We just celebrated the last week of school. The summer schedule officially begins on Monday. I have invested a lot of time in getting us ready to roll and wanted to share my plans in case this supportive for anyone else out there.
I know myself enough to know that I do not do well with what I call “wandering in the wilderness” at home with my kids. I need structure and my kids are happier when they have structure and boundaries. We are not all business. There will be plenty of play and down time, but we will start our day with structure and routine.
We will have a 9am-12pm education/activity/reading/art/music time that will also involve chores. See previous blog for more details about this: https://www.allllthethings.com/post/designing-an-amazing-summer-with-my-4-children
My vision is that it would flow like a Montessori classroom, where children are working independently, moving from one activity to the next and managing their own work flow. It is really beautiful to watch.
They each have a work plan so they can check off their tasks as they complete them. And they can see when trips and camp and fun activities are coming up.
I have 2 buckets filled with fun activities and a list of things they enjoy doing that they can choose to do if all their work is done early. I also have all their art supplies organized in the mudroom closet so they have easy access to them. I get so irritated when they say, "I'm so bored", so I now feel equipped with some good options in response to that.
They will earn stars on the responsibilities chart for the tasks they complete each day. Every Friday they can “cash out” and earn money based on the number of stars they received for the week.
Their morning, afternoon and evening chores are listed on the fridge, so they have a quick reference, and so I do not have to answer the same questions every day.
On “Transformational-Tuesdays” we will start the day with a mini Bible study. We are going to cover 10 of God’s promises this summer, introducing a new one each week. This will not be anything fancy; just talking about the promise, reading a scripture and asking a few reflection questions. I am thinking we will spend about 10-15 minutes doing this every Tuesday morning.
We have very clear boundaries (lines we choose not to cross) and very clear consequences (results of our choices). And a reward system in place for great choices.
I have high, high hopes for this to be a success. I know it will not be prefect, so I am releasing that burden from myself and the children, but I am expecting it to be great.
Every family dynamic is so different. And every family has a different set of needs and values, so remember, you do you. This plan probably will not work for your family because you have a different set of circumstances. I share this in hopes that it will be a thought starter for your own unique summer plans.
Here’s to a meaningful, impactful, fun, peaceful, productive summer of memories.
xoxo,
Leah