For many families across the country, the school year is finally winding down and summer vacation is just around the corner. Sadly, summer vacation never seems to last quite long enough, does it? That’s why it’s so important to make the most of your time with your family in the coming months. And we’ve made planning the perfect summer easy for you by providing you with five fun and family-friendly ideas!

1) Cook Dinner Together

Cooking together can be a wonderful bonding experience for any family—certainly more so than picking up a pizza for fast food. No matter how young or old your children are, certainly you can find a recipe that everybody can help out with. Consider something simple like preparing a yummy taco dinner as a family; one of you can brown the meat, somebody else can make the rice, and an older child or adult can be responsible for chopping up fresh green onion, lettuce, and tomatoes.

2) Host a Fiesta

Why not throw a party to celebrate the end of the school year? Your children can invite their friends from school, and you can host their parents as a great way of getting to know them better. Make feeding your guests easy by exploring Mexican party buffet ideas, and consider even setting up a margarita bar for your of-age guests. If you have an outdoor entertainment space, such as a deck or patio, you can even host your party outside!

3) Visit Your Favorite Restaurant

What about those nights when you don’t feel like cooking but you still want to enjoy a delicious meal together as a family? This is a great time to visit your favorite local family restaurant— such as Macayo’s! During your dinner together, take turns sharing your hopes and expectations for the rest of the summer, or discuss what your children are looking forward to most about the upcoming school year. We’d love to be a part of your family memories!

4) Host a Barbecue

Summer is the perfect time to host a neighborhood barbecue. And by allowing your children to invite their friends from school, they can stay in better touch with them over the summer. Invite your friends, family, and neighbors for an afternoon of delicious BBQ food (be sure to have vegetarian or gluten-free options available, based on your guest list), music, and backyard games like cornhole or volleyball!

5) Plan a Summer Vacation

Finally, if you’re looking to really take summer to the next level, consider planning a family vacation together. This never has to be anything extravagant; you and your family take a day trip to a local lake or beach, or even just book a night at a local hotel. As long as you’re getting away and spending time together as a family, that’s all that matters.

These end of school family ideas are sure to leave your entire family with some wonderful memories of this summer; be sure to give some (or all) of these a try!