Summer Printables

Screen-Free Summer

☀️We will soon begin our 5th SCREEN FREE SUMMER☀️

Why I started? It was spring of 2015 and I just found out I was pregnant with my fifth baby and I was so so sick. It was survival mode for me and my kids were in front of the screens A.LOT! I was trying to get better and I was sick from morning till night and it was rough. After I started feeling better I felt we needed a whole detox of bad habits that were formed..

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I tell everyone to get through the first week! It’s the hardest because everyone’s breaking the habit. Summers have become some of my favorite memories. Here is the outline that helps us during the summer! Also, we are not 100% screen free as you will learn below. We have a theme for each day to give them ideas of what to do. My kids also know that they need to do a lot of it themselves. I never wanted to make more work for me but I also love joining in on the fun!.

〰️Make something MONDAY〰️

Making cookies, Play-Doh, all of the crafts. My kids love to make-up theater plays, and make forts. All about making stuff today.

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〰️Take a trip TUESDAY〰️

We take a trip to a museum, the mountains to hike, snowcone shack, bike ride to the the park for a picnic, go get donuts at Krispy Kreme..

〰️Wet and wild WEDNESDAY〰️

My kids favorite day. Running through sprinklers, water balloons, playing baseball with kiddy pools, the sprinkler under the tramp, Pool day, and The best one that they will play for hours and hours…shaving cream wars!! I go get lots of cans at the dollar store and they will cover themselves in shaving cream and run through sprinklers, it’s the BEST!

〰️Thinking THURSDAY〰️

All about using your brain today. Going to the library to get new books, science experiments, scavenger hunts, read-athon.

〰️FRIDAY Free day〰️

Yep that includes screens! If my kids get their chores done for the week and they have been off screens, then Friday late afternoon we have a pizza party and movies galore!.

〰️Service SATURDAY〰️

Pulling weeds for someone, the boys mow lawns for people, delivering cookies, visiting the elderly, writing uplifting notes and handing them out in grocery stores, or leaving them on the doorstep.

*Our kids decided a few years ago they would like to have Saturday night be a movie night as well and that’s worked really well for everyone.

Download Screen-Free Summer Printable Here

Summer Job Chart

There are things I want my kids to get done during the summer, but I don’t want to spend all summer nagging them to do it! I like job charts because it’s a simple plan of action that keeps their brains active while teaching them responsibility and hard work. They get the satisfaction of accomplishing their jobs and checking off or putting stickers on their completed task. 

I love an effective way of communicating what needs to be done and an incentive plan to get them to do it! Job chart + treasure box! If they get their jobs completed Monday through Friday then on Friday they get a pick out of the treasure box. The other big incentive is they get a free Friday night they can watch movies for however long! They think it’s the greatest! It’s a win-win for both because they get their week’s worth of activities and work done and get their reward with Friday night free time. 

A quick tip, we have a lot of kids so it’s hard to keep track of everybody and their chores all day so at the bottom of my job chart, I put parent’s initials so my kids know when they get their chart done that day they come to me with their folder and I sign it. It has eliminated a lot of fights between siblings saying they did or did not do something and it keeps them accountable and honest about their responsibilities!

Download the Blank Summer Job Chart Here

Download the Summer Job Chart with Ideas Here