The end of the school year has arrived for us, along with beautiful longer summer days. We are settling into a new routine that includes a later bedtime for the boys, but I still need my evenings to myself. I created a checklist for them to follow in the evenings to get them to bed on time, and allow me to still have my “me time” after they go to bed, with a cup of coffee flavored with International Delight Cinnabon creamer.
Do three fun things every day
Summer is just two and a 1/2 months long, and before you know it your children will be back at school five days a week, coming home just to do homework, eat dinner, bathe, and go to bed. Enjoy the time they are home! Before early mornings and after-school activities take over again, spend those long summer days having lots of fun together. Here are the ways we plan to spend our days:
1. Play board games and charades and use a deck of cards to build card structures
2. Run through sprinklers, have water balloon fights, and dance in the stream of a bubble machine
3. Create messy art, whether with clay, paints, sidewalk chalk, mud, or sand
4. Go to the park, children’s museums, outdoor fairs and concerts every weekend
5. Invite friends over with their parents for barbecue playdates
Don’t forget to take pictures of everything to remember it all! I created a Fun Summer Activities printable for more ideas so you can make it a memorable and fun summer with your family too.
Maintain a regular bedtime
After a fun day, I make sure the boys go to sleep at the same time every night. It’s an hour later than during the school year, since the sunlight lasts so much longer and we don’t have to get up early, but in order for me to make sure I have an hour to unwind with a cup of coffee and a book or magazine after they go to bed, I stick to a steady bedtime.
I created a Bedtime Routine Checklist to make it easy to wind down at the end of the day and get ready to go to sleep, and it’s designed to be easy for children to use. I keep the checklist in a clear magnetic frame on the fridge and the boys check off everything as it’s done with a dry erase marker.
Bedtime Checklist Routine For Kids
To purchase a downloadable pdf version of this printable, click here. It’s a fun way to keep a reliable schedule going for your kids, even if you have a later bedtime during the summer, and lets them check things off as they are done. It also lets you know that soon, you’ll have your quiet time when they are all tucked into bed.
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