If someone were to record my everyday life, these words would sum it up perfectly: “Free-for-all”.
I am by far the most unstructured, structured person I have ever known. While I love to be spontaneous and not nailed down to a schedule, my planner is my lifeline. And while it is a great way to keep track of the many appointments and commitments our family has, it doesn’t give any purpose or structure to the kids’ daily lives.
In an attempt to make our life happy and healthy (and a little less like controlled chaos), I have implemented this DIY Back-to-School Routine Chart!
To help add some structure to your brand of chaos, we have made this easy-to-use, designed-by-a-mom, save-you-time, make-life-happier, FREE Back-to-School Routine Chart Printable. Trust me, you need this in your life.
Print out the cards on colored paper, have the kids color in each of the cards or give yourself a mini coloring session while watching your favorite flick. We’ve covered most of the basics and left a few blanks to fill in your own customizable tasks.
I will eventually take some extra time to laminate my cards so they will hold up better but did add a velcro dot on the board and to the backs of the Morning, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekend tags to make swapping them out quick and easy.
The amazing thing about this Routine Chart is that it has all the things we ask kids to do anyway. Like making beds, getting dressed, brushing teeth. Thus eliminating “Mom Nagging.” Well, maybe not eliminating it…but there will be a significant decrease in the nagging. 😉
Seriously it will be magical. It has been for us. The chart is a great visual way for kids to see what needs to be done and empowers them to be self-sufficient.
Our daily routine tasks are divided up into four-time slots: Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Weekend. I used these cute mason jars for easy access and clever storage to hold the task cards for each part of our day. You can use little buckets, envelopes or even baggies to hold your cards. Whatever your space allows.
As for where to put all your printable task cards, that is up to you. I needed this to be a fast and easy project because school is just days away. Keeping that in mind, I used lots of things I already had. Yay for re-purposing! I touched up an old cork board with a fresh coat of paint and other than that I just used thumb tacks and paperclips.
You could use a cork board like I did, a white board, or even empty wall space. Use magnets to put them on the fridge. Stick them up on a poster board on the back of your child’s bedroom door. Use what you have and put it up in a place you are going to see it, every day. Keep it simple!
Our Routine Chart will be part of our larger “Command Center” once school starts up. With three kids in two different schools, we desperately needed a central place for all of their stuff – schedules, homework, permission slips, backpacks…it’s endless!
The Easy Seasonal Sign that we made last fall was a perfect last addition to our Command Center. Currently, it displays our Back-to-School Countdown but when school begins we’ll change it with the holidays and seasons! I love having things play double duty! I mean who doesn’t?!
As a BONUS – who doesn’t love a little extra – we’ve included a “Chore Board” section and printable Chore money! These can be chores that are part of their daily routine or “chores for hire” as I like to call them, where the kids can earn a little pocket money. I’ve tricked mine into thinking cleaning was their idea. Yeah, I am not above being sneaky. Plus, they are learning good money management skills by earning, saving, giving, and spending. We use Dave Ramsey’s “The Art of Raising a Money Superstar.” Life win!
We would absolutely love to hear how your routine charts worked out for you!!