strong
Avoid burnout
Maintain enrollment
Prepare summer programming
And begin planning for the next school year
It’s a lot. And underneath all the busyness are the emotions many of us quietly carry: guilt, exhaustion, uncertainty, pressure, and the fear that we’re not doing enough. But here’s the truth: Summer doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. It just needs intention.
Why Summer Planning Matters More Than We Think
When my daughters were little, summer felt simple. We built forts, ate popsicles, watched cartoons, went park hopping, and spent long afternoons outside. Life was slower. Easier. More carefree. But as they grew older, summer changed. I started noticing something important:
They needed more than entertainment
They needed structure
They needed creativity
They needed connection
They needed purpose
And honestly? So did I. There were summers when I was trying to run a microschool, write grants, complete continuing education, and manage home life all at once. I remember feeling stretched thin and emotionally exhausted while my daughters felt lonely and disconnected. That’s when I realized: Children don’t just need free time. They need intentional time. And that’s where the Core 4 was born.
1. Camps: The Structure Parents and Kids Need
Let’s start with camps.
I know summer camps can feel expensive. Every year, many parents wonder:
Can we afford this?
Is it worth it?
Should we just stay home instead?
But after years of trial and error, I’ve learned something: Sometimes we can’t afford NOT to prioritize camps. Camps provide structure, social interaction, new experiences, mentorship, outdoor activity, creativity, and a healthy break from screens. They give children opportunities to build independence and confidence while allowing parents space to work, rest, or simply breathe. And no — camps do not have to be extravagant.
Some of the best experiences come from:
Local community camps
Church vacation Bible schools
Library programs
Park district activities
Nature camps
Sports camps
Creative workshops
The key is intentionality. Book early if you can. Create a plan before May exhaustion fully sets in. Because once camps fill up, the stress level rises quickly.
2. Creativity: Helping Kids Create Instead of Consume
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the years is this: Children need opportunities to create — not just consume. That creativity looks different at every age. When children are younger, it may be: forts, art projects, messy sensory bins, sidewalk chalk, dress-up, or imaginative play. As kids get older, creativity evolves: Legos, sewing, music, photography, sports, cooking, woodworking, painting, or entrepreneurial projects.
Recently, I realized I wanted my daughters to see me being creative, too. Not just telling them to be creative — but modeling it. So for my birthday, my husband gave me a sewing and crafting cabinet where I can leave projects out in the open instead of hidden away. Why? Because creativity often starts with making space for it.
Sometimes our children need to see us learning, struggling, trying something new, and creating imperfectly. That’s powerful! And if you don’t have the time or space to facilitate creativity at home, this is another reason camps, workshops, and community programs can be so valuable.
3. Community: Kids Need Connection
Children thrive when they feel seen, known, connected, and included. Summer can become surprisingly lonely for children — especially if they suddenly lose daily interaction with classmates and friends. And this becomes even more challenging as children get older. When kids are little, we arrange playdates. When they become teenagers? It gets more complicated.
That’s why intentional community matters so much. For some families, this may look like:
Camps
Mission trips
Sports teams
Youth groups
Library programs
Neighborhood gatherings
Or simply planning weekly outings together
Sometimes community is as simple as going for ice cream, taking a walk, biking together, visiting a park, or making yourself emotionally available. The goal is connection. Because boredom itself isn’t always the problem. Isolation is.
4. Care: Supporting the Whole Child (and Yourself)
The final piece of the Core 4 is care. And honestly, this might be the most important one.
Care means:
Academic support
Emotional support
Social support
And caregiver support
Many families feel overwhelmed trying to maintain academic growth during the summer. Parents often know their child would benefit from tutoring or reading practice, but they simply don’t have the bandwidth to manage it themselves. That’s one reason we began incorporating tutoring into our own summer programming.
Children receive:
Academic structure,
Reading and math support,
Confidence building,
And social interaction — all within an engaging camp environment.
But care also applies to parents. And this is the reminder so many of us need:
Caring for yourself may mean allowing others to help care for your children.
You do not have to carry every responsibility alone. Questions to ask before summer begins! If you’re planning summer right now, here are a few powerful questions to reflect on:
What does my child actually need this summer?
Academic support?
Creativity?
Social interaction?
Confidence building?
Rest?
Where are the gaps from this school year?
Reading?
Math?
Emotional regulation?
Friendship?
Independence?
What does our family realistically have capacity for?
Not perfection. Not Pinterest-level planning. Just realistic rhythms.
Simple Summer Planning Tips
Here are a few practical ways to reduce stress before summer arrives:
Book camps early
Even one or two weeks can make a huge difference
Create a weekly rhythm
You do not need to schedule every hour
Balance structure with freedom
Kids need both
Don’t overcommit, but don’t under-plan either
Prepare before burnout hits
Waiting until the last week of school usually creates more stress
Summer Can Become a Life-Giving Season
Summer does not have to feel overwhelming. With intentional planning, it can actually become one of the most restorative and memorable seasons for your family.
Remember the Core 4:
Camps
Creativity
Community
Care
These four pillars create the foundation for a summer filled with growth, connection, joy, and support — not just for children, but for parents too. Because at the end of the day, summer isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about creating meaningful moments that help your family thrive.
And sometimes the best thing we can do is stop trying to survive summer… and start planning it with purpose!
