The ABCs of Completing the School Year

A) ATTEND all end-of-the-year school events.

B) Create a BUCKET LIST to savor summer fun. Record can’t-miss activities on a whiteboard, display them on cut-outs strung over the mantel with ribbon or write them on clothespins clamped around the rim of a bucket.

C) Sign the kids up for summer CAMPS, activities and church programs—but leave lots of room in the calendar for the quintessential lazy days of summer.

D) DECLUTTER desks and empty backpacks.

E) With kids away from gym class and recess, fit regular EXERCISE into your summer routine. Get to the pool, send kids outside to play and bike together as a family.

F) FILE away keepsake projects and papers. Art projects fit well in pizza boxes, and hanging files are ideal for school journals and reports.

G) Work with your children to create summer GOALS and give them ownership in this process. How can they use these months off school to form new talents, explore interests or sharpen skills? Create a reward system to maintain motivation and celebrate small victories along the way.

H) Request HOMEWORK from your children’s teachers to set kids up for a successful return to school.

I) INTERVIEW your children. Record memories from this school year and list their favorite things in special notebooks.

J) JOT down your memories—before they slip away—of your child at this age.

K) Let KIDS be KIDS. Value unstructured time as much as if you had to enroll in it, and plan white space into the summer calendar for puddle splashing, mud-flinging and fort-building fun.

L) Stock up on books and sign up for the LIBRARY summer reading program.

M) MEASURE how much your children have grown and record it on the growth chart.

N) Explore your own NEIGHBORHOOD of Kansas City. Visit its fountains, museums, outdoor theaters and famous landmarks.

O) ORGANIZE summer play dates with classroom friends. Plan pool and park dates on a calendar and send copies home in friends’ backpacks, encouraging them to join you.

P) PLAN a last-day-of-school PICNIC at the PARK.

Q) If you have any concerns about your child’s progress, ask teachers QUESTIONS and seek advice before school lets out.

R) RETURN everything that belongs to the school, including library books and instruments.

S) Take a last day SNAPSHOT of your kids beside the school sign.

T) THANK your teachers and school staff with a special note or small gift of appreciation.

U) UPLOAD new apps for summer learning. Some of our favorites: Barefoot World Atlas, Stack the States, Scribble Press, Ladybird: I’m Ready for Phonics and Marble Math.

V) VENTURE out and plan a family VACATION.

W) WRITE pen pal letters to faraway friends.

X) X-AMINE your child’s report card and create a summer learning plan to remediate areas needing extra attention.

Y) Thumb through your child’s YEARBOOK together, record a special note from you and relive the school year through pictures.

Z) ZIP away on the last day in style. Decorate the van with car paint, fill it with balloons and blast the beach tunes from the carpool lane.

Wendy Connelly is a mom to two sunny kids in Overland Park.