Summer and homework, not exactly the perfect pair.

This year, my 8 year old came home for the summer with two full notebooks of exercises and a book to read. And not just any book but the kind of book that you have to read before you can even start one of the notebooks. So, in a way, it’s a three-part mission: read the book, finish both notebooks, and somehow still enjoy the summer.

Before we left for Greece, she managed to complete one of the notebooks. I was proud of her, she stuck with it even when it was hard to focus, and she got it done. But now, we’re home, the trip is behind us, the heat is still lingering, and there’s still the book… and the second notebook waiting patiently on her desk.

She’s started reading the book, and to her credit, she’s loving it. She reads curled up on the couch, sometimes reading aloud, sometimes quiet and focused. But the exercises? Not so much. She knows they’re next. She knows school is just around the corner. But, understandably, she doesn’t want to do homework on her vacation. And honestly? I get it.

☀️ Rest or Responsibility

How do you convince a child, especially one who’s still learning how to manage time and effort, to sit down and do schoolwork when summer is calling from the window? When the sun is out and sandals are by the door and the last thing they want is a pencil in their hand?

She’s young. She’s learning. And part of me knows the routines, the structure, the reinforcement of what she learned last year, all of that matters. Taking a long break from school can make it harder to jump back in. I get that. I respect it. But it doesn’t make it any easier for her.

Because summer feels like freedom. And I don’t want to take that away from her completely.

So I find myself walking that middle line, encouraging her without pressuring her, reminding her without nagging, trying to balance what she needs to do with what summer is meant to feel like. Some days we make a little progress. Other days? We let it go.

Because I want her to remember reading that book with joy. Not dreading the homework that came after.

We’re getting closer to the school year now, and we’ll get there. The book will be read, the exercises will get done, probably with a little grumbling, maybe with some coaxing, and definitely with encouragement.

But also… with breaks. With play. With snacks and sticker breaks and time outside. Because even when there’s work to be done, summer still deserves to feel like summer.

And that’s what we’re trying to hold on to, even with a pencil in hand.