Why? Kids are more spontaneous than adults! If you schedule their day, add free time to the schedule. They love to know and plan for their unstructured time too. They may be working on a big project, want to finish a book, or play outside again. You won’t regret it!
Interested in a timer? The Time Timer is a secret-to-success tool used by teachers and parents everywhere. Mine sits next to the laptop for computer time. It’s silent and visual. The kids can see their times slipping away. When times up, there’s a quiet little beep. Perfect.
Try it and let me know how it goes. Simple and effective!
If you’re looking for a bit more than “Free Time” to add to your schedule, check out the links below:
- Summer Points – How to motivate your child throughout the summer.
- Life Skills – The things they don’t teach at school, ages 2-18.
- DIY Summer School
- “Earning Technology Time Chart”
- Printable Summer Schedule
“Kristen is the writer and creator behind Busy Kids Happy Mom. The site started in 2011 as a way to share Summer Learning and enrichment ideas. First it started with Summer Points and Life Skills. Now it’s moved onto even more. All of these activities have similar characteristics, the main theme being to Make Summer Count! She is an Elementary Reading Specialist and the mother of 2 boys!
Follow Kristen on Facebook, Pinterest, and Busy Kids Happy Mom.
Free Time is the Promised Land of every kid. Knowing that their schedule will include a nice amount of free time to play, read, or even sleep makes them more productive during the entire day.
I really enjoyed your time timer tip Kristen. I think I’ll give it a shot. It seems like the Pomodoro technique for kids. What do you think?