Happy summer faces!
Something about summer can make even the most scheduled mama want to throw caution to the wind. While there is a lot of merit to loosening the reins during the summer months, you don’t want to lose the team altogether. That’s where a good summer schedule comes in.
Make a list of summer activities and anything else you’d like to accomplish this summer. It seems like every summer I have all these great plans that never end up happening. Writing out a list helps me see exactly what needs to be done and decide if my goals are even remotely reasonable.
Keep the basic routine the same. You don’t want to spend the first month of next school year getting everyone back to “normal.” If you take your basic barebones structure and stick with it, it won’t be nearly so hard to get everyone back on track come August or September.
Don’t fret when things do get off track. Summer naturally lends itself to leisure, so let your schedule guide you rather than drag you through the summer months.
In case you’d like to try implementing a summer schedule, here’s an example of one that easily lends itself to jumping back in to the school year:
8am – wake up & breakfast
9am – chores (chores do not take a summer break!)
10 am – outside playtime (since the heat of the day is yet to come)
Noon – lunch
1pm – rest time
2pm – structured indoor time (could be summer school work, projects, crafts, etc…something that is more “schoolish.”)
4pm – afternoon chore time (we do a 15 minute tidy)
5pm – dinner prep and then free time from there
Notes:
- Bedtime can be a little later than normal, but should still have the same basic “appearance” of what you expect throughout the school year. As in, keep the routine, just not necessarily the timing.
- By keeping a structured indoor time and chores, you are showing your children that life isn’t meant to be all play. This way they maintain a sense of responsibility and accountability even when life is less structured.
- Rest time is important in these summer months. The heat and all the outdoor activities make for tired children (and mommies!), so give them a chance to unwind in the dark, cool quiet. We pull the shades, turn on fans, and even pull up the covers!
- Since evening hours are often full of ballgames and such, I purposely left that time slot blank. You may want to fill it in as well if you are finding your children end up aimless and grumpy during those evening hours.
In short, enjoy what’s left of the summer months without sacrificing your sanity come next school year!
Amy can be found writing at Raising Arrows.
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I was just talking about schedules this weekend. I was telling the J-man how I needed the girls to get back on a schedule. Especially a schedule of quiet time. Things have been chaos since I got sick and had surgery, so I need a schedule now more than ever.
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I completely agree with you. I feel like our days haven’t changed a whole lot over the summer. I still try to fit in some reading and math (to keep up the skills) and we still do piano. The girls ask for crafts and activities to work on, so we do that when we would normally be working on other subjects. Last year, I took time OFF. It resulted in “what can I do now??” syndrome. The children love structure and it makes my life easier too.
Melissa´s last blog ..Preparing for the 2010-2011 School Year
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I wish I had been more scheduled for summer, but we’ve been fairly lax. We will be jumping back in feet first in a couple of weeks though to start back into school.
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We have always done better when we have some sort of routine, even in summer. I put a lot of things on my calendar: days to go swimming, days to go on “field trips,” even days to stay home. It helps us not to be too idle and thus become bored.
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