The days are stretching longer. Socks are off, water play is calling, and the natural rhythm of the season is starting to shift. For families guided by the principles of RIE® and Pikler®, summer offers an invitation—not to fill the calendar, but to slow down and tune in.
It’s tempting to pack summer with camps, classes, outings, and endless activities. That’s the culture around us: do more, keep busy. But what if this season was about being more, not doing more?
Summer as a Time to Simplify
In respectful caregiving, we focus on slowness, presence, and predictability—and summer gives us a beautiful opportunity to honor those rhythms more deeply.
Here are a few ways to embrace summer:
1. Create Space for Free Play—Especially Outdoors
Simple water bins, sand, grass, shade, and time are more than enough. Children thrive in environments where they can move freely, explore naturally, and engage without interruption. Let the sun and soil become their learning materials.
2. Maintain Core Rhythms While Loosening the Edges
Children feel safe in the familiar. Even as days get more relaxed, hold onto key rituals—waking, meals, rest, and bedtime—as anchors. This predictability helps children feel grounded, even with looser days.
3. Say No to Overscheduling
It’s okay to say no thank you to busy calendars. Your child doesn’t need constant stimulation—they need your calm presence, space to play, and time to be. Choose slow mornings, long snacks, and open-ended afternoons over structured events whenever possible.
4. Embrace Observation as Your Compass
Summer is a perfect time to watch without interference. What draws your child’s attention when you don’t direct them? What problem are they solving with a stick or a puddle? In observing quietly, you’ll see how capable they truly are.
5. Invite Moments of Joyful Connection
It’s the little things: applying sunscreen with presence, sharing watermelon on a picnic blanket. These are the moments that build trust and joy—and they don’t require anything extra.
This Summer, Let It Be Enough
You don’t have to create a perfect summer. You don’t need a bucket list or themed weeks. Your child doesn’t need enrichment—they need you. Your steady presence. Your open heart. Your respect for their pace and process.
And maybe, just maybe, you need this season too—to slow down, breathe deeper, and reconnect with what really matters.
Wishing you a summer full of sunlight, slowness, and spaciousness.
 | A guest post by
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