Summer Schedule for Kids To Keep Little Ones Busy & Mama Sane

The arrival of summer brings with it a whole host of opportunities to make wonderful memories with your children.

But it can also be a little overwhelming, especially if you have school-age and preschool children who will be at home for several weeks.

Do not worry, because I have got a summer schedule to bring order to your days, without ruining any of the fun of summer.

Ever since my kids were babies I have found having even a rough schedule to be so valuable.

When I know what comes next I feel more in control and it means they are never bored, hungry, fed up, over tired etc.

To help my fellow parents out this summer I have got a sample daily and weekly summer schedule for you to download and keep, plus blank templates so you can create your own.

How to create a summer schedule for kids

The key to putting together your summer schedule is to balance flexibility with planning how you will keep your kids busy every day.

You don’t have to have planned an incredibly elaborate series of activities. This isn’t what your summer schedule is about.

It’s more about taking blocks of time and allocating them to different things your child can do so that you keep boredom from bay.

For example, in the morning you take a walk in the park, then in the afternoon you spend time making something like brownies or play dough. It’s about mixing up different types of activities every day.

By doing this even when you are repeating some activities over the course of a week, they don’t get boring because your kids are doing other things as well.

It only takes a little planning, but taking some time to consider what your typical day will look like over the summer means you can strike the right balance between fun, quiet activities, enriching activities and a little time for yourself.

If you want ideas for how to fill your summer schedule then you can check out my summer bucket list, featuring 101 fun things for kids to do, and my summer crafts and activities for kids.

What to do with kids of different ages

If you have kids at different stages then creating the perfect schedule may feel overwhelming.

That’s especially the case if you have large age gaps, such as older kids who are happy to tear around outdoors all day and a newborn who needs to nap and feed constantly.

When it comes to handling a schedule for multiple kids of different ages then my number one tip is to get the younger kids to fit around the older kids.

If the older kids have to fit around the younger kids then they will protest far more loudly when they are bored.

That doesn’t mean your baby has to participate in every single activity your older kids are up to – that of course would be impossible.

What I mean is that toddlers and babies nap on the go in a stroller while older kids enjoy whatever activity they are up to.

If you have a child who struggles to nap out of the house, then structure your day so that your outings with your older kids coincide with your littler one’s awake time.

Start by making a list of activities you can manage with all kids at the same time – include different parks you can visit and venues like trampolining centres where the older kids can play while you look after your baby.

This then gives you a starting point for planning your schedule and means you have a list of places to go when your kids are bored of being at home.

For days at home, stock up on fun crafting kits and activity sets that older kids can be distracted with. LEGO sets are always a huge hit in our house, as well as friendship bracelet sets.

With my two, now they are able to play more independently, I aim to find at home activities they can do on their own without much help. Then I mix that up with activities we do together, such as board games or playing sports outside.

Sample daily summer schedule for kids

Here’s my easy sample summer schedule for kids. Feel free to use this as it is, or adapt it to something that works for you.

I have a blank template you can download and print off as part of my free summer schedule bundle.

7am – Breakfast, make bed, get dressed
8am – Free play
9am – Morning outing or activity at home
10am – Snack
11am – Free play
12pm – Lunch
1pm – Toddler naptime/quiet play
2pm – Outdoor play or afternoon outing
3pm – Snack
4pm – Outdoor play
5pm – Dinner
6pm – Quiet play
7pm – Bath time and story
8pm – Bedtime

You can adapt your timings based on when your kids get up – mine tend to be early risers even when they are no in school!

Weekly summer schedule

The weekly activities schedule gives you a theme for every day of the week, so that you have inspiration

This is what your weekly schedule looks like:

Make it Monday
Take a trip Tuesday
Water Wednesday
Thoughtful Thursday
Foodie Friday
Sensory Saturday
Family fun Sunday

You can interpret these themes in any way you like. The idea is that they help you think of things that work for your family and give your kids stuff to do that they like.