I have a love-hate relationship with summer.
I love having my kids home, but I hate it when they fight so much.
Lazy days at the pool or on vacation are awesome, but I hate being hot and sweaty and fending off all the bugs.
I love the freedom of summer days, but I hate hearing “I’m bored.”
Though I can’t do much about the heat (or the bugs), I can help save my sanity by putting a routine in place that keeps the kids and this momma happy. I have found over the years that when kids are used to the highly structured routines of a school day, too much freedom and a lack of routine actually frustrates them and sets everyone up for failure and fighting. One summer, I started following this routine, and I’ve never looked back:
Super Summer Schedule Ideas:
*Note: I don’t entertain my children all day long. We have chores, learning, daily reading, and more, plus errands and such. They also get screen time. We usually pick one fun thing to do a day on those days we have time to spend together. (P.S. it’s not too late to start!)
Make It Mondays
This day is all about creating. These are some things we’ve done:
- Craft projects (We love to head to Michaels and pick out some fun supplies.)
- Lego building contests (My boys beg me to enter creations to the Lego Magazine online!)
- Try a new recipe or bake favorite treat
- Learn or practice a new skill like sewing, knitting, using tools, etc.
Tinseltown Tuesdays
If it involves movies, it happens on Tuesday!
- $5 Tuesday Movies at Marcus Theatres. Note- if you want to save even more money, check out the Kids Dream series and try Movie Mondays instead 🙂
- Pick up a Redbox DVD and pick out candy at the dollar store
- Have a movie marathon at home in our pj’s
- Create our own movies at home using the iPad
Wet and Wild Wednesdays
Wednesdays are all about the water!
- Visit one of our city pools or splash pads
- Play in the sprinklers
- Pull out the slip ‘n’ slide
- Have a water gun/water balloon fight
- Have a lake day!
Trip it Thursday
You guessed it! This is the perfect day to load up the car for the day and head out for a local or not-so-local adventure!
- Visit a play center (Sky Zone, AirFx, The Playstation, etc.)
- Take a day trip around Iowa
- Go Hiking on one of the area’s awesome trails
- Overnight trips around the midwest (Some of our favorites are St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Chicago.)
Free Reading Fridays
My kids love to read. We go through about 25 library books a week. So I put all that reading time to work!
- Weekly library trips for new books and summer reading prizes, followed by $1 slushes at Kum & Go! If your kids are younger, take them to storytime at the library!
- Redeem other summer reading minutes (Kernels, Barnes and Noble, Half Price Books, etc.)
- Complete family reading challenges
Weekends are for catching up on chores, spending time with dad, travel, and church.
Of course, you can come up with your own theme day ideas. My kids are older now (13, 11, and 8), but I have done different things in the past. Obviously, camps and vacations will interrupt our weekly routines, but when we are home, we stick to this pretty religiously. Sometimes I ask the kids to come up with a new idea that fits that day’s theme, and they are great at sharing new ideas!
What kind of activities would you add to our weekly schedule?
Share them in the comments and help other mommas get some great new ideas!
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