Summer Schedule For Kids That Will Inspire You!

Summer Schedule For Kids!

Summer is here and the kids are SOOO excited. Every kid loves the freedom of summer. But the moms are over here silently freaking out thinking “how am I going to keep my kids occupied for the whole summer!?”

Over the years I’ve found there needs to be a balance between freedom and structured play. I’m all about letting me kids go and having them use their imagaintions.

But too many summer days spent in our pajamas and we start to lose our minds!

I’ve found if we have too much open time without structure we don’t know what to do with ourselves. Kids follow a parents lead so…..

I created a summer schedule for kids that will help structure our days.

Keep reading to find a sample summer schedule (and one you can PRINT) along with a PRINTABLE cheat sheet for easy kid’s activities to fill in that open play time.

This post may contain affiliate links.

Before we get to our schedule, I want to talk about balance. It’s kind of freeing to have nothing on the calendar. Some days in our pajamas are needed.

What Happens When Our Schedule is Wide Open

But again I know myself. We won’t do well if we have a completely unstructured summer. All of us like order and our family thrives on it. 

So this is why I decided to create a sample summer schedule for young children. It’s kind of like writing a to-do list. It feels easier to get things done when you write it down.

The same thing applies here. As a stay at home mom I find peace and balance when I write out a plan! How about you?

So here it is, our summer schedule for preschool (and kindergarten) aged kids:

Our Summer Schedule For Kids

In our schedule I planned our days out by the hour. It seemed easiest for our family and it flowed naturally with our regular school year schedule.

You can see some things like nap time last two blocks so two hours (approximately from 1-3 pm). See our sample here:

WHAT IF MY KIDS DON’T NAP ANYMORE?

We still try to have “quiet time.” The kids play up in their rooms or in the playroom. They have to do quiet activities and can’t bug me (unless they are hurt or have to poop!). 

Generally, this goes well. Especially if I set the boundary right away.

One of the best tools we’ve discovered is books on tape! It’s a great relaxing activity for kids and they are entertained without screen time. It’s a win-win for everyone.

We buy most of our books on tape online. The kids can also use their leap frog leap start (essentially another version of books on tape) during “quiet time.”

WHAT ABOUT SCREEN TIME?

My kids usually watch TV as I’m prepping dinner. They each get to pick a show so that’s about an hour worth of “screen time.” Though in the summer some days I’m a little more relaxed. 

If it’s super rainy outside and the kids are going crazy we will watch a movie together in the morning. But generally I’ve found it helpful to have a set time for screens. 

Then they know when it begins and when it ends. This eliminates some arguments.

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN SCHEDULE 

If the clock stresses you out, try writing an order of events instead of assigning a time value to everything. You can use your to-do list to structure yourself instead of timing everything out. Find what works for you!

I’ve also created a blank schedule for your to fill out your family. Download your copy at the end of the post!

You can use ours as an example. It’s up to you if you want to follow your schedule exactly or more loosely. 

FINALLY, I’ve come up with EASY kids activities that you can add to your schedule. My kids sometimes get bored of the same old thing, so I keep a list of fun and easy summer kids activities on our fridge.

Then if we get “stuck” and don’t know what to do we can pick something from the list.

Find the list of over 30 simple summer activities for kids with little to no prep required here.

So use our schedule or print out the blank copy to create your own!

Use this list of kids activities to help you fill in some of that open play or independent play time.

We also have a list of activities older and younger siblings can play together.

Download Your Blank Summer Schedule Here

Download Our Sample Summer Schedule Here

Now I’d love to hear from you! Do you have a summer schedule for kids? Do you require your children to do chores or activities before you allow TV time?

Share with us in the comments below.

Also be sure to follow Inspired Motherhood on Instagram for more kids activities and family fun.

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