Summer is almost here and that means that kids are going to be home all the time. We have spent the last seven years trying to figure out what to do with our kids and they come home from school for the summer. We’re going tell you the things that have been working for us and that we have really enjoyed doing over the summer so you can find a family summer routine that works for you.
You can also listen to our discussion about this on our podcast Parenting in Real Life.
Summer Morning Routine
Depending on the age of your kids, a summer routine is going to look a bit different for everyone. Things have changed from when I had smaller kids who napped to now having tweens. So it’s good to do what works best for your family and your kids’ ages.
Here are some thing that we like to do in the morning as part of our routine to help the kids be productive.
- We turns screens off a at 9am. This helps our kids know that it’s time to focus on their learning and chore list. Some of the chores include reading/learning time, working in the yard, a daily chore, cleaning their zone, etc. If you would like a chore list for your kids, check out this one here!
- We also don’t do friend time until after lunch. I found that when my kids are playing with friends all day, they are super grumpy in the evening. So we like to limit their play time with friends a little bit.
- Mom Store
- To help motivate our kids to get things done, we do a mom store. Our kids get a ticket for each task they complete each day. Each ticket was worth 25 cents.
- At the end of the week, the kids can cash in their tickets for treats and small toys.
- I found that my kids didn’t like to save their tickets for bigger things, they just liked the candy and drinks.
Plan Fun!
I’m the type of person who runs by a schedule and I have so much to do that if I don’t plan the fun, it doesn’t happen.
Bucket List
We love doing a summer bucket list and the kids tell me all the fun things they would like to do. We do some brainstorming and then I write the activities on our summer calendar on the months we’ll probably do them. Then I write the activities on the calendar to make sure they happen.
You can get your own summer bucket list here!
Family fun night
We do this all year long, but it may be something that’s easier to do in the summer. Friday nights we usually do a movie with popcorn and soda, but you can do games, activities, etc. The kids look forward to Friday nights because we do something fun together.
How do I keep this routine going all summer?
- Start small – do things you feel like you could keep up
- Bed time – It’s so tempting to let kids stay up super late during the summer especially because the sun is out or all the neighbors are outside, but we like to try to stick to a normal bedtime schedule during the summer. We extend bedtime a little bit, but we like our younger kids to be bed by 8:30pm. This helps them get the sleep they need. It also helps me have some much needed downtime at night after being with kids all day
- About halfway through summer, re-evaluate. Do you like what you’re doing? Do you need more fun? More structure? Have you gotten a little relaxed in your routine?
These things have really helped us during the summer. What do you do in your summer routine?