School’s out, the snack requests are nonstop, and somehow the days feel both endless and too short. Yep, it’s officially summer break.

If you’re not doing camp this year (or just need to fill a few more hours), we’ve got a big list of creative ideas to keep the kids happy and busy. We’re also diving into a parenting approach that can help you feel less stuck in tricky moments with your kids, because let’s be real, that’s basically every day. And if you’re thinking about how to make the Fourth of July extra fun (but easy!), we’ve got you covered there, too.

Let’s do this, summer!

— Kari Hanson, associate editor