I really like Holly Homer’s videos on you tube. She has a lot of different subjects and usually will have a weekly You Tube video with tips for bloggers. This particular video is her first in her summer series trying to keep kids entertained during the summer with somewhat of a schedule. It is a personal view of her day to day adventures.
As luck would have it, I am struggling with setting up a summer schedule for us. I NEED a summer schedule because if not, then I feel like nothing gets done.
My kids need to be busy or accomplishing something other than running around in circles or calling my name constantly. ( I think I counted 52 times yesterday.) At this point, I am ready to change my name.
Each season needs a schedule. A school schedule is needed for when the kids start homeschooling again, then we adjust to accommodate any activities such as sports, choir, piano etc. Then for breaks in the school year that will need a different schedule because it may be colder. Then age plays a factor in the schedule. The kids will be older the next year and may not like the same activities that they used to like.
This website gives some really good reasons that I can relate to for creating a flexible summer schedule http://www.titus2.com/corners/moms-corner/a-summer-schedule.html. Kids get bored with out some kind of structure.
When devising a schedule several scenario’s go into creating one such as:
Time- If there are specific activities that you have signed kids for like math lessons, swimming, baseball or soccer those need to be written on the schedule first. I work out at the YMCA three days a week so I add this time in the morning. The kids get to play while I exercise.
Activity time or table time – This is the time I have all of my children around the kitchen table involved in an activity while I cook dinner. That way I know they are safe and being creative. I have this time scheduled 2 x’s a day because before lunch I try to do some kind of learning activity for at least 15 min. That way they stay in the habit of school.
Wake up – that time is what I add on my schedule next because it varies for me and the kids. If they get up at 6:30 then I get up at 5:0 0 so that I can get something accomplished before they rise.
Snacks – We get two of these a day. I usually make them fruits or veggies that they like to eat. For drinks they get water because after snack time we head outdoors.
Lunch time/nap time- For this I allow them to watch TV while I prepare lunch. After lunch we wind down with a library book. Each summer we participate in our library’s summer reading program.
Cleaning time- After nap is my cleaning, organizing, catch up with laundry time because my husband watches the kids while I clean.
Margin time – I received this idea from moneysavingmom.com. In most of her schedules on her website and books it mentions margin time. This is kind of a free for all time if something else happens and you don’t get to do what is scheduled. It can be made up of margin time.
After 4:00 pm I try to get all of my odds and ends done after dinner and play with the kids. Their summer bedtime is 9:00 pm. One would think that the little stinkers would be out, but no they actually hang in there until 10:00 pm. My thinking was they would sleep a little later, but they were not thinking the same idea. Sometime’s they will sleep until 8:00 am. Only sometimes!
The other part of creating a summer schedule is to have a plan ahead of time to create a daily theme. I went onto Pinterest and found this type of theme:
When creating a schedule try to keep the important parts of your day and put those in first. If you are trying to have a fun summer, then look on Pinterest for 100 things for kids to do in the summer. It is a checklist that I pulled up for kids of all ages and it doesn’t always cost money.
Kids have just as much fun at home playing badminton as long as they have mom or dad playing with them. The fun is contagious.
Here are a few other informational sites to visit for some educationl fun at home:
www.virtualspeakingworld.com, and www.coolmath-games.com.
To save some money check out www.Denverista.com she checks all of the deals and posts them on her site for the week.
Ready to plan your summer? Go have fun with your kids. Make it a summer to remember!
If you like this post please go to my FB button and “like” my page.
Cheers,
Michelle
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