10 Viral Parent Hacks to Make Summer With Kids a Breeze

Summer is known for fun in the sun—but it can also be stressful for parents. From dishes piling up to the inevitable cries of boredom, here are some ways to make your life easier.

Summer is here! The kids are stoked to be out of school, sleeping in, and having fun with friends. Whether your kids are headed off to several weeks of camp (sleepaway or day camp), or they're planning to just chill, summer means freedom for children of all ages.

For parents—not so much. While, yes, we love some fun in the sun and cherish family time together, let's be honest—there is such a thing as TOO much time together. There's also sometimes boredom, an endless search for snacks, and the mess the kids leave behind. Plus, for parents who work—summer can be a constant juggle for child care, camp drop-offs, and still packing lunches.

We hear you. We feel you. And we've got your back. So we've compiled some of the best social media parent hacks to make your summer a breeze.

Related: 24 Low-Cost Summer Activities for Kids

Hacks to Fight Boredom

Summer freedom is fun for kids...until it's not. So let's start with the inevitable whines of: "I'm bored. I have nothing to do." From preschoolers through teenagers, keeping kids on some sort of schedule can certainly help fight that boredom.

Create a summer routine chart

TikTok Mom @MrsBlinks created cute little labels and attached them to a summer chart with velcro. As kids complete the tasks, they move the labels from one side of the chart to the other. While some are true "chores" like making your bed and cleaning up, it also includes things like doing something creative, reading, and doing something kind.

Once the kids complete their chart, they get rewarded. She also created different tags to vary the tasks every day. The trick is—to stick to this all summer!

Use a clock to divide your child's day

This is a cool one. You use an old-school clock—you know, the kind with an hour hand and a minute hand—and create your own clock face to keep your kids on a certain schedule. TikToker @mdoesdiy first put out this viral hack last summer. But she put it out again to share her wisdom with other parents.

While she admits this isn't designed to be a strict schedule, in this hack, she turns the face of the clock into various parts of the day, rather than showing the actual time. For example, instead of a child asking, "Is it lunchtime yet?" they can look up at the clock and see when it actually is lunchtime. The clock face is completely customizable, but there are templates available.

Playtime Hacks

For kids of all ages, summer is about having fun. For little kids, it's all about playtime. Nothing says summer like kids playing in the water and with bubbles! It's easy and fun to keep kids occupied.

Create a pool on the beach

While yes, when you go to the beach, you have the ocean right in front of you. But younger kiddos may just want to play in the water without getting knocked around by the waves.

This hack from @athomewith.shannon is so simple and genius. Bring a cheap shower curtain with you when you go to the beach, dig a small hole, cover it with the curtain, and pour the water in. You have a small pool! Kids can stay cool while sitting and playing, and parents can stay close.

Fun with bubbles

You can never have too many bubble wands, am I right? We found two hacks involving bubbles to make parents' lives easier—and less messy-this summer.

The first hack from @deanastyle just involves some strong tape and bubble wands. You simply tape the wands to a garage door or outside wall. That way kids can dip the wand in and out without spilling or getting the solution all over themselves.

Another bubble hack from @thehouseofrealisticmom proves you don't even need fancy bubble wands to make tons of bubbles. All you need is the bubble solution and some straws. Just dip the end of a straw into the solution and blow! It's easier for younger kiddos and can also avoid spills.

Hacks to Keep Your House Organized

If we think it's hard to keep our houses in order during the school year, it can be even more difficult over the summer. Kids are constantly looking for food, leaving dishes and cups around, and walking away from messes left everywhere. Simplify things with these hacks.

Color-coded dishes for kids

On Facebook, user Bianca went viral with 44K shares of her hack to make her kids responsible for their own dishes. She said she bought each child their own cup, plate, bowl, fork, and spoon in different colors for each child. This way she knows who to hold accountable for any dishes they leave behind. The kids can only use their own dishes and they have to wash them. Another hack that's so simple and genius.

Snacks ready to go in the fridge

One of the classic summer pitfalls for kids is the endless search for snacks. They are constantly hungry. But then they stare longingly into the fully-stocked pantry or refrigerator and proclaim there's nothing to eat.

This Facebook post from @TheEagerTeacher is a bit older but is still so relevant. She preps anytime-approved snacks in the refrigerator that her kids can just grab and go. Note, they are healthy snacks your kid might not necessarily choose and include cheese sticks, yogurt, fruit, and vegetables. But these are snacks that her kids are allowed to grab at any time.

How to get teens to clean their rooms

OK, so this isn't quite a summer hack per se, but it's so relevant all year long! TikToker @krisreneeauthor has eight children and she uses this strategy with her teenagers. She gives them a grace period of a few days when asked to clean their rooms. She says that way they can clean it on their own timetable. But once that grace period expires, she gives them a 24-hour warning to get it done.

If the room isn't clean after those 24 hours, she will clean the room for them. But here's the kicker. She will then send her teen an itemized bill for her time and services rendered. Spoiler alert—once their kids pay up once, they don't want to do it again and they keep their room clean.

On-The-Go Hacks

Part of summer fun is to be able to do what you want with the kids when you want to do it. So therefore you want to be as prepared as possible to be on-the-go.

Prep your car for whatever comes your way

In this TikTok, @maizimmy shows parents how to have their car prepped and ready to go for whatever comes their way. She shows us how to use seatback organizers to stash extra clothes, sunscreen, and a first aid kit.

Then in a trunk organizer, she throws in extra shoes, sports equipment, and water. Plus she adds an umbrella and waterproof blanket. She calls her trunk a giant "contingency plan."

Carry a makeup brush to apply sunscreen

Maybe you want to stash a makeup brush in one of those trunk organizers or in your go bag. In this TikTok hack from @abbyluf, she shows us how using a makeup brush to apply sunscreen to little faces and arms making life so much easier. And it keeps your hands clean in the process.

How to bring popsicles to the park

Popsicles are one of the summer's best treats. But they are also tough to take places unless you pack a big cooler full of ice. This hack from @ywmfamily makes it easier if you're just heading to the park or the beach with your kids for a few hours.

Just pack your pops into a large, insulated cup like a Yeti or a Stanley. Then fill it with ice and close it up. Once you get to the park, you have frozen popsicles!

Related: 10 Budget-Friendly Summer Programs for Kids

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