5 Secrets to Successful Summer Planning

Worried about how to fill those long summer days? Our summer planning tips get you started out right!

1. Survey says...

Knowing what kids want from their summer programs is key to good planning, says Kristen Gonzalez of South Bay Family YMCA. She advises surveying kids on their interests before you begin to plan. If you can’t survey them beforehand, she adds, make sure to ask for input during the first days or weeks of your program.

Rochelle Grechman-Dibley, Recreation Supervisor for the City of San Rafael, leaves space in her summer programs for kids to vote on how to spend certain days. “It’s especially important for older kids” she says, “to feel ownership in what they’re doing.”

2. Design a theme.

Many successful programs use themes to generate excitement among both kids and staff.

Jennifer Fraser of Beale Youth Center in Marysville reports on her program’s most successful theme to date — Survivor Summer — in which kids were divided into “tribes” and assigned weekly challenges. “Three years later,” she says, “and they’re still talking about it!”

Similarly, Jim Stephens of Orange Unified School District uses weekly themes to create ongoing interest in his program. This year, he is running a Caldecott Summer in which each week is themed around a different Caldecott award-winning book.  

3. Create a buzz.

A dash of mystery and intrigue helps keep kids interested. Kristen Gonzalez uses morning and afternoon assemblies to drop hints and create buzz around the activities of the following day or week. It’s important to let kids know what to expect, but a little mystery can add a lot of excitement.

4. Make it personal.

Personal relationships are vital to the success of any program. Take the first few days or weeks of your program to build bonds and relationships.

“Get to know their names, what they’re into. See if you can make a connection,” says Rochelle Grechman-Dibley.

“Once you build relationships with the kids, it doesn’t matter what you do so much as who’s doing it.”

5. Plan Ahead

As with most things in life, a little forward planning is the key to a successful program. So don’t stress — get started today! With a little imagination and a solid theme, summer planning is a snap.