Even though September 21st marks the “official” end of summer, I always think of the end of August as the end of summer – and then I am completely surprised when it continues to be hot until October.

Last week we talked about change and how to prepare children for it, so this week I thought we could talk again about how to celebrate the end of summer with a few “special” activities that children can really look forward to as you wind down.

My son Louie’s favorite summer activity when he was in preschool was when the teachers set up a car wash. They filled buckets and kiddie pools with water, pulled the hose out, provided a bunch of scrub brushes and sponges and lots and lots of bubbles. Now don’t get worried – there were no real cars. The children rode the ride ’em bikes through the car wash. They took turns being patrons and washers. They exchanges money and made change. Another favorite was the end-of-summer lemonade stand. The children and teachers readied the stand for families at pick-up time. The children made the lemonade, decorated the table, set up the cash register and had a celebration for the end of summer.

Marking the passage of time commemorates the beginnings and endings of time and events. Try to make traditions that children and families will always remember.