Keeping track of everyone's schedules can be a daunting task for any family. However, with a bit of planning and organization, it's possible to stay on top of things while minimizing stress and confusion.
A family calendar can have many benefits for kids. By involving children in the process of maintaining the calendar, they can learn valuable skills such as responsibility and time management. When children are responsible for adding their own activities and appointments to the calendar, they can take ownership of their schedules and learn to prioritize their time effectively.
Here's how a family calendar helps.
A family calendar is an essential tool to keep track of everyone's schedules and commitments. It helps to organize and coordinate family activities, appointments, and events. Here are some reasons why a family calendar is so important:
Avoid Conflicts:
With everyone's schedules in one place, it is easy to see when conflicts arise. This can help avoid double-bookings or missed appointments.
Stay on Top of Deadlines:
A family calendar helps you keep track of important deadlines, such as school projects, work deadlines, and bill payments.
Plan Family Activities:
A family calendar allows you to plan fun family activities in advance. This can help ensure that everyone can attend and that there are no scheduling conflicts.
Encourage Communication:
A family calendar encourages communication between family members. It provides a central location to share information about schedules, activities, and events.
Teach Responsibility:
By including children in the process of maintaining the family calendar, you can teach them responsibility and time management skills.
Read on for some tips on how to best keep a family calendar.
1. Choose a Calendar App or System
In today's digital age, there are many calendar apps and systems available for families to use. Some popular options include Google Calendar, Cozi, and Trello. Choose a system that works best for your family and make sure everyone knows how to use it. At Hearth, we pride ourselves in offering the best family calendar on the market—with to do lists, shared calendars, and easy oversight on family schedules. A regular family calendar app can't offer simple integration or separate profiles for family members like Hearth.
2. Create a Master Calendar
Create a master calendar that includes all of the important events and appointments for each family member. This can include school schedules, work schedules, extracurricular activities, and social events. Make sure to update the calendar regularly and check it frequently to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
3. Color Code Each Family Member
Assign a different color to each family member on the calendar to make it easier to identify who has what scheduled. This can help prevent scheduling conflicts and ensure that everyone's schedule is being taken into consideration. When each family member has their own color, scanning for upcoming events or conflicts becomes simple.
4. Share the Calendar
Make sure that everyone in the family has access to the calendar and knows how to use it. This can be done by sharing the calendar app or system with each family member or printing out a physical copy of the calendar for everyone to refer to. Family members without complicated schedules can use their profile in the family calendar app to keep track of their school work, after-school events, and playdates. For family members with busy work calendar apps, this might be the place for household-related tasks and events.
5. Set Reminders
Set reminders for important events and appointments to ensure that no one forgets. This can be done within the calendar app or system or by setting reminders on your phone or computer. The best family calendar apps should offer a way to do this seamlessly.
6. Update the Calendar Regularly
Make sure to update the calendar regularly with any changes or additions to each family member's schedule. This can help prevent confusion and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
7. Make Time for Family Meetings
Schedule regular family meetings to go over the calendar and discuss any upcoming events or appointments. This can help ensure that everyone is aware of what is going on and can help prevent any last-minute surprises. Family members with complex schedules are no exception! Make this time an automated update across everyone's family calendar apps so that there are no excuses. Once the shared family calendar app is up and running, these meetings will feel like second nature.
8. Keep a Physical Copy
In addition to using a digital calendar app or system, it can be helpful to keep a physical copy of the calendar in a central location in the home. This can help ensure that everyone is aware of what is going on and can refer to it as needed. Relying solely on a physical copy isn't realistic, as to do lists get updated and Google calendar changes every hour. But if your family is new to calendar apps, try keeping both until the transition is complete. Hearth makes tracking family life simple by centralizing everybody's calendars in one place, minus the pesky print outs.
9. Be Flexible
Remember that schedules can change and unexpected events can arise. Be flexible and be willing to make adjustments to the calendar as needed to ensure that everyone's needs are being met.
10. Be Consistent
Finally, it is important to be consistent in using the family calendar. Make sure that everyone knows how to use it and is using it regularly to ensure that it is an effective tool for keeping everyone organized and on track.
11. Keep it Fun
Someone will forget to update the family calendar app. The Google calendar will go unused for weeks. Even the best family calendars take some getting used to. Getting the whole family on board is no small feat. Celebrate your wins—whether that migrating your info from multiple calendars or dropping that cheesy family organizer you never actually used. It's a family calendar, after all. Keeping things in perspective is a much-needed reminder that nothing is as important as family.
By following these tips, families can successfully keep a family calendar and stay organized and on top of everyone's schedules.
