The Daily Schedule for Kids that Will Save Your Sanity

The alarms on your phone are shut off for several weeks, or what feels like “indefinitely”. The kids’ lunch boxes are empty, wiped clean and stored for a few weeks, or for all of eternity. What’s the difference anyway?

The kids are home, parents are working from home, or at least they are trying to work. Suddenly the stability of your trusty family calendar is out the window. Uncertainty and social distancing are weighing on your shoulders like a herd of elephants.

Breathe! Seriously, girl, let’s breathe together.

I know your stress. I am in it with you. I know your worry. I feel it too. Let’s get through this together.

First and foremost, I want you to know that although schools are closed and the kids are home before the school year is over, you did not become a homeschooler overnight.

Homeschooling, done right, takes months of careful planning. Homeschooling isn’t random worksheets without clear lesson plans or science projects without a curriculum. Homeschooling is a lifestyle, carefully planned activities or even lack thereof.

Homeschooling is not a world of stressed-out parents fighting a pandemic of unknown proportions while figuring out how to educate their kids before they become feral smelly creatures.

No one is expecting you to create an educational plan for your child without the credentials, proper tools or resources – so breathe!

I love this article and its fresh perspective on extended school closures, which may give you some peace of mind.

What you need to do during this school closure is hygge as a family, keep your kid entertained, fed and clothed (most of the time).

(Notice, I didn’t even say “well-fed”. Getting anything in their bellies that is not goldfish crackers is a great feat, no one is expecting fancy three-course dinners!)

The Daily Schedule for Kids You Need!

I have received several messages from members of my Facebook community “Real Moms in the Now”, asking HOW we plan our day. (Feel free to join our group of super fun and incredibly cool moms!)

I am sorry to disappoint, but I don’t use a pretty color-coded schedule for our school-free days. Instead, we have a daily schedule we started during our last summer break, and I am excited to share it with you.

This daily schedule leaves a lot of flexibility to make adjustments for tiredness, weather changes, sickness or any other monkey wrenches life throws at you.

Remember, how quickly the world is changing these days. You do NOT want to be tied down to a rigid schedule right now. You want to be as flexible and fluid as the shitshow around us.

How to use our daily schedule:

Print several copies of the “Our Fun Day” FREE printable. You will need one for each day.
Start each day with a family meeting.
1. While the kids eat breakfast, ask each one of them what THEY WANT to do that day.
2. The only requirement: they have to pick at least one “physical” activity, one “creative” activity and one “educational” activity.
3. Our schools provide online resources for the kids to complete over the course a week. I have our kids complete their school work for the day BEFORE they go on to any of the things they listed during the daily family meeting. Schoolwork hours are normally from 9am – 12pm and then they have the rest of the day to do their Fun Day activities.
Write down each kid’s activity choices on the “Our Fun Day” printable and stick it on the refrigerator for the day.
- Whenever a child complains that he’s bored, remind them of their activity choices for the day.
- I make a point to even write down the screen-related activities the kids’ have chosen, such as playing video games or watching movies. It all goes on the list.

This particular daily schedule gives me the daily freedom to “assign” more educational tasks if I feel someone needs it, or change outdoor activities to indoor in case of rain – and we DO live in the Pacific North West where rain is a weekly occurrence.
The kids LOVE having the “freedom” set their own daily schedule.
A flexible schedule leaves time and energy for hygge, as a family and individually.
One of our kids DOES need more of a set schedule. For him, I put time limits on each activity and that seems to make his day run smoother.

Additional awesome sanity-saving schedules, activities and learning resources:

Don’t miss the list of super fun activities for tween and teen boys I put together. Our boys helped me come up with the ideas and they have had a blast with it. All the activities are “social distancing” compliant, so no need to worry about them having to team up with friends.

This comprehensive list of fun things for tween and teen boys to do has saved my sanity QUITE a few times over the past few weeks. There is an educational spin on most of the activities, and the best part is that the kids won’t even realize that they are learning!

While the kids are out of school, you are winning at parenting if your child picks up a book and you score extra points when they actually open it.
- If your local library is closed, or if your kids are whining that they don’t have ANY GOOD BOOKS to read, check out Epic! You get access to over 35,000 children’s books, learning games and quizzes for FREE for 30 days.

Great resources for parents during the pandemic shutdown, by Sunny Day Family.
50+ Books Lists at Your Fingertips, by Happily Ever Elephants
Online Literacy Resources, by Growing Book by Book
Activities for Kids 8 – 12 Years Old, by Busy Toddler
Realistic Schedule for Kids at Home, by Sunny Day Family
A Zillion Fun Things to Do at Home With Kids, by Moms and Crafters
Preschool Printables, by Fantastic Fun and Learning
40 Activities to do at Home While Socially Distancing, by The Soccer Mom Blog

As we face the uncertainty of knowing how long the school closures will last, please know that I am here for you. Connect with me and other super fun moms in my Facebook community “Real Moms in the Now”. We have fun, we vent, we share and together we make it through these crazy times, one day at a time! I can’t wait to connect with you over there!