Kids summer schedule template: a daily plan by age

The short answer

A kids summer schedule keeps a few fixed points, such as wake-up, meals, quiet time and bedtime, and fills the blocks between them with outside play, reading, a chore, a theme activity and a set amount of screen time. Plan active play in the morning, reading and quiet time in the hot afternoon, and screens after the must-dos.

Sample summer schedules for kids by age

Each schedule above starts from one of these days. Change the wake-up time or any step's minutes and every time after it moves; the steps sort themselves into morning, afternoon and evening.

Ages 3–5: Short blocks, a nap or quiet time, and screens kept to about an hour of good shows. Ages 6–9: Big outdoor blocks, a reading time every day and screens after the must-dos. Ages 10–13: More say in the plan: a project, chores that matter and screen time they help set.

How to make a summer schedule kids will follow

1. Anchor the day, not every hour. Wake-up, meals, quiet time and bedtime at about the same time each day; everything between them can flex.
2. Put outside time in the morning. It is cooler, and active play early leaves the hot afternoon for quiet time, reading and water play.
3. Give reading its own slot. Twenty to thirty minutes a day, at the same point in the day, is easier to keep than a weekly page goal.
4. Make screens come after the must-dos. The “before screens” list on the schedule (read, play outside, a chore) answers “can I have the tablet?” without an argument.
5. Pick a weekly theme. One idea per weekday gives the theme block a plan, and kids look forward to the next day.
6. Keep camp and trip days simple. On those days the schedule is just the morning and evening anchors.

Why a summer routine helps

School days come with structure built in. Researchers who compared children's days found that elementary school children's activity, screen time, diet and sleep were less healthy on less structured days, such as weekends, in 155 of the 190 studies they looked at (about 80%), and they suggest summer works much like a long weekend. Their “structured days hypothesis” is an explanation, not proof, but it is a good reason to keep a few fixed points. A review of 39 studies also found that test scores tend to drop over the summer, by about a month of school on average and more in math than reading; in a later review, summer reading programs improved reading for children from kindergarten to grade 8, most of all for children from low-income families. A daily reading slot and a little math in the theme block are an easy start.

Keep bedtime in view: the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 10 to 13 hours in 24 hours for ages 3 to 5 and 9 to 12 hours for ages 6 to 12. If the schedule shows the day ending late, the tool warns you.

How much screen time in summer?

Write your rules down once with the family screen time contract, and add up a typical day with the screen time calculator.

Summer weekly theme ideas

Pick one in the maker and its five ideas print under the schedule, one per weekday.

More for the summer

Turn the best days into a list to tick with the summer bucket list printable, and keep the what to do when bored ideas for rainy days. Little ones who need pictures do well with the visual schedule, and a chore chart covers the jobs. When school starts again, switch to the after school routine chart, which uses the same maker.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good summer schedule for kids?

One with the same wake-up, meal and bedtime every day and loose blocks in between: outside play in the morning, a theme activity, lunch, quiet time and reading, some screen time, more play or the pool, then dinner and the bedtime routine. The examples above show times for ages 3 to 5, 6 to 9 and 10 to 13.

How much screen time should kids have in the summer?

For ages 2 to 5 the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests about 1 hour a day of high-quality programs. For older children it asks families to set consistent limits so screens do not crowd out sleep, activity and time together. Many families allow one screen block after a short before-screens list.

Should kids have a routine in the summer?

A light one helps. Researchers have found children's activity, screen time and sleep tend to be less healthy on less structured days, and test scores tend to dip over summer. Keeping wake-up, meals, reading and bedtime fixed gives that structure without planning every hour.

What are good weekly themes for summer?

Ocean, camp-out, science, art, around the world, sports, kindness, nature explorer, build it and kitchen weeks. Each theme here comes with five ideas, one per weekday, that print under the schedule.

How do I print the summer schedule?

Pick a design (sunny, ocean or ink saver) and Letter or A4, then press Print. The schedule prints on one page with times, the weekly theme and the before-screens list. Save as image makes a phone-sized picture.

Is my schedule saved?

Yes, in this browser on this device. Nothing is sent to our server and there is no sign-up. Show the example brings back the sample day for the age you picked.

Sources and evidence

1. Brazendale et al. (2017): Understanding differences between summer vs. school obesogenic behaviors of children, the structured days hypothesis — In 155 of 190 studies (about 80%), elementary school children's activity, screen time, diet and sleep were less favorable on less structured weekend days than on school days; the authors propose summer works the same way. It is a hypothesis, not a test of schedules.
2. Cooper et al. (1996): The effects of summer vacation on achievement test scores, a narrative and meta-analytic review — Across 39 studies, test scores declined over summer by about one month on a grade-level scale, more in math than in reading.
3. Kim and Quinn (2013): The effects of summer reading on low-income children's literacy achievement from kindergarten to grade 8 — In 41 summer reading interventions, children improved on several reading outcomes, with larger benefits for children from low-income families.
4. Council on Communications and Media (2016): Media and young minds, Pediatrics — For children aged 2 to 5, the AAP recommends limiting screen use to 1 hour a day of high-quality programs.
5. Paruthi et al. (2016): Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations, American Academy of Sleep Medicine — Children aged 3 to 5 should sleep 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours including naps, and children aged 6 to 12 should sleep 9 to 12 hours.