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Back to School Like a Boss: Daily Schedule and Checklist for Kids

erin sadler

Ah, summer. What kid doesn't love the late nights around the fire, lazy mornings lounging in PJs, car trips, popsicles and utter lack of responsibility? Parents love this too, until about August when they think about how hard it will be when the school year comes knocking. It always comes out of nowhere, doesn't it? One day you're looking at your kiddo jumping in the lake, living summer life like it's their job, and the next day, you're back to school shoe shopping like BAM!

Slowly re-introducing routines and structure as early as possible instead of white-knuckling the overwhelm and predictable backlash of going cold turkey the first day of school helps lower everyone's stress level. Think long game on this one. By easing everyone into a routine with responsibilities now, you set yourself up for so much less strife in fall.

DEVELOPING A DAILY SCHEDULE FOR KIDS: 

Let's be honest, Covid rocked our world and learning environments look different for all of us. So while schedules will look different for every kid in every learning environment, the key is helping your child learn how to organize and keep track of what needs to be done throughout the day. 

Just like a teacher in the classroom has the daily plan posted, so should your child, whether or not they are in a school building. Some of our schedules will involve just what needs to be done in the morning and evening, while others will include the schoolday as well.

With my kid's schedules, I segment by time but do what works best for your child. You can just as easily segment by tasks. If your child becomes easily overwhelmed or has difficulty focusing on the whole day, break it up into smaller time frames or tasks. You fold a sheet of paper with a morning schedule on top and afternoon on the bottom. Cover the afternoon until most of the morning is complete to reduce overwhelm.

If it's Still Summer When You're Reading This

Our family doesn't break from learning during the summer and I encourage you to look at summer the same way. My husband and I think it's easier to continue the learning schedule for both the kids and our work schedules. We take it to basics, though, and the total is about 2.5 hours of learning time each day, with the rest being summer fun. 

I break learning into time segments. For me, this is easier than trying to keep up with each assignment and figuring out how long it would take. Our children are expected to do 30 minutes of each of the following per day: reading, math, science, writing and foreign language. Writing and reading are screen-free to cut down on screen time. 

As you begin to think about getting back into the swing of school, you may want to add even one learning component if you aren’t already or if doing summer reading, maybe add a section of math. When thinking about how long to plan, think developmentally appropriate times. My kids are old enough to do thirty-minute increments, but younger kids should have shorter times on task.  

Brain-Boosting Tip: The best time to break through resistance is when the stakes are a bit lower. Practicing in the summer without actually having assignments due and teachers to connect with means lower stress and more opportunity to try for the sake of trying. This builds the growth mindset and confidence needed for a successful school year.

Just the habit of getting yourselves a bit back on schedule can be an immense help in the battle of getting kids back up and running at school time. It is much easier to develop a schedule when we are developing it as a habit. Consistency is key. You get a lot farther when you get to put the car in drive and keep going at a constant pace than you do if you push the gas one day and the brakes the next.

You can start getting this process up and running with required reading time, screen limits, consistent bedtimes and chores so that you are a well-oiled machine by the time you start school. If you don’t have the systems in place, you will constantly be in a tug of war with your child, and you won’t have a firm understanding if it is the system or the learning that is the holdup. Kids need structure to hold the framework for what they need to do. This can and should be flexible; however, to be able to be flexible and malleable, a schedule must first be established. 

Boosting Brains by Developing a Checklist

A checklist helps your child become self-reliant and develop organization and responsibility skills. It helps them determine what needs to be done and allows them to choose when to do it. If your kids aren’t working from a checklist (even if it’s just to check off morning to-dos or chores), start one. Kids are expected to demonstrate some organizational skills in learning, so it is better to start prepping as early as possible. 

Once you get an idea of the school schedule, work with your child to develop a daily checklist. Put everything in there that you want your child to have a hand in, either independently or as a helper. I sit with my kids and outline each of their checklists and one of us will type it up on the computer in an easily-edited document for the inevitable change. Laminating it and using dry erase markers is also a good idea. This allows your child to take hold of their schedule and run with it like the kid boss they are. It also allows you to step back and not be in the middle of everything that goes on in your household. (Score!)

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In looking at it in terms of school work, a couple of outlines on each subject and what is expected means you can step back and let them get to work. When they feel they have finished, set up the expectation that they either show the completed work to you and check it off together or monitor it themselves, keeping completed work in a spot for you to check later. 

In terms of home responsibilities, a list of daily chores and personal responsibilities is what’s needed. Break it into morning and afternoon chores so there is a feeling of completion both times of the day. As a way to grow in their social-emotional learning, add some that will allow them to check in with their emotions, gratitude and goals.

Don’t have time? Grab ours. We created five different ‘My Great Day Checklists’ designs for any child. You’ll get them all for free.

Start Building Habits of Responsibility Now (and be Forever Rewarded)

Responsible behavior starts with understanding how it works in the brain. (If you’re new to The Rooted Family, we’re all about the brain and teaching you how it works so you can use it to your advantage.) If you want to start a responsibility routine now, but you’re not sure how to do it, check out our SEL Kit, Rooted in Responsibility. We’ve laid it all out, including the brain science behind how to actually get your child to embrace responsibility. We’ve even included chore charts already made for you to help your kids get going with routines and chores - both of which are hugely beneficial to their future success.