Creating Your Summer Routines & Staying Organized with Kids
It’s summer! A time for fun, relaxation, and often a lot of change and activities. When the kids are home or being run from camps, sports, or daycares all day, it can quickly become chaotic. Establishing routines and staying organized can help create a smooth and enjoyable summer for everyone. Read our tips below for how to create a structure that works for you if you have kids this summer.
But before we dive right into schedules and routines, I want to have real talk about boredom and comparisons. This day in age, it is so easy to compare ourselves to other families and think that we need to do life the way others are doing it. What if instead of comparing ourselves, we took a minute to identify our own capacities and what makes sense for us? When we are truthful with ourselves about our capacities and energy, that is where things start to click!
Similarly, so many of us overschedule or busy ourselves to prevent boredom for our kids (and sometimes even ourselves!). We are a distracted society. But if we can remember back to many of our childhoods, it was often the times where we were sent outside to play or told that it was free play time, that we became creative. It was during these times that we came to know ourselves better and learned our passions!
I hope you will keep this in mind as you look at our tips below! Take what you can and leave the rest as we remember that every family, schedule, and lifestyle (whether home full time, working outside the home, or working part time, etc) are different.
Establish a Flexible Daily Schedule-KEY WORD FLEXIBLE
Prepare Ahead
Even if you haven’t started preparing, there is plenty of time! A little bit of preparation and thinking about what works for you and your family will reduce stress and give you more brain space as you move throughout your days.
Prep Activities: Prepare materials for crafts or educational activities the night before or have a simple “go to easy activity bin” or art cart for the kids to help themselves to.
Calendar: Create or purchase a summer calendar-we are doing this this summer and I am so excited to be able to see the short trips we are taking and our list of “bucket list” activities we want to do throughout the summer.
Snack Stations: Set up a snack station or shelf where kids can help themselves to healthy snacks. This encourages independence and reduces interruptions.
Meal planning: We are doing this a week at a time this summer. And this time around I am involving my preschooler in the meal planning process since he is not interested in eating a lot of the meals the rest of us are! So he gets to help choose what we are eating for our dinners. Stay tuned for how this works for us!
Morning Routine- Both for YOU and the KIDS. Start the day with a consistent morning routine to set a positive and peaceful tone for the day:
Wake-Up Time: Aim for a reasonable and consistent wake-up time. This helps maintain a structure similar to the school year. With that, many families like to sleep in and be flexible and that’s great too. All families are different.
Pick a few self care routines for you: That could be exercise, taking four deep breaths, doing a meditation, enjoying a cup of coffee for ten minutes, etc.
Breakfast: Prepare a nutritious breakfast together. Use this time to discuss the day’s plans if you can! We have always been a family who eats dinner together since our kids are so little, but somehow we have also ended up eating breakfast together most mornings. This is a time where we discuss the day and go over the schedule.
Chores and self-care: Assign simple chores like making the bed or brushing teeth to instill a sense of responsibility for the kids. If you’d like, try implementing a chore schedule or chart to give your kids a sense of accomplishment that they can tangibly see.
Utilize Activity Blocks
Divide the day into activity blocks to keep kids engaged and in a consistent routine.
Outings and errands: We like to do our outings and errands most often in the mornings somewhere between 9-11:30 when we have them for my kids who are preschool aged and below. But these can be anytime of day! Schedule activities like visiting local attractions, playdates, or family outings. Planning these in advance can give everyone something to look forward to.
Learning Time: Dedicate an amount of time that makes sense for you for educational activities. This can be anything sensory related, going for walks to discover nature, doing reading or writing, and so much more.
Creative Play: Encourage creativity through arts and crafts, music, or imaginative play.
Outdoor Play: Spend time outside each day. Whether it’s a trip to the park, a bike ride, or playing in the backyard, fresh air and physical activity are essential.
Quiet/Rest time: For the whole family! Designate a quiet time for reading, puzzles, or quiet play. Sometimes during this time we listen to podcasts, stories, or watch a slow show as well. This allows for some downtime and can help prevent overstimulation.
Family time: Is there a time of day that works for you to be together as a family? We often like to go for a walk together after dinner, play a game, build with building materials, or simply sit and read stories.
Organize Your Space
Declutter and Create zones to set you up for success:
Having less and starting out with homes for everything will keep clean up more simple throughout the summer.
Declutter Regularly: Go through toys, clothes, and other items to declutter. Donate or store items that are no longer used. Rotate toys after a week or two to keep kids engaged with the current toys they are using.
Designate Zones: Create specific zones for different activities. For example, have a reading nook, a play area, and a craft station. This helps keep activities organized and prevents mess from spreading.
Utilize bins, baskets, cubbies and shelves that are labeled and easy to identify.
Clean up daily and involve the whole family!
Involve the Kids
Responsibility and Independence:
Just the other day I included both my two year old and my 4.5 year old in organizing our snack cabinet for the summer. My son helped sort like items, and my daughter enjoyed helping me put food in each bin. I love this approach because instead of feeling like we have to be entertaining or playing with our kids all the time, we can include them in important tasks and still be together! Giving kids responsibilities helps them feel valued and teaches important life skills:
Age-Appropriate Chores: Assign chores suitable for each child’s age. If you like to keep track or use rewards, utilize a fun chore chart! We like this one here in our house: Melissa and Doug chore chart
Decision-Making: Allow kids to make decisions about activities or meals. This fosters independence and gives them a sense of control.
Balance and Flexibility
Balance Structured and Free Time: While routines are important, balance is key:
Free Play: Ensure there’s plenty of unstructured free play time. This is crucial for creativity and relaxation. Remember what we talked about earlier with allowing our kids to be bored? It sounds very anti 2024 but it’s so important! Especially if they are busy at summer programs, daycare, etc.
Downtime: Recognize when it’s time to relax and unwind. Watching a movie together or having a lazy afternoon can be just as valuable as structured activities. After a busy weekend, we almost always prioritize having a slow day of free play, pjs, walks outside, or playing games together as a family.
Stay Flexible
Be prepared to adapt your routines as needed:
Adjust as Necessary: If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change it. Flexibility is essential for a harmonious summer.
Listen to Your Kids: Pay attention to your kids’ needs and preferences. Their input can help create a more enjoyable and effective routine. They will tell you what is and isn’t working.
Creating summer routines and staying organized can be as simple or extensive as you want it to be. The key is to do what feels right FOR YOU. Otherwise we end up with materials and schedules that we throw out the window after a few days. Some people get up for an extensive morning routine at 5 am every day, others like myself do better with 6:15 for a morning meditation and coffee. Do what works for you and YOUR FAMILY.
With a bit of planning, flexibility, and involvement from the whole family, you can ensure a summer that’s both enjoyable and productive. Embrace the season with a balanced approach, and make the most of the precious time spent together.