By Brian McNeill, University of Minnesota Extension

The countdown has begun and summertime is just around the corner. Are you ready? This is a great time to start to budget and plan for the kind of summer you want for your children.

Research indicates that children unsupervised after school are at significantly higher risk of truancy, stress, receiving poor grades, early experimentation with sex and substance abuse. If this is what research says about after-school time, imagine what the summer hours could bring.

Planning your summer will not only ensure positive time for your child but could also help you financially. Taking time to plan ahead will help spread the cost of your child’s activities over the summer and it will help you know that children will be safe while enjoying activities that help them with their development.

Let’s look at a few ways to help you plan ahead for the summer:

• Look within your community. There are a variety of community-based programs, such as community education, 4-H and other citywide programs that are affordable and probably close to your neighborhood. Many of these activities last the whole day, are relatively affordable and teach your child new skills. If the price seems beyond your means, ask if assistance is available.

• Find out your child’s interests. Take time to talk with your child and find out what he or she might like to be involved in or learn about. This will not only help to motivate your child about the exciting summer plans ahead, but it will increase the likelihood that your child will make friends with others with similar interests.

• Plan to get out of the house. Help your child plan activities in the great outdoors where he or she can move around. It might be some summer sports camps. It might be helping elderly neighbors with yard work. It might be going to some overnight camps. Exercise is important and summer is a great time to get out and exercise.

It’s important to take time now to think about the summer for your children. With careful budget planning and finding the right positive activities, your child can have a fun and enriching summer that will help him or her grow as a person.

(Brian McNeill is a youth development educator in Minnesota 4-H, with University of Minnesota Extension.)