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If I could, I would. Not only for the cost savings, but also for just that last idyllic summer before formal schooling starts.

I voted it depends on the child. My LO actually loves her school and I think she would get bored at home all summer. They do field trips, activities during the day, theme weeks at school, etc. And she would miss her friends. I'd consider pulling her out for maybe a week each month, but not the whole summer.

I'd consider part time.

My DD is starting K this summer and while she LOVES Pre-K, if she could stay home with DH or myself I would let her. We would have so many adventures!

My son is very routine driven so I don't think that would work for us unless we had a very predictable routine at home. We took two weeks off for Christmas at my ILs so we had to create a structure there too (breakfast with grandpa, mornings at an indoor gym or children's museum, lunch out with family, nap, dinner with family, TV, bath, bed). It was really busy for us as the parents to shuttle from place to place (lots of restaurants).

Sooo if it were my kid, I would probably do mornings at preschool, have lunch together, and have a structured summer activity like swim or cooking classes. I might do a 1-2 week vacation for a really cool experience, but understand it might be hard for him to be off his game.

I am a teacher too and have summers off but when I have kept my son home, he did not do well. He really thrives on routine and so we are opting to keep him in (part time) because he enjoys it and it helps him to have the continued routine. He would not do well going back to a structured routine in the fall if he didn't have one all summer. I hope as he gets older, it will get easier but for now, this is what works best for him. Also, when asked, he emphatically prefered to be with his friends all summer to staying home with me. A large group of them will be going with him to Pre-K next year so these are friends that will stay with him.

I wouldn't. We're doing phonics with DS #1 before Kindergarten. I want him to be ready for it. He also likes daycare in general especially in the summer with all of the fun activities there.

@travellingbee: Yeah, I could see mine being really bored at home. Being at home is for the weekends and when you're sick. Doing a phonics & cooking class plus summer activities will make him happy. For my eldest, it works.

I say go for it. I was surprised that my girls really liked staying home with me. They like to keep busy and I thought they would be bored, but they were not. It's a good slow down, bonding time for everyone.

I'd say it depends on both the parent staying home and the child.

If the child would benefit from/like to be able to sleep in, have slower/lazier days, and have more optional activities, then I'd consider it.

If the parent would enjoy spending all day/every day with the child, planning and doing activities & outings, and have friends (both adult and kid!) to do things with, then I'd consider it.

But both things would have to be true for me to do it. Even if the kid is fine being home (in theory), if the adult doesn't enjoy it, no one will!

I would not. My kiddo does best when she's in a routine. While *I* would love to spend a summer with her, I know that she would do best without a big break.

I voted yes but actually I think I'd go with keeping them home two days a week. Then they still get the socialization and fun summer daycare activities but also time to spend extra time and do special activities with you.

For all the people who worry about getting "off schedule", what does that mean to you? Is it a behavior or sleep times or something else?

Just asking because my kids wake up, go to bed, and nap at the same times whether they are home or in school, on holiday, or whatever. So we have never had any transition problems. I also keep my oldest home for Spring Break, Christmas vacay, Thanksgiving, etc.

Do your kids have different behaviors when they are home, or is it that they then don't want to go back after the break? I haven't experienced either one, so I'm curious. But also, my oldest is a very adaptable personal generally speaking.

eta: My second is not very adaptable so far, which is what's fueling my curiosity! She doesn't have any trouble between transitioning between me and our nanny though, when the nanny is on vacay or something.

My daughter would have preferred to be in daycare at that age - she loves being around a lot of people so much more than just me and the baby.

@Anagram: I am keeping my kids home, but in terms of a break in routine...for us, I know it will be a somewhat rough transition going back to school after a summer off because my kids hate to be rushed in the morning. They are not early risers and don't like having to get dressed right away and get out the door. It's bad enough during the school year; I know it will be tougher once they get out of the habit over the summer. I also think they'll be out of practice with goodbyes/bring left, so there may be renewed anxiety about drop off/Mom leaving. Nothing horrible, just a rough week or so as they settle back in, and not enough (for me) for it to be a deterrent to having a very laid back summer! Like you, we will keep meals and bedtimes the same, so no real schedule change.

@Anagram: We keep the same wake time, nap time, bed time and all that regardless of where we are or what we're doing. However, my son just really likes having a predictable flow to his days. Even when he's not hungry, he tells me its dinner time and sits at the table (then proceeds to not eat and make a mess). On the weekends, he asks why we're not going to school. We can sorta wing it in terms of activities and stuff at home on the weekends (we have church on Sundays so its really Saturday that's open), but its a once a week deviation from his flow so its not a big deal. When things get changed up in his routine, we see him mentally trying to figure out whether this new thing is going to be incorporated into his life. He makes associations and rituals with everything and because he's naturally introverted, constantly changing situations stress him out and overstimulate him. Unfortunately, this means he acts out behaviorally by getting rebellious, mischievous, intentionally destroying things, and throwing tantrums. And if he's bored on top of it, it makes it a million times worse.

We had a period last summer where he was home with us before starting preschool for about 2 months and it just wasn't a great fit for him because it was clear he was bored and he was just being annoying. But when we'd try to take him to different activities, he was really uncomfortable and scared. Also he was PISSED. OFF. when preschool started. DH works from home and I was at home with our newborn, so he was really upset he wasn't at home with us anymore.

That's why when we went to my inlaws for Christmas, DH and I had to do a lot of research and make plans for DS so that he would be comfortable. We dragged his sleep tent with us so his sleep environment was the same and we picked this play gym and the children's museum as his go-to spots in the mornings. Often, his cousin would go too, so there was also a familiar buddy. Then lunch out with his grandparents somewhere, nap, and then usually free play with grandpa for about an hour before dinner. The first 2-3 days we were in town and on Christmas his behavior was a little more whiny/tantrummy/disobedient, but as soon as he got comfortable with the routine or the many new relatives he met, he was a total peach.

If we kept my son at home, we'd have to impose a pretty rigid routine like that and then we'd have to transition him yet again to a completely new school environment. I'd rather just have him go through the stress of ONE transition, not two.