Summer days are long and, let’s face it, when there’s no structure at all things get chaotic. Aimless.
So while it’s good for kids to do random things of little Adult Import, it’s also good to have a few tricks up your sleeve. A tad bit of structure will mean there’s less fighting and complaining.
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Fill in the main activities first
You can get an entire summer schedule for kids right here, and I encourage you to check it out.
But while you’re here, let’s talk about adding in first things first. Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you don’t want your kids doing some useful things. In your summer schedule, make sure and have in some basic daily things.
- Meal & snack times
- Chores
- Activities (lessons, sports, etc.)
Here are 3 sample daily summer routines (by age!) to help you get some peace, fun, and relaxation!
Add in extras or goals
Those are the daily basics. After you’ve got those down you’ll want to make sure your kids are getting lots of outdoor time. Summer is perfect for this. We know Vitamin D is is good for health and the outdoors are an essential part of life.
Depending on where you live, make sure your child spends as much time outdoors as they are able. Mornings, afternoons, evening walks, etc.
Fun ways to spend time outside:
- Book reading lists (read in a hammock, by the pool, etc.)
- Side ventures to make money (think lemonade stand)
- Learning a skill (gardening, swimming, etc.)
Follow my 3 step system to organize your mornings, afternoons, and evenings to minimize the chaos and micro-managing.
Learn MoreLet your kids get board
This is important: don’t take your kids’ boredom to heart.
Boredom is a good sign that your child has run out of entertainment and now has to make their own. This is the spice of life and it’s where your children will learn to handle boredom without turning to screens.
Make sure there are the types of toys or materials around where they can make their own fun. Forts, play clothes, random wood or outdoor materials that can be fashioned into forts, large cardboard boxes, etc.
Read on how to craft an entire summer schedule here
Here are 3 sample daily summer routines (by age!) to help you get some peace, fun, and relaxation!
Be careful with screens
An important note this day in age. It’s important you don’t let your kids fritter away their days on screens.
Just don’t.
They are a net negative on children, not a positive.
You don’t have to dump screen time completely, of course, but make sure that it’s always earned. Not a given. If your child wants screen time then require chores first. Require reading, outdoor play, etc. and then and only then let your child on a screen.
And even then, let it be only an hour or so.
Create summer rhythms that help you balance fun AND real life responsibilities, so you can make make memories with your kids.
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Frequently Asked Questions
It helps to have a rhythm or loose schedule for your days. For example, having a general order for how your days play out (breakfast, then independent play time, then outside playtime, then snack, etc.) This will help your kids know what to expect and will give your days some shape and variety so that you don’t feel like you’re relying on screens throughout the day.
Siblings being together more over the summer can lead to more sibling bickering – you are not alone! Check out this blog post and create a summer schedule that includes some alone time for your kids so that they have space away from each other, which tends to help fighting.
Create a summer bucket list together that you can work through together as a family this summer. Each child can also make individual bucket lists with things that they want to do, learn, try, etc. Include big things (like learning to ride a bike) and small things (make a yummy dessert) that you can pull from when you have a slow day.
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