Summer Rules for Kids

This Summer Rules Printable will help you keep order in your home during the summer months and let kids know what is expected each day.

I can not believe that the school year is over! It feels like yesterday was the first day of school and now here we are. I have a Middle Schooler and a 3rd grader! How in the world did that happen?!

We have a crazy busy summer schedule ahead of us thanks to travel baseball (both boys are playing almost every day) so this summer I am throwing the summer schedule out of the window. It has worked well in the past but this year I am giving it a break. 

Instead, I came up with a fixed set of Summer Rules that will help shape our days. I have seen summer rules that put restrictions on screen time and video games. And while I do want to make sure mine don’t sit in front of device all summer, it hasn’t been something that I worry too much about.

We are fortunate to live in an “old school” neighborhood where the kids play until the street lights come on. Throw in a lot of baseball practices and games and I know my boys active outside time far outweighs their screen time.

But we do need some rules in place for the summer. They are at an age where I should not be doing everything for them. In fact, if I am being honest, I should have instituted these rules last summer. It’s time for them to really help out around the house and start learning to do things for themselves. And that’s where our Summer Rules come into play!

Summer Rules for Kids

I can not take all of the credit for these Summer Rules. You may have seen a similar set of rules floating around Facebook. These rules resonated so much with me that I tweaked them to match our family’s needs. 

I wanted to keep these rules light but to the point. I took the daily home annoyances (like blankets and pillows everywhere) and made them part of the daily summer routine.

I also took the responsibilities that the kids should be able to do themselves into account, like unloading the dishwasher and starting laundry. 

Download your copy of the Printable Summer Rules HERE! 

I also will be using our Chore Notebook more consistently. What’s a chore notebook? One of my frustrations with the chores is the constant reminding and nagging the kids to do their chores. We’ve tried chore charts and popsicle sticks and every other Pinteresty thing on the planet. 

They didn’t work for us. 

Then I went old school. Growing up, my friend’s mom would write a list of things that needed to be done each day in a notebook. She would write little notes and, when this friend got older, she would leave recipes for dinner to be started. And so I adopted the Chore Notebook. 

We started the Notebook off with some rules as well. 

And it works really, really well! You don’t need anything fancy. Just a notebook you have laying around the house. Every morning while I am drinking coffee, I write their list out and set it out on the coffee table. They know when they see the notebook out, there are chores to be done!

The end goal of our Summer Rules and the Chore Notebook is to have a balance of “work” and play for both kids and parents!