Five Kids

Five Kids

Monday, June 17, 2013

Summer Survival--Bonus Round

As promised, here is the schedule I will be using with my kids this summer. I'm posting it as an example--an outline you can use to come up with your own summer plan. Because the one thing you can count on with kids is that what works for one will not work for another.



Our Summer Schedule

Before 7:00 (while Mom and Caboose are still sleeping)—eat breakfast, empty dishwasher, get dressed and brush teeth
7:00—9:00—screens (Mom wakes up and gets ready sometime here, whenever the baby alarm goes off)
9:00-10:00—morning jobs (clean up bedrooms, then pick up and put away 20 things around the rest of the house, play outside if you finish early)
10:00 snack time
10:15-12:30morning activities
Monday—laundry day (use your imaginations to play nicely together, or you’re welcome to help mom with the laundry
Tuesday—library day
Wednesday—lake beach day
Thursday—park playdates
Friday—open engagement (whatever mom has planned—bike riding, swimming, play with friends, lake beach, bouncy house, etc.)

12:30—Lunch. Now is the time for all kids ages 5 and up to learn how to make their own lunches.  I will make lunch for Caboose and myself.  If you want what we’re having, tell me and I will make extras for you.  If not, make your own lunch!  This includes cleaning up after yourself. (Some options are: Taquitos, burritos, hot dogs, mac & cheese, PB&J sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, spaghettios, little pizzas, chicken nuggets, ramen, tomato soup, chicken noodle soup)
1:00-3:00—Caboose naptime, so everyone BE QUIET!
1:00—reading time (everyone pick a book to read or look at—if you get bored of your book you can read a book to Plucky)
2:00—project time/arts and crafts (you can keep reading, practice writing or cursive, board games, coloring, make inventions, art, pluffy, coloring, stamping, watercolor painting, typing practice, book writing on computer, playdough, projects from science books in the closet, boy Scout stuff, etc.)
3:00—Snack time,
3:15-5:00—Screen time
5:00-6:00—Mom make dinner. Kids play outside, in bedrooms, or set the table
6:00-7:00—Dinner
7:00—get ready for bed, baths/showers, brush teeth
7:30—Caboose in bed.  Girls in bedroom.  If you want mom to snuggle, tell story or read books, now is the time. Lights out at 8:00. 
8:00—Boys get ready for bed, then quiet time in bedroom. If you want mom to do songs, now is the time. Then be responsible for turning the lights out at 9:30 and going to sleep on your own.
8:30—Mom is OFF DUTY!!!


And just in case you're interested, here is my schedule from a few years back when I was still making lunches for everyone. They each got a day to pick what we were having for lunch. In looking back through my schedules, I noticed that as my kids got older, my schedules became more detailed. The assumption is that they'll be reading it, especially when they're "bored" (I post it in the kitchen where everyone can see it). So if your kids are young, you probably don't need as many details as I've got in the one above.



Our Summer Schedule - 2010

Before 7:00—read in your bedroom
7:00—eat breakfast, brush teeth
7:30—chores (boys unload dishwasher, girls tidy bedroom, everyone make beds and brush teeth, and any other chores mom needs done like taking out trash, cleaning up playroom, etc.)
8:00—screen time
10:00—morning outing or planned activity (park, playdates, splash park, library, swim at the lake, beach, etc.)
12:00—lunch (Some options are:  hot dogs, mac & cheese, PB&J sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, spaghettios, little pizzas, chicken nuggets)                  Monday:  Mellow’s choice
                                Tuesday:  Energy’s choice
                                Wednesday:  Plucky’s choice
                                Thursday:  Bright’s choice
                                Friday:  Mom’s choice
1:00—reading time (everyone pick a book to read or look at)
1:30—quiet time (you can keep reading, practice writing, workbooks, coloring, typing practice, playdough, Energy scout stuff, etc.)
3:00—Snack time
3:30— Imagination time (Free play, be creative and use your imaginations, Energy practice piano)
4:30—Screen Time (Mom make dinner)
6:00—Dinner
7:15—get ready for bed, baths/showers
8:00—Girls Bedtime/Boys quiet time in room
8:30—Boys Bedtime



Hopefully the past few posts have gotten you thinking, and you now have some new ideas for surviving summer with kids. As exhausting as it is to keep everyone happy, I really enjoy the long days I get to spend with my kids without homework concerns, dance classes or music lessons. Over the summer, I purposely take a break from those things so that we can just enjoy being together. I know the whole rat race will kick in again as soon as fall arrives. Summer is less than ten weeks long, and I choose to enjoy it!!

5 comments:

  1. Awesome post! I am not nearly as organized as you, but still do mostly the same things! I just don't have it down on an actual schedule or have the morning activities the same each week. We typically have an outing every morning (our favorite is probably feeding ducks at the park), but its more fly by the seat of my pants. And I gave up going to the library a few years ago. Because Jackson was way too good at pulling every book off the shelf. But I should try it again this year now that he's 3.

    Being in Utah, from 2-5 its often "run around the neighborhood with friends" time. Everyone finds a friend and they play here or at their friend's house. So lots of spur of the moment water parties in the afternoons. I am impressed you get off duty at 8:30. I'm bad at letting the kids (esp older ones) stay up late in the summer. But the older kids aren't much work so its not too bad. We usually put the little ones down at 8, and then we watch a show or play a board or wii game with the twins till 9:30. Anyway, thanks again for sharing! it was cool to see what you guys do!

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  2. Thanks, Christine! I often don't get off-duty until 9:30 or 10:00 too, at which point I start everything I'd been wanting to do all day and end up staying up way too late. Which is why I'm making "off-duty at 8:30" part of the summer schedule. We'll see how it goes!

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  3. Looks like a great schedule--good luck!

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  4. Hi Teresa! I took my kids to swim at your parents' house today and your Mom mentioned that you had posted a Summer Schedule on your blog. I am one for making schedules, too, and I am always open to new ideas so I wanted to check it out. Your kids seem so independent! I like your lunch ideas (having them make their own unless they want what you're having) and that you are realistic (knowing that you are not a morning person and factoring in screen time). I tend to be a little too optimistic with our schedules and then I feel like a failure when I don't stick to them. Thanks for sharing this! I love your blog, I'm glad your Mom mentioned it to me!

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  5. Thanks, Melanni. Looking forward to seeing you guys this summer!

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