These days, many parents are obsessed with creating “core memories” for their children. The kind that stick in their minds and hearts forever and becomes a pillar of how they view their childhood. Sometimes parents go out of their way to create these moments with elaborate birthday parties, trips to Disneyland, or expensive gifts…but these things don’t always make a core memory.  The thing worth considering is that these experiences are planned by parents whose idea of what’s memorable may be drastically different from their kids’. In truth, many people’s “core memories” of childhood involve days when they were able to roam free, or something exciting or serendipitous happened out of the blue. How parents can create core memories Carol Kim, a mother of three and licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, known as Parenting-Resilience on Instagram, says that the moments your child will truly remember are when parents are present and show support. “Notice how creating good memories doesn’t require expensive toys or lavish family trips. Your presence is the most valuable present you can give to your child,” Kim wrote on Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carol Kim (@parenting.resilience) Parenting with Systems, a family influencer on Threads, created a wonderful Summer Memory Map that makes it easy for parents to create core memories without shelling out a lot of cash or going on elaborate vacations. It all works on the idea that summer should be full of anticipation, participation, and repetition. The great news is that it only takes 10 minutes to plan a summer they’ll remember forever; all parents have to do is choose four “anchors.” Kids cooking with mom. Credit: Canva The Summer Memory Map is built around 4 anchors: 1. One tiny weekly ritual “Think: Friday pancakes, Sunday evening walk, library morning, backyard popsicles, post-dinner bike ride, porch ice cream. The goal is not impressive. The goal is attainable. Kids like having something to look forward to,” ParentingWithSystems notes. 2. One monthly fandango “It is not core memory Olympics. It is one slightly bigger thing on the calendar that gives the month some shape,” ParentingWithSystems writes. “Think: creek day, backyard camping, cousin sleepover, minor league baseball game, picnic dinner at the park.” 3. One kid-led choice “A lot of summer plans are made around kids without being made with kids. We pick the camp, the weekend plan, the dinner, the activity, the route, the timing, and the rules. Then we wonder why they act like tiny, disgruntled board members with no voting rights. They do not need to run the house. They do need a little ownership,” ParentingWithSystems shares.  Kids in a tent. Canva: Credit 4. One no-phone memory moment “This is not about pretending phones are evil,” ParentingWithSystems emphasizes. “But some moments need to be lived before they are documented. Pick one repeatable moment where the phone is not the main character.” The great thing about the Summer Memory Map is that it only takes a few minutes to plan and can do a great job of creating a summer that’s full of memories and, one of the best things, anticipation. But the best part is that it emphasizes what matters most: spending time together as a family.  The post Parenting expert shares how a 10-minute setup can create a summer of core memories appeared first on Upworthy.