A Parent’s Summertime Checklist

We are about halfway through summer vacation, and around this time every year, I try to make a list of family activities I want to do before summer’s end. In my house, if it doesn’t make it onto my list, it doesn’t get done.So, here goes: My top 12 list of must-dos this summer.1. Go to the beachWhich beach might matter to you, but it certainly won’t make much difference to your gang. Coney Island, Jones Beach, Rockaway Beach, a Hampton beach, or Fire Island are all for the taking. Go with pails, shovels, and sunscreen. Don’t worry about how the sand will come off. It’s worth it.2. Catch a movieOn a steamy day (or night), take the children. Buy popcorn, Junior Mints, and an enormous drink. Sit back and relax, enjoy the air-conditioning. And the show, too, of course.3. Take the gang out for a night and keep them up way past their bedtimeIsn’t that the best part of summer? You don’t have to wake up at 7 a.m. for school the next day? Maybe take them to see Olafur Eliasson’s four enormous downtown waterfalls, or for dim sum in Chinatown. But take them out and bring them home smiling and sleepy — even if you suffer ill consequences the next day.4. Play Scrabble, Monopoly, Boggle, Pictionary, or charadesNothing reminds me of vacation more than board games. And many of them utilize school skills that might need brushing up during the dog days of summer.5. Go on a boat rideMy favorite boat ride in the city is the Beast, a 30-minute speedboat run by New York Circle Line that shoots up and down the Hudson River at 45 miles an hour. My gang has done it every year for the last four years. This year, though, we might try the Staten Island Ferry. Slower, yes. But certainly more scenic, especially since you’re not trying to avoid being soaked by the captain of the Beast, Mad Dog.6. Do something for someone elseSummer is a great time to help out in the food pantry, or to visit the elderly, or to walk the dogs at an animal shelter. Your children don’t have too much homework, too many soccer practices, or too many tutors. In volunteering once, your children will realize how good it feels to help someone else.7. Have a relative over for dinner and ask lots of questionsEvery family has a cousin or aunt or uncle who would love to come over for a meal and be the center of attention. How is he related to you? Where did her family come from? What are the great family stories? Your children and the relative will love the time together.8. Camp outPitch a tent, unroll the sleeping bags, and get out the marshmallows. It’s time for the city children to get a little dirt under their fingernails. They’ll be begging for more nights under the stars.9. Read a book togetherChoose a classic — maybe “The Boxcar Children”? Or “The Hardy Boys”? How about “The Secret Garden”? Or even “The Odyssey”? Read anything aloud, and together. Take turns reading chapters — and no one’s allowed to touch the book unless you’re together.10. Perfect a skillNow’s the time to make sure your child can ride a bike, can tie his shoelaces, can unlock the Master Lock that will be on the locker in the fall, and can use the new computer program that he needs for schoolwork. The summer is the perfect time to master skills that are more easily acquired when the pressure isn’t on.11. Go on an athletic adventureKayaking, white-water rafting, hiking, skateboarding, yoga, or sailing: Make sure it’s something different that your children have never done before and aren’t doing in school.12. Get out the pots and pansMake something with the children from scratch that you’d normally buy. Even better, make something summery: Pick raspberries and make jam. Get fresh basil and make pesto. Make a pie or a crumble. And if you can, put a little in the freezer. That way, in December, even though it’s cold and snowy, you can still have a little taste of summer.sarasberman@aol.com

A Parent’s Summertime Checklist

A Parent’s Summertime Checklist

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