Summer School Plans 2024

It’s June, which means if you’re a mom you may already be feeling all the feels about Summer with kids. Between the somewhat annoying reminders that you only get eighteen Summers with your kids (because apparently our kids are never again going to want to spend time with us after high school 😏), the overly-relaxed schedules, and the the out-of-the-norm routines, it can be easy to feel like Summer is utter chaos. Most years I make it 1-2 weeks after we are done with the normal school year before I wake up and realize that we need some structure if we are going to make it to August. In case you’re feeling the same, I thought I would share today what I’m hoping our Summer routine will look like in hopes it will spark some ideas for you (whether you’re a homeschool mom doing Summer school, a homeschool mom on break, or a public school mom wanting to get the most out of your kids’ time at home this Summer).

Our Summer Routine

1. Summer mornings: Two of our children have become late risers, while the other two still get up pretty early. This means I like to not overpack our mornings with activities. We all rise at our different times, eat breakfast at different times, and take our time getting ready for the day. Once everyone is up and ready we will do a small amount of “structured” learning: one worksheet (probably printables I still have from the Home and Haven Summer Bundle I bought last year; this is no longer available, but there’s lots of other great worksheets you can find online if you don’t want to invest in a Summer workbook), then each kid gets to pick a board game to play. I went through our board games the other day and put sticky notes on each; each time we play a game, I’ll remove the sticky note and at the end of the Summer I can donate any still having notes. Then we will spend the rest of the morning playing, hopefully outside if the weather allows.

2. Summer afternoons: I don’t mind my kids being on screens some, especially during the Summer, but I want technology to be the exception not the default. My youngest is still napping (thankfully!), so after lunch we will all have thirty minutes of independent reading. We are using Read Aloud Revival’s A Fairytale Summer, which comes with these super cute reading scavenger hunts. I think it will be a fun twist on the Summer reading log, and we will do a fun outing once they have filled them up. After independent reading time, we will do a read aloud and an activity from A Fairytale Summer. We are currently finishing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, then we will read a book of fairy tales and On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (these two are the books used in A Fairytale Summer). Once my youngest wakes up from his nap, we will try to get outside again if the weather allows (playing with the water table is a good option if it’s too hot otherwise). I also like to get my workout in in the afternoon, which one of my children likes to join me for. Then the rest of the afternoon can be for screens, including Night Zookeeper, which my oldest two have been using.This is the first time they have been allowed to use the computer for ANYTHING, so they are really enjoying this special privilege. 

3. Summer evenings: After dinner and baths, we will end with a little more reading aloud. Here lately, I’ve found that splitting up our longer read aloud times helps everyone focus better (and saves my voice!).

4. We also go to the library fairly often and I’m hoping we can either go to a park weekly or to my in-laws' pool. Being married to a youth minister, our Summer’s are naturally pretty busy with VBS, camps, and youth events, so this list feels like a fairly manageable amount to keep us busy when needed, while also being flexible during the busier weeks. Thinking of my days in chunks also helps during weeks like VBS; we can skip the morning part of our routine while we are at VBS, then do the rest like normal, or we can pare back some of the afternoon and evening if needed. 

I hope seeing my list prompted some ideas for your own Summer! Remember that no routine can be followed perfectly everyday, and it’s also okay to let your schedule come about organically if that’s what works for your family. But if you find yourself starting to feel a little crazy and contemplating starting the new school year on July 1 (been there!), then it might be a good idea to add some structure to your days. Wishing you lots of snuggles, good books, and fun in the sun this Summer!