I just made my summer calendar for the kids to see. I color coded it and everything so the kids knew exactly what was going on during the summer!  I am loving this post and wish I was even more organized in planning out my summer calendar.  I might have to go back and add more color!  I’m excited to have Whitney here talking about planning out a summer calendar.  Summer can be a wonderful, but stressful time because there are a lot of things going on!  

 

Planning Out Your Summer Calendar

Author: Whitney Hollingshead

Get ready for summer by creating a summer calendar for your family now. With a little planning and organization upfront, you can maximize the benefits of summer. Don’t let the summer slip away!

Types of Calendars

You can use an app on your smartphone or tablet to create your calendar; however, having a physical calendar hanging in a prominent location in your home is a great way for your family to visualize the summer. In reality, usinging a calendar you can hang up and then copying those events into your digital calendar and setting reminders may be the best system to stay organized this summer.

Calendaring System

Grab a blank monthly calendar and get started. You will need to add all events to the calendar that are NOT a part of your normal routine. For example, if you mow the lawn every Saturday, go to church every Sunday, and visit your grandmother every Thursday, you most likely don’t need a calendar to remember those events.

Your summer calendar should include the following categories. Each category lists examples that may apply to your family. You can also use the example calendar images to help you visualize what your summer calendar may look like. Color coding the categories makes it easy to see visually what kind of event is happening on each day.

     Holidays (Blue)

• Memorial Day – Monday, May 25th
• Father’s Day – Sunday, June 21st
• Independence Day – Saturday, July 4th
• Labor Day – Monday, September 7th

     Family Events (Green)

• Birthdays
• Family Reunion
• Family Vacation
• Camping Trip
• Family Visiting from Out of Town

     Kids Activities (Purple)

• School’s Out
• Swimming Lessons
• Sports Camp
• Music & Dance Lessons
• Back to School

     Health (Orange)

• Annual Exams
  August is a great month to schedule annual doctor checkups for each of your school age children in connection with getting ready to go back to school. Call early in the summer to get the best appointment availability. As for adult exams, you may want to schedule these in the fall or winter while children are in school.
• Dentist
  As mentioned here, all family members should be seeing the dentist twice a year to ensure good oral health. Don’t wait until a problem surfaces to see the dentist. Call ahead to schedule bi-annual appointments. If possible plan for one visit to be in August before school starts again.
• Optometrist
  August is also a great time to get each child’s vision checked to help increase their chances of a successful school year ahead. Call months in advance to schedule these appointments.

     Home, Yard, & Vehicle Maintenance (Red)

Adding important vehicle and home maintenance tasks to your summer calendar makes it easy to keep everything in tip top shape with little thought required. The timing of these tasks depends on your own situation, so do some research to figure out the best date for each. After researching, get these tasks on your calendar now and follow through with them later.

• Oil Change 
• Tire Rotation
• Deep Cleaning
• Change Home Air Filters
• Change Batteries in Smoke Detectors
• Clean/Organize Garage
• Plant Flowers
• Plant Garden
• Trim Trees

     Summer Fun / Seasonal Events / Local Events (Pink)

The real reason for putting all of the other categories on your calendar first is so that you can see what dates are available for fun summer activities! Check out the seasonal events going on in your area and make sure to put some of them and a lot of other fun summer activities on your calendar:

• Rodeo
• County Fair
• Farmer’s Market
• Hike
• Bike Ride
• Picnic
• Swimming
• Water Park
• Date Night
• Stargazing
• Scenic Drive
• Drive-in Movie
• School Shopping

      Make it Work for Your Family

This list covers many different summer activities; however, the success of using a summer calendar lies in making the calendar work for you. What are your summer goals? Do you want to travel? Have fun in the sun? Makeover your yard? Visit family and friends? Get in shape? Whatever you hope to accomplish this summer, plan out your goals now, and get them on your summer calendar!

Thanks Whitney for such a great post!

For more ideas for summer activities check out these post with fun summer activities to do with your kids!