Work, Learn, and Play Chart For Kids
- June 15, 2015
- by Melissa Lawrence
Hello everyone! With summer just beginning, I’m striving to implement some daily goals for my kids. Reading is one of them, play is another… and work, most definitely. I’m asking my older boys to pitch in more around the house and help me with my little ones, and encouraging my little ones to help with simple tasks such as putting their laundry in the washer and bringing their plates to the sink. So with all that on my mind, I was thrilled when Jillian Riley of A Mom With a Lesson Plan agreed to write for us with her tips on how to create a structure for working, playing, and learning over the summer. Read on for her tips on how to get this in order, and for a nifty printable list that makes this oh so easy. xo M
Hello CloudMom Mamas! I am so excited to be here talking about something that gets me very excited. Summer schedules! Really I love anything that involves planning (and dry erase markers) so this ranks right up there in my “things that make me happy” list.
One of the challenges I face every summer is trying to keep a balance of work, learning and fun. Over spring break I tested out a new idea and it worked really well! I can’t wait to hear what you think.
I used page protectors with our printable chore charts and fell in love with them. They are very easy to change out and recently I found that they work perfectly with dry erase markers. This is a to-do list lovers dream!
All you have to do is printout the Printable Work, Learn & Play Chart, slide it into a page protector and fill out the Work, Play & Learn sections with your kids summer schedules using a dry erase marker. EASY! How do I decide what goes in each section? Work Work is an important thing for kids to understand and have experience with, something to remember when we’re thinking about how to raise a well rounded child. I want my kids to grow up and know how to work hard (and how to enjoy a job well done). Work can mean a lot of different things. It can be contributing to the family with specific responsibilities, It can mean doing paid chores, or it can mean finding ways to earn money outside the house like helping Grandma rake leaves. Learn Of course I am a huge advocate of learning through play. And summer offers a lot of downtime for play, yay for that! Summer is also a great time for mastering (or simply improving on) a skill. One year we focused on shoe tying while another year it was learning to ride a bike. This year I want Big M (9) and Little M (8) to start learning typing skills. I also want to continue the morning reading routine that is working so well for us right now. Play I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I have to schedule this one in! The thing I know for sure is that if it goes on my to-do list it WILL get done. Actually playing with my kids is important enough for me to go through that uncomfortable realization and write it down. Plus writing it down has the added bonus of motivating the kids to get their work done. For play I’m going to include little things like play a game with Mom and big things like go to the museum.
Print a Work, Learn & Play Chart
This Work, Learn and Play Chart allows for flexibility. Some days may have more work than learning. Some days may have so much play there isn’t room for work. It’s all about figuring out together how to balance work and play with learning in the summer months. My plan is to fill it out the night before so the kids can see first thing what’s on the agenda for their day.
Jillian Riley is a writer who focuses most of her creative energy into her playful learning, playful parenting blog A Mom with a Lesson Plan. She is mom to an 9 year old son and a 8 year old daughter. Jillian is passionate about parenting, connecting as a family and playful learning! Find her on Facebook and Pinterest
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