Woohoo!
Summer!
Outdoors and ice cream and sun tans and all the stuff we remember about childhood. The stuff that makes us feel nostalgic and childlike inside. With 5 kids, summer is our favorite season and we make the best of it.
But also, with 5 kids, you better believe we have a summer routine we like to follow to keep things from slipping into chaos too early in the summer.
Later? Yes, sure, but we at least want to hold it together for 6 weeks, right?
>> A Summer Schedule That’ll Keep Kids Occupied (And Moms Sane)
Here are 3 sample daily summer routines (by age!) to help you get some peace, fun, and relaxation!
What are your goals for your kids’ summer?
- Do you want to laze around the house and have slow days?
- Do you want to learn some new skills, fill it with activities and trips?
- Will you be working or at home?
These are things to consider when crafting a summer routine. You don’t want to start out too regimented then give up after a week or two.
Much better to think strategically and wisely about how you order your days from the get go and avoid stress later.
Create summer rhythms that help you balance fun AND real life responsibilities, so you can make make memories with your kids.
Learn MoreStart with big rocks, fill in with pebbles
When crafting your perfect summer routine, start with the big things.
- Meal times
- Chore times (and chore assignments)
- Extra work (that’s paid, if your child is old enough)
- Lessons, activities, sports, etc.
- Family vacations or fun
Then fill in the rest. That is likely enough to give you a pretty good structure around your days, as is. You may find adding more just feels too busy.
As my aunt said after retirement… I am so busy I don’t know how I ever had a job!
You may feel like that. So busy that you don’t know how you managed school all day AND the other stuff.
READ: Summer Morning Routines to Stop Fighting, Messes, and Boredom
Here are 3 sample daily summer routines (by age!) to help you get some peace, fun, and relaxation!
Keep consistent with repetition (and visual reminders!)
If you aren’t used to having a routine then it can be tricky to get one started. But once you find one that works, you will NOT want to let it go.
You just won’t.
Write the routine up on the command center, on a sheet of paper you put on the fridge, anywhere. Visual reminders or cues will help it going. Kids can also take more ownership of their days when they can follow along.
READ: A Summer Schedule That’ll Keep Kids Occupied (And Moms Sane)
Want your kids to learn to independently follow their routines? These visual routine cards do the trick.
Learn MoreNot too much fun at once
I want to caution you not to overfill the days with fun stuff. You’ll soon tire out, the kids’ expectations will get too high, and you’ll spend more money than necessary.
Every other day having a fun activity (I’m thinking outside the home, for example) works well.
You don’t need to do a water park, the zoo, and a park picnic all in the same week. You can spread them out!
Here are 3 sample daily summer routines (by age!) to help you get some peace, fun, and relaxation!
A Summer Schedule That’ll Keep Kids Occupied & Mom Sane
Frequently Asked Questions
With your kids home more, you will find that the house is messier than normal, so you may decide to add in some chore routines for your summer vacation. Do what works best for you and if you decide to add in some chore routines, check out this blog post and my chore cards!
Create a summer bucket list together as a family with all of their ideas (big and small) and work through it over the summer as time allows. That way, it feels more like a collective activity instead of individual events for each child.
Have a conversation with your kids at the beginning of summer and talk about your general summer rhythms, expectations, and daily schedule. It goes a long way to create a summer schedule and write things on the calendar for your kids to look forward to as they get into their summer schedule.
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