Connection over perfection—because chaos is still welcome
Summer with big kids hits different. They’re too old for splash pads and sidewalk chalk… but still need structure, fun, and you. And if you’re a mom with ADHD, you already know: if it’s not written down or feels like too much effort, it won’t happen. This list is built for the real you—forget perfection and embrace doable moments of connection.
These ideas work with flexible attention spans, shifting moods, and busy brains. You don’t have to do them all. Just pick what works for today.
🎧 Simple Daily Vibes (Low Commitment, Still Fun)
- Make a summer playlist together
- Try a 24-hour screen-free challenge (yes, even you!)
- Go to a local coffee shop to journal, sketch, or chat
- Have a “what are we listening to today?” music swap
- Start a shared summer notes app for inside jokes, song recs, and random thoughts
- Play 20 Questions or Would You Rather on a walk
- Do a 10-minute room declutter challenge (race style!)
- Make summer snack boards and eat dinner picnic-style in the living room
- Create an end-of-summer bucket list video montage
- Play a video game together—even if you’re terrible at it
🎨 Creative Connection Projects (For Homebody Days)
- Pick a 1-day DIY project: build something, paint something, fix something
- Start a shared bullet journal or scrapbook for summer memories
- Make vision boards (future plans, dream rooms, travel inspo)
- Rearrange or refresh their bedroom together
- Try one new recipe a week—bonus points for plating like a cooking show
- Start a family “Pinterest night”—one new craft, recipe, or hack per week
- Make personalized phone wallpapers for each other
- Create a photo challenge (1 theme a day for 7 days)
- Write letters to your future selves and open next summer
- Make a “mom & me” summer vlog series (private or posted!)
🌿 Get Out & Explore (Local Wins Count!)
- Visit the library—browse together, then go your separate ways
- Explore a local farmers market or flea market
- Go geocaching—it’s like GPS treasure hunting and teens love it
- Spend an afternoon at a museum (science, art, weird local ones—all count)
- Do a park crawl—hit 3 different parks or trails in one day
- Try a sunrise or sunset walk at a new spot
- Walk a historic district and make up fake backstories for old buildings
- Volunteer together for a cause you both care about
- Attend an outdoor concert or community event
- Celebrate the summer solstice with intention: candles, affirmations, plans
🔥 Make Summer Memorable (Not Just Tolerable)
- Host a backyard campfire night with friends (s’mores mandatory)
- Plan one “yes day” with guardrails—you say yes to their (reasonable) ideas
- Take a CPR or first aid class together
- Try one new place to eat every week—food truck, café, hole-in-the-wall
- Do a midnight snack + movie marathon
- Take a class together (pottery, yoga, coding, photography)
- Start a “summer challenge jar” and pull one random idea a week
- Create a summer bingo board with a mix of dares, kindness acts, and randomness
- Play a prank on another family member—good-natured only!
- Take turns being “trip planner” for spontaneous local adventures
💖 For You, Mama
Because you’re still the heartbeat of the summer—even with teens.
- Wake up 15 minutes early for silence, coffee, or journaling
- Schedule your own solo outings (library, brunch, even Target counts)
- Start a mom-only summer playlist—music that makes you feel alive
- Have a “reset hour” once a week to do absolutely nothing productive
- Give yourself permission to take a break—even when the house isn’t perfect
- Read a book just for you (not parenting, not productivity—pleasure)
- Do something nostalgic from your own teen summers
- Take social media breaks without guilt
- Celebrate the small stuff: decluttered drawer? Journaled twice this week? YES.
- Let the “good enough” moments be more than enough
Final Thought:
You’re not “doing summer wrong” just because your kids aren’t little anymore—or because ADHD makes it hard to plan ahead. What matters is showing up for the moments that matter to you and your kids.
You don’t even need to remember where this list is tomorrow (but hey, bookmark it anyway). Summer with ADHD isn’t about mastering the perfect plan—it’s about leaning into the moments that feel good, letting go of the ones that don’t, and trusting that your presence matters more than any itinerary.
So go ahead—pick one thing. Do it imperfectly. And call that a summer win.
✨ Want a printable version of this list? Drop a comment or send me a message and I’ll send it your way!
💌 And if you want weekly intention reminders, routines that work with your brain, and ideas to spark connection, join the newsletter!
