My hope for this post, which is extremely tardy as the kids have been back to school – or distance learning in our case – for quite a few weeks now, is that you’re reading it in 2021 or 2022 or some year in which we’re all experiencing more in-person adventures than virtual meetings and we’re more worried about how to fill the time than how to pass it. I hope that the “new normal” is better in every way than our current circumstances and you’re prepping for a summer filled with more happy memories-in-the-making than this past summer had to offer.
I spoke briefly about this year in my last post but it’s truly been the most difficult and transformative yet somehow gratitude-filled year of my life and I’m sure most everyone else’s too. When I really sit and think about the many events that have shaped this season for us, I’m heartbroken. The words unfair and unreal come to mind. I want to cry for everyone. I want the world to pause so we can all grieve whatever we’ve lost this year before we continue on again. But I know better and so I turn to what we still have and can have and what the lessons are. I surrender to the fact that we are a blip on the timeline and I choose to focus on making the small space I occupy the best it can be. Some days that means doing nearly nothing in my pajamas with no makeup on and other days that means giving myself a good pep talk and doing the day-to-day things that truly move the needle. One of the many lessons 2020 has imposed upon me is that balancing productivity with being present + enjoying the time we have on this planet is imperative. And yea, I’ve tried to apply that to even the simplest things like well-rounded lists of to-do’s for me and the kids – even during our downtime.
Hendrix and Sadie’s summer lists are an intentional blend of things that need to be done, habits I’d like them to create and activities that don’t involve the electronics that they’d otherwise happily spend hours in front of whenever school isn’t in session (is it just my kids?!). Below is a list of each of their tasks with a little explanation and, as promised, five free printable versions for you and your little ones to use once summer rolls around again. As a side note, Ella, who is now *SIXTEEN*, has aged out of the summer list system but she does have a Happy Planner for 2020-21 as well as a shared note on her phone to which I add daily + weekly to-do’s all year long. Maybe more on that soon but for now, here’s what’s on Hendrix and Sadie’s summer lists…
MAKE BED + TIDY
First things first, I’m big on making my bed and tidying my space every morning so I want the kids to get into that habit as well. There are a few benefits to making your bed in the morning but my personal fave is that it just looks nice!
WATER + VITAMINS
Although I still dispense the actual vitamins, I’m hoping the slight shift in responsibility (aka they fill up their own water bottles + get the vitamins from the pantry instead of just taking what mom’s passing out) helps to create healthy, self-care habits that they’ll carry into the future.
JOURNAL TIME
With everything that’s gone on this year, I figured it was the perfect time to encourage the kids to express themselves. They each have a write/draw journal (find Hendrix’s here and Sadie’s here) to fill with their thoughts/feelings or just talk about their day. It was also a great way for them to practice their handwriting over the summer.
READ FOR 15 MINS
This one’s pretty standard but important nonetheless. They rotated between reading independently, reading to one another and reading to me each day. I love seeing them excited to talk about what they’ve read – especially as they’re both very much into their electronics at the moment.
LEARNING TIME
This to-do includes workbooks, worksheets, mini lessons from “teacher mommy”, educational programs/apps and more. Time-wise, the goal was for this to NOT be an overwhelming thing for them but just enough to keep their brain juices flowing and squeeze a little knowledge into every day.
CHORE OF THE DAY
Chores are something my kids struggle to do without a command or a chart so here we are! Their chores vary depending on what needs to be done but usually Hendrix takes out the recycling and Sadie does a small task like wiping something down or putting things away for me.
ACTIVITY OF THE DAY
This included everything from water balloon fights to Cosmic Kids Yoga and even helping me clean + organize the pantry. It was essentially just something fun or functional to do on a daily basis to stave off the boredom of being almost exclusively at home.
OUTDOOR TIME
This one’s basically kids being kids outside sans video games like the good old days. The duration of this “task” varied depending on how much time I thought they needed or how much time I thought I needed. I’m sure you feel me on that one…
That’s everything on Hendrix + Sadie’s summer lists! Below are five FREE printable versions in various colors if you’d like to give this system a try during a (hopefully amazing) future summer season. Until then, I hope you and your family are happy and healthy and safe.
Leave a Reply