I started sharing my family’s adventures during the pandemic. I didn’t have to plan our outings around sports practices, dance rehearsals, or really school, since the virtual school day was abbreviated. Once the world opened up, I wondered how we’d continue our adventures. I stayed intentional with our family’s schedule, and while we didn’t have the same level of freedom, we did keep the adventures going. Fast forward to current day, and both of my children are in public school and participate in extracurricular activities. Our schedules are busy, but we manage to make time for our family to experience things together – hikes, museum exhibits, bike rides, and more.
People often reach out to me for suggestions on how to keep exploring RVA and continuing family outings once kids are in school, so I wanted to share some things that have helped us with this.
Recognize the Back to School Transition
This sounds obvious, but if you’ve been taking your child out during the week prior to the kindergarten, know that you will need to gauge their energy, stimulation, and interest level a lot before trying big weekend outings, especially the first few weeks of school. Of course, we miss our kids and want to make the most of our time together on the weekends, but you don’t want a child who’s so exhausted from the weekend that they’re melting down on Monday morning.
Try laying low for the first few weekends while you and your child adjust to the school schedule. If you do a big outing on a Saturday, stay home, or do something more low-key on Sunday. Keep weekdays simple and routine for the first weeks of school.
Prioritize and Communicate
My kids know from both my words and actions that spending time as a family is one of our highest priorities. They just expect that our weekends will involve time together. They also know that being outside is important for them as individuals and for our entire family. Less important things, like watching TV, need to come after we’ve spent time outside. Once you define your priorities, your children are likely to receive it better when you share the weekend plans with them. My kids don’t complain about family hikes because it’s just ingrained in them that it’s what our family does. Choose how your family would like to spend time together and communicate with your crew.
Maximize Weeknights
For me, the best thing about adventuring with my kids is connecting with them. Weeknights are often busy, especially once their activities begin. My son’s love language is being outdoors. He relaxes, opens up to me, and we just enjoy one another even more when we’re outdoors together. A simple way to connect with my son and be outside together is during my daughter’s dance class. Instead of spending an hour waiting in the studio’s waiting room, we drive to a nearby public school playground and he rides his scooter and talks with me all about the latest 1st grade happenings. Some weeks we switch it up and go to a different park and play soccer. It takes little effort on my part, just packing the scooter, helmet, and a ball, and it is worth it for an hour together.
This is what works for us, but of course, there are plenty of alternatives. For example, if your child prefers reading, head to a nearby public library during a sibling’s practice. (Here are a few of my favorite libraries!)
Explore…More!
If one of my children has a game or practice in a new-to-me area, I research it before we go, finding fun spots to check out if there’s time. For example, if your child plays soccer games at the Midlothian YMCA, check out Midlothian Mines Park afterwards!
Or, if your child has a play rehearsal at The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, visit Crump Park with the sibling(s), or explore with everyone after rehearsal.
Embrace Weekend Warrior Status
When my daughter started school I remember thinking, “She’s going to spend more time with her teacher than with me,” and it made me so sad! Now I just think of it as a reason to make the most of our weekend time together. If it’s a simple picnic at Brown’s Island or a challenging hike, I know that we cherish our weekends. I love to make fun family plans, and adjust them as the needs of my kids change and evolve.
