School has recently ended and I am trying to work out a good summer schedule. With my two boys further apart in age (4 and 18 months), I think its going to be a challenge to find activities that they both can enjoy equally. We really enjoy going to the public pool, ours has a wonderful baby/toddler pool. The 4 year old really enjoyed it last year because of the fountains and he can touch the bottom (which he thought was pretty cool!). Last summer I was able to put the then infant in a baby float, this summer with him being a toddler I am not going to get by with that. He is very active and will want to be in the water moving freely. I am interested to find out what my solution will be for this problem. I guess always going with a friend to help watch them both would be helpful.
In the past I have tried different schedules with my oldest boy, they never seem to work. Maybe because of my laziness or because it just does not fit his personality. I am a very scheduled person and like to know what I am doing and when. So I will be working on a schedule that will hopefully accommodate both my children appropriately. Since having my youngest child I haven't really done any type of schedule with him because we just went on what the older one needed and wanted. Not that he always got to do what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it, but it was a matter of him needed a set schedule of activities more than the infant. I think I will just brainstorm and write a mock schedule for reference:
7:30- Wake up go potty
7:45- Get dressed
8:00- Eat breakfast
8:30- Bible story time/ Quiet time
8:45- Do puzzles or play quiet toys
9:00- Run errands
Monday- clean
Tuesday- Library
Wednesday- Chiropractor/ store
Thursday- Play date with friends
Friday- Park
10:00- Snack
10:30- Play with toys/ go outside
11:15- Prepare for lunch
11:30- Lunch
12:00- Rest time
2:00- Elijah and mommy art/workbook time
3:00- Wake up go potty
3:15- Snack time
4:00- Outside time/ Pool time
5:15- Prepare for dinner
5:30- Play toys/ read books/ do puzzles
6:15- Dinner
6:45- Play time with Daddy
7:15- Pick up time/ clean play room
7:30- Bath time
7:45-Devotion time
8:00- Bed time
That is just a schedule that will probably work 75% of the time, I try to be very flexible in my schedules. I know that things do not always work out according to my plans but I am ok with that.
The reason I really like schedules is because it leaves little time to fighting and getting out of control. Having a four year old is really nice because he is starting to learn how to tell time and can know when its time for something to begin or end. He knows when rest time is over and when its time for bed. We are also beginning to teach him how to read so that is going to be something that I hope to work with him on this summer as well. I really hope this schedule will make for a good summer of little fighting and little chaos!
