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!?”

This summer we will spend our time at home with 3 kids 5 and under. Ah! Send help.

Just kidding.

Being a stay at home mom is wonderful and I want to cherish these summer days.

BUT I’ve found if I have too much open time without structure I don’t know what to do with myself. The kids follow my lead and also don’t know what to do.

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

Scroll below to find a sample summer schedule along with a 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:

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. The kids love to listen to books on tape during this time of day or use their leap frog leap start (essentially another version of books on tape).

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 arguements.

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, keep scrolling to find a list of easy summer activities to add in to your schedule.

Another game changer in our family is having a list of activities ready and available for when our kids say “What can we do?” or “I’m bored!” Although I’d like to think I’m creative, my mind doesn’t always remember all the fun activities we have at our house.

This is why I created this list of over 30 simple summer activities for kids with little to no prep required!

Print this out with your schedule and it should 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.

DOWNLAND YOUR 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 our summer journeys on Instagram for more kids activities and family fun.