Here’s How to Easily Create an Awesome Summer Routine for Your Kids

Easily create {and stick to!} the best summer routine for your kids with these free summer printables!

Hey there, momma! Now that the school year is over, are you looking to create an awesome summer schedule for kids? 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m with ya!!

Last summer break really kind of sucked. For us, anyways. 😆 All I did was work – and not the money-making kind of work! Ha!

This summer vacation, I want to change that!!

Here's How to Easily Create an Awesome Summer Routine for Your Kids

If you, too, are looking for a better summer schedule for kids, then you are in the right place! I’ll show you what I did when the twins were little. 😁

Plus, I have a free printable summer schedule kit that will help you plan it all out!

Get the printables!

The Summer Routine Kit

So, let’s get to it, momma! We have an awesome summer ahead of us!!

Why should kids have a daily summer schedule?

image of kid on a swing
Ali playing in the sandbox

It’s summertime, momma! Time for free days filled to the brim with fun and sunshine!! So why do we need a summer schedule for kids?

Because schedules and routines are oh, so very important.

Aha Parenting says, “We offer children a predictable routine as a foundation in their lives – so they can rise to the occasion to handle big changes when they need to”.

Indeed, a summer schedule for kids offers stability and security.

Kids thrive, knowing that the things going on inside their homes will be the same, day in and day out.

There are so many benefits to creating a regular daily schedule!!

But the biggest benefit is that a routine helps you to establish a strong connection with your children every day.

What is the difference between a summer schedule and a summer routine?

You’ve probably heard the two terms, ‘schedule’ and ‘routine’, and they are usually used interchangeably.

But the two aren’t one and the same.

A daily schedule is something you put on a calendar. Or in a planner. It is a written plan for your daily events, and it is time-bound.

example of a daily schedule

A routine, on the other hand, is simply one activity, after another, in a certain order. And it doesn’t matter what time you do your routine at.

So, if you have a morning routine, you will go through that routine every morning, regardless of what time you wake up.

example of a daily routine

You need both, a daily summer schedule and a great routine, for a fun summer!

How do you structure summer days for kids?

image of kid at park
Boo at a park

I think there’s a certain template that your summer days at home should follow, momma. If you have a loose template, then you can kind of create a regular daily routine based off that, but sub in your own activities. 😉

Here’s what I do.

1. Start and end your day with a routine

Keep your mornings and evenings the same each day, as much as possible.

Perform the same activities, in the same order, at relatively the same time, every morning, and every evening.

And if it works, try to keep your mornings and evenings the same as they were during the school year. This will help with the transition.

2. Leave the middle of your day open

Keep a big chunk of your day free, for unscheduled fun!! It can be free time, organized activities, outings – whatever! Go with the flow and do whatever strikes your mood! That’s what summers are for!!

What is the best summer routine?

image of kid upside down
Toots, goofing off during a photo shoot

There is no “best” summer schedule. Sorry, momma.

We all have different values, different personalities, and different ideas of fun.

The routine you choose will reflect your personal family values.

And, some of us like to be more structured than others.

So, you can’t come here, thinking you’ll grab a summer schedule for your kids and be on your merry way. You’ll be miserable if you copy mine – I promise! {I’m a homebody!! 🤣😂}

But, from my professional point of view, I can show you a few examples of some really good routines.

Take what you like from these samples and use them in your own schedule.

Summer schedule for infants and toddlers

Babies sleep a lot. So, chances are, you’ll be able to create your infant summer schedule around your own summer schedule. But as your baby becomes a toddler, you’ll need a little more structure.

example summer schedule for toddlers

If you want to learn more about creating a summer schedule for your toddler, read my post on creating a daily schedule for your toddler. 😉

Summer preschool schedule

sample summer preschool schedule

Summer sample schedule for kindergarten

A kindergartener’s summer schedule will look similar to a preschooler, although they no longer nap. A rest or quiet time is good, though.

summer sample schedule for kindergarten

Summer schedule for elementary students

When your kids get older, your routine gets more relaxed, momma! I’m loving mine, and am really looking forward to this summer.

summer schedule for elementary students

Summer family schedule

Up until now, I’ve been focusing on what your child’s summertime schedule could look like. But what about the rest of the fam?

example of summer family schedule

So, these schedules are just samples. You can swap out any activity you want for something else instead. We’ll go into that more in a bit. 😉

What to include in every child’s summer routine

image of child in picachou hood
Me and Toots at the lake

Our routines are going to look a lot different, yours and mine. Our kids are different ages, we have different values, and widely different lifestyles.

But there are a few things that should be built into ever child’s routine.

Quiet time – Things like reading, puzzles, board games, videos, screen time, coloring, crafts, etc.

Reading – Build in regular story time, and read together.

Outside time – Your kids need to go outside at least once every day.

Independent play – Independent play is when your child plays by himself.

Structured play – Structured play is when your kiddos play something that follows a set of rules, step-by-step instructions. It might be things like a board game, outside yard games, crafts, learning activities, etc. Usually, structured play is led by an adult, but it doesn’t always have to be.

Free play – This is when your children can play anyway they want to! It can be structured or unstructured, child-led or mom-led, creative, or independent play.

Learning activities – Crafts, music lessons, teachable moments, and sports practices.

Field trips – Summer is the perfect time to visit the park, the local library, splash pad, water park, pool, Children’s Museum, zoo, etc.

Socialization – Play dates or extra-curricular activities, such as summer rec, swimming lessons, etc.

Family time – It is important to spend time together, every day. We do this in the evenings at my house, but you can do it whenever it works best for your schedule.

One-on-one quality time – Younger kids need time alone, with just mom, or just dad, without any brothers or sisters. Even if it is just for ten minutes.

Of course, your kid needs regular mealtimes, bed and nap times, and bath times. 😉

How do I create a summer routine?

image of boy squinting
Toots, playing on the swing set

Okay, so we’ve covered how to actually structure your day, with a sample template, some sample routines based on age, and what should go into a child’s routine. But how do you actually create that daily summer schedule?

I use block scheduling.

It looks different than a schedule. We aren’t necessarily going by times, here.

I kind of just loosely follow a set time for certain events, such as breakfast (8:00ish), lunch (1:00ish) and supper (7:00ish). These are my summer hours. 😉

Let’s walk through each block.

Pre-morning time

Pre-morning is your time to do your stuff, momma. This can be anything that you want. Create your own little morning routine and insert it here.

Some ideas could include:

• Eat breakfast alone with your husband

• Bible study and prayer

• Exercise

• Work

• Read

• Journal

• Cleaning up the house

Or literally anything else that you would enjoy doing, without your kids around. It could also include your hubby. 😁

Morning

This is when your kids get up. From whenever you all start your day until lunchtime.

Fill this chunk with whatever you want your morning to look like.

Afternoon

Your afternoon block is for your afternoon routine, whatever you want that to be.

If you work from home, there’s a good chance your afternoon block will have some work hours in it. Particularly because that’s nap time. 😉

Evening

In my mind, the evening block starts right after supper. And we spend it together as a family.

We actually try to eat outside as much as possible in the summer. And then after supper, we usually play something outside as well.

Your child’s bedtime routine will fit into this evening block as well.

After your kids go to bed, momma, you have alone time with your hubby. 😉

How do I keep my child on a summer schedule?

image of mom and son on boat
Me and Boo, on the boat

Well, momma, honestly, it comes right down to you. You have to train you before you can train your kids. 😉 Your children will follow your lead.

So, if you stay consistent and on track, your kid will stay consistent and on track.

But here’s a few ways to make it easier:

1. Involve your child in the planning

Kids love to be a part of things!

You can start by creating a bucket list – things you all want to do this summer, as a family. Tape some butcher paper to the wall, grab a big poster board, or just a regular old notebook, and start brainstorming now, before summer starts.

Every time you or your children think of something fun to do, add it to the list!

And then as summer gets closer, create an official bucket list, off your brainstorming session.

Use these activities as filler activities for your block schedule. Remember how I suggested you leave a large portion of your day unscheduled? That is where these activities go. 😉

free summer planning worksheets

Get the printables!

The Summer Routine Kit

Then choose one day each week – either at the beginning of the week or the end – where you have a family planning session. Block out the next week, and the activities. Including your bucket list activities.

2. Have a wide variety of activities ready to go at a moment’s notice

You’ll likely have activities that you want to do every day that aren’t on your bucket list. This might be things like learning activities, crafts, lessons, sports, etc.

You’ll need to schedule these in as well.

I kind of fell into a little routine when my boys were little. We did a craft or hands on activity every day. It could be things like play-dough, homemade moon sand, or a craft, such as rock painting.

It isn’t a bad idea to have a list of these activities ready, and then when you have your planning session, you can add some of these to your schedule.

3. Leave some open space

You want some unscheduled time, for spontaneous activities, particularly those items on your bucket list. But it’s also a good idea to let kids just be, as well.

You don’t have to keep your kids busy every second of every day. They need to know what it feels like to be a little bored, and to learn how to cure their own boredom.

Kids need less structure. That’s where creativity is born. 😉

If it’s too hard for you to leave some white space on your schedule, then write “Kids Bored!” across that spot! 😂🤣

And remind yourself that you are teaching them a valuable lesson.

4. Post the schedule somewhere where your kids can see it, too

My buffet is kind of my central command station right now, although I don’t like it. I literally just finished painting the kitchen, however. So maybe a command station should be my summer project. 😆

But I am going to put our schedule on a clip board and put it on the buffet. I know some families use tag board and pin up their summer routines, or butcher paper, and tape it to the wall. This works well for younger kids, because you can use daily routine cards, with pictures on them.

5. Invest in helpful tools

I have older kids as well. Our sleep schedules are all different. So, it’s important the kids stay in bed as long as possible, and quietly play when they do get up.

Some people ask their children to stay in their bedroom and play quietly until a certain time. This is totally fine; not a bad idea at all.

I’ve personally never done that. My boys come out, into the living room, where they play quietly until the whole house wakes up.

In order to teach your kids this, you’ll need a few things:

(These are affiliate links, by the way. See my disclosure for more information.)

Toddler alarm clock – if you want to teach kids to stay in bed, this alarm clock works great! It lights up when it’s go time!! Plus, it also helps your child fall asleep, even for nap time! And it’s a night light too.

Alexa alarm clock – my boys have Alexa. She does pretty much the same thing, in a more traditional sense. And Alexa can play music as well, to help your child fall asleep.

Black out curtains – a MUST where I live. The sun goes down so much later in the evenings and comes up so much earlier! 😂 Keep those kiddos in bed longer with these curtains!!

You’ll also want to invest in the right toys and other activities to keep your children quiet, momma.

>> The Best Toys to Encourage Learning and Creativity for Your Preschooler

>> The Best Summer Toys for Fun, Quality Time with Your Kiddos

But in addition to that, you’ll also want a few other things, for quiet time:

Books

A Kindle Fire (or something else to play videos on, such as a smart TV)

Puzzles

Coloring books

Games

For my favorite books, toys, games, and more, check out my gift guides and product reviews!

6. Be flexible

Daily schedules are all fine and dandy, momma, but you have to know when to scrap them entirely and just seize the day!! I mean, it’s summer after all. 😁

And there are times where your best laid plans won’t jive at all with your children. Maybe your son is in a very bad mood and can’t handle doing that learning activity you had planned.

Just roll with it!

That’s the beauty of summer. Footloose and carefree. 😉

Morning routine ideas for kids

morning routine ideas for kids

Of course, you will also want to have breakfast, get dressed, brush your teeth, etc. 😉

Afternoon routine ideas for kids

Afternoons get a little trickier, depending on the age of your kids. Because you may have some that need to return home for a nap.

afternoon routine ideas for kids

You could even have your kids help you cook and clean up dinner if age appropriate.

Evening routine ideas for kids

I am a firm believer in coming together as a family at the end of the day. ☺️

evening routine ideas for kids

End your day with your bedtime routine, including a bath, to wind down.

If supper ran too late to play outside, it was bath night, or if we were just plain too tired, we’d put snap chat filters on and film our kids dancing to the music while we sipped a drink. 🤣😂

They loved it!

Dancing to snap chat

Summer bedtime routines for kids

Speaking of bedtime. 😉

summer bedtime routines for kids

You don’t have to use them all, of course. But choose ones that work for you and create a little routine out of them.

Our silly rituals changed over the years, but some of my favorites were:

• Pretending to eat them up

• Tickling them

• “Flying” them into bed (when they were really little)

• Singing silly good night songs with their names in them

Just be creative and do whatever makes the bedtime transition fun and safe. ☺️

Summer daily schedule ideas

This is where you truly can enjoy your summer days home with your babies. Make it fun momma!!

Give some of these ideas a try – or come up with your own!!

1. Create learning units

summer learning units

I copied the preschool when my boys were younger, by creating “learning units”. (I lovingly dubbed them “sahm units”.)

Here’s what you do:

Start with a basic summertime concept, such as bugs. And then do things like:

• Paint rocks to look like bugs

• Read stories about bugs

• Create crafts about bugs

• Sing songs about bugs

• Play games about bugs (Bed Bugs!! 😆)

• Draw bugs

• Collect bugs in a mason jar

• Start an ant farm

• Play with toy bugs

• Eat snacks related to bugs, such as ants on a stick or worms in dirt

• Bake something related to bugs, such as lady bug cupcakes

See what I’m saying? It’s pretty easy to do. Everything you do that week revolves around bugs!

You can do it with anything summertime related: water, sky, rainbows, rain, sunshine, butterflies, kites, fish, beach, etc.!

Have fun with it!

2. Use themed days

Save one block in your block schedule for your themed daily activity!

Overstuffed Life has some pretty fun ideas.

The key is you follow these themes for that block of time every day.

3. Create themed meal menus

You can kind of do the same thing as above, except do it with your meals. Some fun ones to try are themed breakfast and themed dinner meals.

A Mom’s Best Life has some good ideas!

4. Plan the next week every Sunday night – with your kids

Every Sunday evening, make a yummy snack and gather around the table together, with the kids and your hubby, and plan the next week.

This will make it more enjoyable for everyone – and they’ll all want to cooperate, because they are the ones who created the schedule in the first place. 😉

Free daily summer routine printable template kit!!

Get the printables!

The Summer Routine Kit

If you need a little help sorting this all out, momma, no problems! I created an awesome free printable summer schedule kit for you!!

In it, you will find:

• 3 summer bucket lists

• 5 summer block schedules

• 12 printable daily schedules

• A summer filler activity list

• 6 summer meal planners

• 6 summer “sahm” lesson unit planners

• 5 summer chore charts

All for you to mix and match, and use how you like!

Happy Planning! 😍

At the end of the day…

how to create an awesome summer routine

Oh, momma, that was a lot!!

At the end of the day, though, it all comes down to building summer memories, don’t you think?

I mean, who wants a boring summer with nothing to do? That’s no fun for anyone!

But you don’t want to over-schedule things either. You need a nice, happy balance.

In order to do that, just remember to:

✔️ start and end your day with a routine

✔️ keep the middle open

✔️ involve your kids in the planning

✔️ have a variety of filler activities ready to go

✔️ get the proper supplies

✔️ be willing to bend

Don’t schedule every moment, momma. And be flexible about what you do schedule; it’s okay to change it!

And finally, have fun with it!! Create a bucket list or use some themed days.

And just go wherever the wind takes you!!

Have a happy summer, momma!

And don’t forget your free printables!

More on daily schedules and routines

12 Super Important Benefits to a Daily SAHM Routine

Three Signs That You Need a Better SAHM Routine

The Secret to a Great Stay-At-Home Mom Schedule

Stuck Home? Here’s How to Create the Best Work From Home Mom Schedule

How to Create The Best Morning Routine for Your Stay at Home Mom Schedule

Get the printables!

The Summer Routine Kit

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hey there momma!

Welcome home! My name is Shannon, and I’m a stay-at-home mom, freelance writer, and blogger! If you want to know how I do it ~ and how you can, too, grab a cup of coffee! We have a lot to talk about!!

How can I help you?

Ready be happy at home?

Hey there momma, ready to LOVE staying home? Tap that sign up button PRONTO for life-altering tools and tips delivered straight to your inbox! 

Connect with a community of supportive moms who understand what you are going through.

Never Feel Alone Again

Kill the chaos and live your best life!

Free Printable Stay at Home Mom Schedule Template

Download your free daily stay-at-home mom schedule & customize it any way you’d like!!

1K Shares
Pin1K
Share
Share
Tweet