I have to tell you that the summer seemed a little overwhelming a few weeks ago. But I conquered my hesitations and fears of being over-run by crazy children with a Summer Rules list, Behavior Chart & Schedule for the Kids!
This summer felt super overwhelming during the month of May. I like schedules. I like routines. And summer felt way too open and unplanned for this working mom. This is also the first summer my husband is not setting his own hours. So, a whole other level of crazy-feelings was added on!
Thankfully, during a moment of panic and whining to my sister…She reminded me that I can make a schedule for the kids and myself, set up Summer Rules and create a behavior chart that would help me keep the chaos at bay and enjoy the fact that I get to spend a lot of the summer at home with my kids.
Let’s all take a moment and thank GOD for the people in our lives who speak sanity into our chaos!!!! ~ AMEN!
Let’s start with the Behavior Chart.
No need to reinvent the wheel with this one. I have children ages 10-4 and ALL of them understand the Green, Yellow, & Red chart. You start your clip on green every day. Yellow is a warning that you need to check your behavior. And red means you are losing out on electronics, a fun activity, and you can forget getting to stay up late!
I made a faces chart which you are welcome to print for FREE (scroll to the box below), but you can make it with just colored squares with words or even add colors like purple for extra good behavior.
Next project was creating a SUMMER RULES list.
This Summer Rules list is definitely geared more towards my boys who are ages 5-10, but the girls are jumping on board and learning what is expected every morning.
I want them to know exactly what they are expected to do every morning when they get up. It has saved my sanity already these first few days of summer! I can just point to the list and ask them if they have completed it as soon as they start to whine about wanting to play electronics or being bored.
I most likely will add to the list as the summer goes on. I had an idea of adding – Write two sentences in your journal every morning. All of them need to work on their writing skills. This would be an easy way to incorporate a little learning into our summer routine.
You can download our Summer Rules to Print by dropping your email in the box below.
Last task was making a Schedule for the kids and I.
Regardless of how much of the day we spend at the pool, how long I let the kids stay up at night… my children get up at 6:30 AM Every. Single. Day!!!!! (Insert whiny face….)
So… that is when I started my weekly schedule, 6:30 AM. You can easily create a schedule spreadsheet. Divide it by the half hour like I did or the hour. (Half hour feels more swallowable to me…but you do you.)
I work from home three days a week and have a babysitter two days a week right now. I wanted the kids to be able to see the typical schedule for each day.
The first thing I added to the schedule was going to the gym twice a week for me! I can’t even tell you how proud I am of myself for doing that. It’s a nice get out-of-the-house morning and I get to have a little “me time.”
I didn’t write it on the schedule, but when the kids have free time or electronic time in the afternoons, I plan on working. I find that if I give the kids my undivided attention for large chunks of time, they will let me accomplish more when I need them to play on their own.
Don’t forget to add in meal prep time and clean up for your meals.
Oh!!! I almost forgot! I also made a “Master List” of lunches, dinners, & snacks that we frequently make to reference when it comes time to plan out meals for the week.
I write on the fridge every day what snacks the kids can have. And we stick to those snacks so they don’t eat me out of house and home!
Goodness, this post is getting long!!!!
If you are still hanging with me… It’s most likely because you are also a mom and you are also seeking any kind of solution that will keep you from loosing what little mind you have left from the end of the school year.
Just know that I feel you. I am with you. And we will conquer the summer!!!!
My ultimate goal is to relax, accomplish the work I need to do, and make some awesome memories with my kids this Summer! And to keep my house from being a total wreck! HA!!!
I really believe that all of my planning and printing will help both the kids and I keep on track and make this Summer as epic as possible.
Hopefully, it inspires you to create a few systems, schedules, and rules of your own for the summer!
Please, Leave me a comment and tell me what you do to help keep the chaos under control for the summer!
Happy Summer,
Keikilani
This is such a great idea! A lot of times, it feels like summer break becomes the wild west. It’s important to keep structure and a schedule for the kids.
We are having the hardest time with tablet time this summer. I don’t know what is too much so this helps !
I randomly came across your post on Pinterest today and I cannot thank you enough for this!! I have 3 boys ages 4 months, 4 years, and oldest turns 9 this summer. The 2 oldest drive me crazy on the weekends when we are together alll day so I’ve been dreading this summer.