Are you looking for a way to fill your summer weekdays with fun for both you and your kids? I’m all about routine and structure, so I came up with an easy-to-follow themed summer schedule to use all sunny season long! It’s intentional, it will increase togetherness AND encourage adventure for you and your kids.
Growing up, my mom worked full time so she created a fun summer schedule for the babysitters to use to plan out our weekdays together. We both can’t remember the exact themes she used, but I decided to put my own spin on it and last summer was the first time I followed this schedule with my now two year old daughter Blakely. She absolutely loved it and it helped to have something to look forward to each day!
Our fun-filled, simple themed summer schedule looks like this:
- Make It Monday
- Take A Trip Tuesday
- Water Wednesday
- Thinking Thursday
- Fun Friday
This fun summer schedule can work for kids of all ages! And it’s never too late to start. Here we are mid June and it’s the first week we are following it! Below you’ll find ideas to get you started, but feel free to make this your own.
5 Gentle Reminders:
- Plan Ahead. At the beginning of each week I write down in my notes app on my phone what activity(s) we are going to do each day which helps tremendously to have some structure.
- Include Your Kids. When I asked my two year old where she wanted to go for take a trip Tuesday, she simply said the park! Especially if your kids are older, it’s a fun idea to let them in on brainstorming ideas for your week ahead.
- It’s Okay If There’s A Mess. As a mom who is still working on this one, I had to share in case you need to remember this one too. Kids will be kids and they need to make messes… especially on Make It Monday! This can be a good learning tool to have them help clean up when they’re done playing.
- Keep It Practical + Easy. Remember, this schedule is supposed to make your life easier, not harder. If you have a big trip outing planned for Tuesday, maybe all you do for Water Wednesday is sit outside with a water bucket and toys.
- Take A Deep Breath & Have Fun! I know the summer months can seem overwhelming without structure, but I hope this simple summer schedule can give your family a solid weekly routine that will help you all thrive! I’ve quickly learned that kids grow up TOO fast, so I’m remembering to slow down and try to enjoy these summer days!
MAKE IT MONDAY
Make It Monday is all about creativity, independence and using our hands and imaginations. Whether you take a trip to your local plant nursery to buy flowers or food to plant together, color pictures on the back porch, or make homemade lemonade for a lemonade stand, it’s all about the quality time and letting your toddler or child do a lot of it themselves!
Since my two year old naps in the afternoon, I like to pick two activities for this day. One in the morning, and one after she wakes up from her nap.
Here are some of our favorite Amazon items to help enhance your Water Wednesday:
- Do a dot rainbow markers (so fun!)
- Homemade popsicle molds
- 5-in-1 building block table
TAKE A TRIP TUESDAY
Take-A-Trip Tuesday is all about new experiences and adventure! I brainstormed many free activities to do, as well as fun experiences that would cost money. Free things to do for take-a-trip Tuesday can be as small as visiting a new park, finding a pond to feed ducks, or taking a hike together. It’s fun to plan a big adventure for at least one Tuesday of the month like visiting a local museum or farm to pick fresh strawberries.
Have fun with this one! I like to hype up our planned outing all of Monday telling my daughter that we are taking a big trip together to ___ tomorrow. It lets our anticipation grow and gets us both excited for Trip Tuesday!
WATER WEDNESDAY
Water Wednesday is all about wet & wild play! Get your suit on and have a backyard slip-and-slide, a morning at your neighborhood pool, or a visit to a splash park nearby.
If it’s raining on Water Wednesday, I’m sure like my toddler, yours would love to put on their rain boots and splash in some puddles at any hour of the day.
Here are some of our favorite Amazon items to help enhance your Water Wednesday:
- Our favorite affordable water table
- Magnetic Fishing Game for pool, bath or even your water table (endless entertainment!)
- Reuseable water balloons (a game changer!!)
THINKING THURSDAY
Let’s use our brains a little on Thinking Thursdays! This day usually looks like a trip to the bookstore or library. Thankfully Blakely likes reading just as much as I do so she is up for spending a lot of our time browsing the many books on the shelves and reading together whatever she picks out!
Blakely has recently been loving these Montessori flashcards that are all about matching letters to various animals! Another fun activity for two year olds on Thinking Thursday is puzzles! Here are a few of our favorite:
FUN FRIDAY
Kicking off the weekend with more fun!! Fun Friday will probably look different each week depending on your family plans for the summer. This can look like meeting up with a friend for a park play date, having a family movie night, or visiting any of the fun ideas brainstormed for Trip Tuesday.
This would be the perfect day to let your little ones in on helping pick out an activity to do!
Again, feel free to make this schedule fit for your family! Let me know some additional activities below for these fun summer weekday themes!! <3
Wishing you all an intentional, stress free and FUN summer with your kiddos!
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