# Ellie Kemper's Summer Survival Kit: Costumes, Screen Time, and No Apologies
Actress and mother Ellie Kemper shares her refreshingly honest approach to surviving summer with young children, ditching Pinterest-perfect strategies for what actually works in her household.
Kemper's secret weapon is simple: a costume bin. Kids rotate through dress-up clothes throughout the day, keeping them engaged without requiring elaborate activity planning. She pairs this with zero guilt around screen time. Rather than stress over daily limits, she focuses on balance across the week and accepts that summer means more television than the school year allows.
The actress acknowledges the parts that genuinely stress her out too. The constant meal planning, managing bored children, and the relentless nature of keeping kids entertained takes a real toll. She doesn't pretend to have conquered these challenges. Instead, Kemper normalizes that parents don't need to.
Her approach reflects what child development experts increasingly recommend: flexibility over perfection. Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician at Seattle Children's Hospital, has noted that summer breaks naturally disrupt routines, and fighting against that reality creates unnecessary parental anxiety.
Kemper's costume bin strategy taps into something children naturally enjoy: imaginative play. This costs little money and requires minimal setup. Rotating through costumes keeps novelty alive without purchasing new toys constantly.
Her openness about screen time aligns with American Academy of Pediatrics guidance that emphasizes quality over rigid time restrictions. Rather than aiming for zero screen time, the AAP recommends balancing screen use with other activities throughout the week.
What makes Kemper's advice valuable isn't a new productivity hack. It's permission. Permission to lower the bar. Permission to let your children wear superhero capes to breakfast. Permission to use the television when you need