Summertime is here and we can’t wait! Of course, summer means lots of playtime, exploration, swimming, family time, and lazy days, too. But we all know kids thrive on routine. So, how can we create a simple summer routine that keeps kids engaged and Mom sane?
Let’s face it, kids – and moms – love routines. In fact, kids behave so much better when they know exactly what to expect and it helps us as moms, too, right? On the other hand too much free time can lead to cranky kids and frantic moms.
Not to mention, there is the dreaded summer slide. Do you know what I’m talking about? Compelling research shows that the long summer break is often detrimental to kids academically. On average, researchers estimate kids lose between 2-3 months of academic progress in reading and math over the summer months. Hmmm, that’s worrisome.
>>>TIP – Scroll to the bottom for a free download of the Summer Routine Daily Do-it List
Our 6 Must-Do Things for a Summer Routine
So, there are six must-do things on our daily summer routine that help kids stay engaged, productive, and maintain their academic skills. Just a little structure each morning helps our whole summer day run more smoothly!
1. READ for 20 minutes
Reading over the summer is vital to help kids maintain their current reading level or even grow! Kids who don’t read are at risk for falling behind in reading comprehension.
Reading is fun! Summer is the perfect time for instilling a deep and abiding love for reading by letting children chase their interests in literature just for the fun of it. Daily reading builds fluency, comprehension, phonics practice, expands vocabulary, and enhances your child’s emotional intelligence.
Have a child who doesn’t think reading is fun? Yep, I have one of those, too. Try reading aloud together and stopping to dialogue along the way! Take turns reading, laugh together, predict what will happen next and see who comes the closest to being right. Make reading fun!
Not sure what to read but hoping to avoid the trash? Check out my grade level book lists for wholesome, engaging picture books and chapter books for your elementary kids.
Set the Timer
Try setting the timer for 20 minutes. Turn it into a game by calling it DEAR time – Drop Everything And Read. Have a book already picked out and ready. DEAR time begins as soon as the book is open (not while you’re hunting for one). Set the timer and require absolute silence! Ahhh, yes, it is beautiful! Let kids sit under the table, on the back porch, under a blanket with a flashlight, in a tent, snuggled on the couch, or wherever they want for those 20 minutes. But watch out! If you aren’t reading, the timer starts over.
Read to Someone
Make reading fun by reading aloud to someone. It might be your child’s favorite teddy bear or their pet turtle. On the other hand, your child could Facetime grandparents and read aloud to them or take turns reading aloud with siblings. Reading out loud is a fabulous way to build fluency and confidence. Discussing the book is even better!
Join Summer Reading Programs
There are many summer reading programs you can join to motivate and reward your kids for reading. Start by checking out your local library. Next, join summer reading programs at Half Price Books and Barnes & Noble where kids in grades 1-6 can earn a free book for their summer reading! Look around – there are probably other programs you can join as well! Exciting!
2. MATH for 15 minutes
Just like reading, kids who don’t do any math over the summer months tend to lose academic progress and slide backwards 2-3 months. Don’t let this happen! It doesn’t take much to keep math skills sharp so just dedicate 15 or 20 minutes a day to keep those skills in tune!
Math Fact Practice
During our summer routine, we drop the challenging word problems and just focus on basic math facts. Memorizing addition/subtraction or multiplication/division facts are tremendously helpful for their future! Kids who know their math facts well can more easily solve difficult, multi-step problems in future as well as tackle those pesky word problems. Knowing the basic computations frees up their minds to grapple with the harder stuff!
Math Games
Another fun way to incorporate math into your summer routine is to play math games and board games. Many board games required counting, addition, and basic money skills as well as logic and reasoning. All of these are excellent for honing math skills! You can also do puzzles, mental math races, and logic puzzles to make summer math fun!
3. MUSIC
Your child might not play piano, but if they are learning any instrument or hobby, some sort of daily practice is a must. In our home, we require kids to practice piano every day – even during the summer – but with a twist. Shhh – don’t tell anyone, but I’m not a big fan of the “your child must practice piano for 30 minutes each day” advice you commonly hear. I think that’s the fastest way to get a child to loathe any instrument. Instead, I say to practice your piece 3 times then just play whatever – play old songs, explore musically, or make up something creative.
Don’t do Music Lessons?
Have them practice whatever else they have been learning – martial arts, ballet, gymnastics, painting, tennis, etc. Even if they are not actively taking lessons this summer, your child can practice what they remember from last year. Or, find some free online lessons for drawing, guitar, crafts, or another new hobby on Youtube then dedicate 15 minutes each day working on it. There are so many things you can learn online!
4. CHORES
I’m a big believer in making kids work. As important members of the family, kids must be taught to share the load with family chores to help keep the household functioning. Summer is the perfect time to teach them new household skills like dinner prep or light cooking (depending on their age) or how to do their own laundry. Often, we get so busy during the school year that new tasks are put on hold, but the leisure of summer offers us the gift of time to teach our kids new and important skills. So, think carefully about what new things your kids need to learn this summer and make it happen. Even little toddlers can do some chores. Not sure? Check out 11 Surprising Chores for Toddlers.
Create a Summer Chore Schedule
Since summer is here, shake things up! If you have several kids, rotate the chores around and give them something different to learn and conquer this summer. Or make a master list together of all the chores that need doing and let each kid choose several to accomplish. Don’t forget “fun” summer chores like washing the car or washing the outdoor windows. Playing with water is always fun but can accomplish something as well!
5. TIDY ROOM
During the school year, you’re rushed. Summer is a great time to learn the benefits of a neat and tidy room. Let’s teach them to make their beds every morning, put dirty laundry in the hamper, pick up toys, and close the closet doors. That’s it!
A New Habit
Do those 4 steps each morning and the room will be such a comfortable place to snuggle down with that great book! Make a little chart on the wall and give a sticker for each task. They say it takes 30 days on repeat to instill a new habit. So start now and by the end of the summer, a tidy room will be a wonderful, new habit!
6. Do Something for SOMEONE else
Our last summer routine must-do of the day is the requirement to do something for someone else. Summertime means more free time! So use it to teach children to think of someone other than themselves! There are a thousand ways that kids can be mindful of others and brighten someone else’s day. Literally, it can be anything! We want our kids to get creative and dig into kindness.
Here’s a list to get them started, but I know they’ll come up with lots of ideas on their own!
- Write a letter to a grandparent
- Make a card for someone who is sick
- Draw a flower for an elderly person
- Call or Facetime a cousin to say hi
- Pick up toys for your little sister
- Babysit your little brother for Mom
- Help with a chore that’s not yours
- Pick up trash as you go on a walk
- Bake cookies for someone
- Paint a picture for someone
- Make a prayer list of those needing prayer, then pray
- Invite a friend over for tea
- Clean the house without being asked
- Help out at VBS
- Straighten up the family room without being told
- Pick up trash and straighten the hymnals at church
- Think up 3 nice things to say to your sister and say them
- Help make a meal and take it to someone
- Give dad a gift you made yourself
How to Work it into a Summer Routine
Of course, your summer routine will include all the normal things like get up, get dressed, attend to personal needs (teeth, hair, potty, etc.), eat breakfast…and so on.
Immediately after breakfast try putting these 6 must-do things into place in whatever order works best for your crew. Lined up all together, your kids will be occupied for an hour and a half to two hours. If you put reading last, you might just find they don’t want to stop reading!
- READ for 20 minutes
- MATH for 15 minutes
- MUSIC for 15 minutes
- CHORES for 15 minutes
- TIDY ROOM for 15 minutes
- Do Something for SOMEONE else
By the time they finish, you’ll only have a few minutes of free play and it will be time for lunch. Wow! Just like that the morning is over! What to do in the afternoon? Go outside, go swimming, or just play. After a structured morning, the kids will be eager for playtime. Or, if you live where it’s crazy hot (like Texas!) ty reversing it: let kids play outside in the morning while it’s cool and implement this summer routine right after lunch.
Imaginative Play
For children, playing is learning and summertime is the perfect time for lots of imaginative play and exploration! I created these Imaginative Play Cards to spark my kids’ imaginations during the summertime. They draw 2 or 3 cards and chose their favorite option. When done with that game, they came back for another. No more, “Mom, I’m bored!” in your summer routine. Plus, as mom, you can discreetly offer choices of cards that you know you can handle on any given day. These became so popular with my older kids that we still use them now with the younger ones. It’s a free download, so go snag a copy for endless ideas for summer fun! No lie – there’s over 120 different ideas. They’ll be busy all summer!
>>>> Click here to grab your free Boredom Busters Imaginative Play Activity Cards!
Oh! And one more thing…about SCREENS
Let’s face it – kids are drawn to screens like flies to honey. Screen time means anything using a screen – TV, tablets, computers, hand-held devices, phones, gaming stations, and on and on.
In our home, we try to avoid screen time as much as possible. Our summertime screen rules don’t change just because it’s summer…well, except one eensy thing.
Bonus: Extra Reading = Extra Screen Time
In our home, kids get 30-45 minutes of free screen time daily. But here’s the catch: in the summer, they can earn additional screen time by reading on a 2 to 1 ratio. So, if you read for 40 minutes, you earn an additional 20 minutes of screen time. Want to watch a 2 hour movie? You’ll need to read 4 hours for that, but you can save it up over several days and cash it in. Try making a Youtube playlist of favorites you’ve pre-approved as mom. Here’s a great way parents can keep YouTube safe and ad free.
Exchanging reading for video game or TV time works great to encourage kids to either read more or play more rather than vegging all day staring at a screen! That’s a win!
So, now that you have a simple summer routine, enjoy these beautiful moments with your children and make some memories! Don’t forget to download that freebie!
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