Daily List To Help You Have the BEST Summer

Summer is just weeks away, AHHHHH!!!! I’m here to help you get ready for the chaos and mess of your sweet kiddos home all. the. time. 😂 This month I’ll be sharing with you my daily list tips and tricks that have helped us. Well, most of the time… Haha!

What is a Daily List?

Plain and simple a daily list is a list of things you want to accomplish each and every day.

Not so plain and simple it is a thought out list of things that will make your life easier and run a lot smoother if everyone knows what they need to do. In our house (most of the time) our kids can not have screen time or play dates until their daily lists are completed.

It took some time for us to teach it to our kids and for them to understand how it works. Does it run perfectly all the time? Heck no! But at least we have their lists printed up, hung on the wall, and they do know what they need to do.

Currently we have the following on the three big kid’s list:

• get dressed
• make bed
• clothes away
• clean room
• eat breakfast
• brush teeth
• a morning job (son = empty recycle, girls = empty dishwasher)
• cleaning sticks (we were doing two until recently, now we do one)
• practice the piano

Our three year old has the following on her daily list:

• get dressed
• make bed
• clothes away
• clean room
• eat breakfast
• brush teeth
• cleaning stick

We will be reviewing and making some changes to the daily lists to make them more streamlined. We will be adding some school things in to keep their minds working. 🙂

Why is it Important to Have a Daily List?

For me, someone who has some control issues…, I really like routine and crossing things off of a list. It helps me to see my progress, know what’s to come, and what to expect.

I know that’s not for everyone. But if you want to have some things that your children need to do daily during the summer this is a geat place to start. We take Sundays off. But Monday thru Saturday we do our daily lists.

Once we started using daily lists for our kiddos we were able to help them know what they needed to do daily. And keep them on track. It really made our day run smoother. And not to mention helped a ton with the question, “Can I watch a show?” or “Can I play with …….?”

How Do I Make a Daily List?

You don’t, you let me! 🙂 Haha! But really I’d be happy to make one for you. I have a few options. Head to my shop to see what would work for you. Hint, there is a free option if you want.

If you want to do it on your own here are some steps to get you started and finished. 🙂

1. Make a list of things you want done daily around your house.
2. Think of the things that your children can help with and those that are age appropriate.
3. Think of the things you want your children to do daily (think of things that are theirs: bed, clothes, toys, etc. )
4. If your children are old enough and you want their imput then have a family meeting and finalize the things on each person’s daily list. Eddy and I have one as well. But, we don’t focus on it as much. It’s hanging on the wall next to the kid’s so they can see it and know we have things we want and need to do daily as well.
5. Print it up and hang it in a spot that is common. Ours are placed in a plastic page protector. This will help is stay cleaner for longer. We hang ours on a wall in the kitchen. We walk by it all the time.
6. Keep in mind: use pictures if your kiddos are young. Think if you want to add a spot to chekc off or cross of when they are done.
7. Rules: Decide if you want the daily lists to be done by a certain time of the day, or just by bedtime. You get to decide if they get rewards for finishing them (period, by a certain time, with a happy and positive attitude, etc.)

Here are some suggestions of things that might be a good fit for you and your family:

• outside play time
• school (reading, math, writing, science, ss, binders, screen learning time)
• bedroom things (put clothes away, make bed, toys away, clean up)
• chores (we call them cleaning sticks)
• morning chores (empty garbage or recycle, empty dishwasher – anything that will help make your morning run smoother because it will most likely be ready for the day)
• practace musical instrament
• practice a sport or dance
• getting ready (brush teeth, getting dressed, showering, eating breakfast)
• quiet time
• work
• summer school work (for older children)

Why Daily Lists Rocks!

Like I mentioned before, our kiddos need to have their daily list done before they can have screen time or have play dates. Does it work all the time? Nope. We are not perfect, but we try to stay consistent. This is a great way to get kids to get some things done and not just sit around all day doing nothing. It is nice to have those days sometimes, just not all the time.

If you feel like you are the one doing EVERYTHING, well my friend, get ready! Get ready to have your kids help out around the house. Our motto is: You are a part of this family. And this family helps each other out. AND You live here and help make the messes, you get to help clean up the messes. 🙂

Accomplish more knowing a few things that you need to get done right off the bat. No more making a list of the things you know you need to do. It’s already done for you.

You might see a jump in your productivity. That’s awesome!

You might get asked less and less if it’s time for screen time.

Help your children to be more accountable and learn to get things done and out of the way.

There is so much to gain by starting a daily list routine in your home. I’m excited for you to try! Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions. Please share this along or pin to save for later.

Xxx, Steph