Let’s talk about implementing a kids summer schedule to keep children occupied during their summer at home. I know I canât be the only mom who struggles with figuring out what to do with her kids all day in the summer! In my house boredom = destruction and chaos so I came up with a super loose summer schedule to help keep my daughter occupied without it taking over my life!
Why Have a Summer Schedule for Kids
When I first had children, I resisted any type of structure because it felt too confining and rigid. But as my kids got into the preschool years, I realized how much easier it was to predict their behavior and get all the fun done that we wanted to do by having a loose summer schedule.
“When infants and toddlers are part of familiar activities and routines, they develop relationships with the people they interact with and gain a sense of belonging and self-confidence. As older toddlers and young children grow, they can follow routines, demonstrate emerging independence, and adjust to change more easily.“
–Head Start
Implementing a loose schedule can bring calm through the entire day because kids see what is coming up and that they will have time to do what they want to do. In the end, it is super important for my kid to have things to do, but also really important for me to have the time to finish what I need to do for the day.
Related: Life skills for kids
Printable Summer Schedule that Works for Real Families
So having a balance between activities we do together and activities she does on her own was a necessity for our schedule! Here is a printable summer schedule that you can make your own to fit your family’s needs:
Summer Morning Routine Tips
My daughter is extremely strong willed and stubborn. Things have to be her idea or she typically puts up a fight. Getting her ready in the mornings is like getting a teenager ready. She doesnât like the shirt I pick out, she doesnât want to brush her teeth, sheâs too tired to get out of bed, etc.
Printable routine charts SAVED my sanity in the mornings. I taped them up in her bathroom and now she gets ready with no fight because it is the chart telling her what to do and not me.
So every morning, first thing in the morning she follows the morning routine chart that I got from the Kids Activities printable library.
Summer Late Morning Routine Tips
After breakfast is cleaned up and everyone is ready for the day I have about 9-12 to work on work or clean the house. This is time that I NEED my preschooler to be occupied so that this stuff can get done.
I know you know what I am talking about here.
So this is the time that I use printable learning or coloring sheets to keep her occupied while I get stuff done. I occasionally check in with what sheâs doing to praise her or coach her through the activity but 90% of it is done on her own.
Which is AMAZING for getting stuff done.
TIP: Have your kids look online and help you pick out printable sheets that they like at the beginning of the week and print them out so that you have a stash to choose from when you need them!
Obviously I canât make a preschooler learn for 3 hours straight so when I can tell she is getting antsy I will switch her to LEGOs or let her play in her room for a bit.
Summer Lunch & Nap time Schedule Tips
This time of day is pretty self explanatory, we eat lunch around noon and she goes down for a nap around 1. I will eat with her and then do our naptime routine which is potty, read a book, and wind down together before leaving her in her room to fall asleep.
Naptime for me is time to catch up on work so I use this time wisely!!
Summer Afternoon Schedule Tips
PLAYTIME! We use this time to get outside, take a walk, ride bikes, swim, etc.
- We have a lake pass so we can head to the beach at the lake for a bit, swim in the kiddie pool, play with my daughters neighbor friends. I basically use this time to wear out all her energy before dinner and our evening routine!
- This is also a good time to head to the library or do other fun indoor stuff like that depending on what is in your area. Sometimes here (in Texas) it is just too hot to play outside so we will head to the library!
- Evening Routine:
- I start getting dinner ready around 5pm and I can see into our backyard from the kitchen so my preschooler will either continue to play out there, play in her room, or help me cook if she wants!
There are those days where evening is the time where everything falls apart and I am just staring out the window waiting for dad to get home and this is another time I use those learning or coloring printables to keep her occupied.
If sheâs doing them on the kitchen table she feels like she is âwith meâ without hanging all over me and whining while I am trying to cook dinner.
Summer Bedtime Routine
After dinner and clean up we follow the bedtime routine chart that comes with the morning routine chart which includes cleaning her room, baths, brushing teeth, reading a book, and a few more simple tasks.
This routine works really well for us and it is flexible enough to where I can trade out things to do so that we donât get bored, but it still keeps us on a solid routine which is really important for when school starts!
More Summer Fun from Kids Activities Blog
Do you have a summer schedule?
