A springboard for your children’s daily routine while school is out of session, plus three tips for managing their summer schedule
Summer fun isn’t just on the horizon. It is here! While parents and kids alike are excited for the sunshine and lazy days, don’t sleep on the importance of keeping a summer schedule for kids even throughout their time away from school. We have already discussed how daily schedules for kids can reduce stress and anxiety. During the warmer months it is no different. It may be tempting to just up your child’s screen time, but avoiding brain drain is a little more complex than that. Don’t worry - it doesn't have to be harder, just a little more thought out.
Children thrive on structure, whether it is regarding things they want to do or not. When building a summer schedule for your kids, begin with the things they need to do like waking up at a certain hour, brushing their teeth, making their bed, eating breakfast, and so on. From there incorporate things they should do like a learning activity, reading, or playing outside. Lastly, work with them on what they would like to do. Getting their input on a daily schedule helps them take ownership of it and it has a higher chance of being successful. Whether it is simply picking out a special summer workbook, picking a summer camp or sports club to attend, or even choosing which books to check out from the library, these choices will get them used to trying new things and help develop their future passions.
Once you have created a summer schedule for the kids, here are three ways to help you implement it on a daily basis:
- Post it. Your kids need to be able to follow it, right? Make sure the daily schedule is visible so they can see it and put it to use themselves. This teaches them to follow instructions and also grows their independence. We suggest putting Hearth Display in a central location where everyone can access it.
- Incorporate goals. It is nice to be able to go down the daily to-do list, but what are they working towards? Use the summer months to talk about family goal setting. Perhaps their daily chores go to an end-of-summer family party. Make a list of both personal and family things everyone would like to accomplish by the time school is back in session. Don’t forget to have fun with it as well. Making a summer bucket list is communal and fun for everyone.
- Make it interactive. Checking things off is half the reason for making the to-do list, right? Use a tool like Hearth that involves personal profiles, a touch screen, and even a built-in rewards system! This helps make the daily routine enjoyable for everyone.
Don’t forget to leave room for days that are anomalies. Summer should involve fun months that will occasionally go outside of the norm. Embrace these and your kids will begin to learn that yes, sometimes rules are okay to be broken. Maybe even let them have a “yes day”, which actually teaches them to plan and be the boss. The options are endless and there’s no doubt these longer days will fly by.
Prepping for the fall or just want to read some more tips regarding family routines? Check out this post on mastering your family’s morning routine, which can in turn help your entire day run smoothly, not just the a.m. Happy scheduling!
