For the last six weeks on the Whole Hearted Parenting blog we have been talking about ways to have an incredible summer.  The suggestions are fun, they keep the learning alive and they bring families together.   

One summer activity that will do all three is to plan a family home improvement project in which everyone participates.  You can build a patio, deck or walkway.  Lots of learning there!  You can landscape, plant fruit trees, create an arbor, or plant a vegetable garden which will create a year-round project with yummy benefits.  For those who would rather do things indoors, you can organize all of your photographs into albums or redecorate/reorganize a room, maybe even your child’s room.   

A child feels valuable when he makes a contribution, and you build team when your whole family works together on a project.  Home improvement projects, which make a communal contribution, also help build self-esteem.    

Self-Esteem = I am Lovable and Capable  

Your child will have a blast mixing concrete, laying bricks, digging holes, painting walls or looking through photographs.  Making a home improvement project a summer ritual can give everyone something great to remember and something to look forward to.