Here we are, working moms, struggling through yet another Maycember (I’ve got a graduating 5th grader and a 2nd grader getting First Communion – how about you?) staring down the barrel of another summer working but also, still being a mom. This year, our family REALLY took a leap of faith and signed up for zero camps. That’s right, the big goose egg. My kids told me that they didn’t really care that much, and I’d rather save an extra $1k or $2k, thank you very much. SO – we need our plans and systems more than ever in 2026, and boy am I getting geared up.
The truth is, I absolutely love having my kids home with me. It’s not having them around that’s the problem. It’s when we lack structure and things devolve into chaos that I get overstimulated and crash out. WFH moms like us carry a lot of mental load when we have to get the kids from breakfast all the way to dinner, with stops along the way to break up arguments, remind the kids they aren’t ALLOWED to watch YouTube unsupervised and clean up a spilled club soda, all while the blender grinds in the background constantly churning out summer smoothies. Though nothing is perfect, I’ve found that these systems and making decisions before we have to is less stressful and everyone knows the score ahead of time. Everything is written down, agreed upon and so all that’s left is to enforce (and I’m not saying that part is easy – it’s not!). As a reminder: Systems are simple, repeatable routines that help your family thrive with less stress and more intention.
Some of these systems are repeats of last year, but with some new details included to reflect my kids’ new ages and stages (11 and 8 at the time of publishing!). I’ve also added in some new ones, so let’s get into it, shall we?
System 1: Outside Time Anchor
As I’ve shared before, we are HUGE fans of the 1000 Hours Outside Project, started by Ginny Yurich. We will once again be aiming for 300 hours of outside time this summer, to be earned and tracked by my kids without a peep from me. (300 is a little more than 1/4 of 1000 Hours for the whole year, in case you were wondering where that number came from!). In case you need a reminder about all the amazing things outside time provides for kids …
1. Improved Mental Health:
Includes reduced anxiety, stress, and symptoms of ADHD, as well as enhanced mood regulation
2. Stronger Physical Health: Increased activity levels support cardiovascular health and motor development as well as boosted immune system function via exposure to fresh air and natural microbes (BONUS: better sleep with regulated circadian rhythms)
3. Enhanced Cognitive Development: Unstructured outside play sparks curiosity, creativity, and problem-solving and increases focus overall
4. Social and Emotional Growth: Outdoor challenges teach resilience, patience and confidence through activities like climbing, building and exploring
5. Fosters Independence and Risk-Taking: By teaching natural consequences in a lower stakes environment with adults close by
So how do we make it happen? Starting with the VERY first day of summer vacation, we will have a poster board and sticker system that is a larger version of this printable edition. The kids are in charge of tracking their own time with a timer and writing it down each day. They love May and June, because that’s swim team season and we are ALL outside for about 2.5 hours minimum on those days anyway. We also really rack up the outside hours on our beach vacations, so it’s a good chance to catch up if we’re lagging, but really – they try to get three hours per day outside to stay on the mark. What does this all lead up to? Well, if they meet their goal, we buy them a new outside time to encourage even more nature and outsideness! Past prizes have included a skateboard, a new scooter and various pool toys. Other benefits? Three hours of outside time is part of a daily incentive schedule. Read on!
System 2: Daily Must-Do List
Remember how I mentioned structure? This is our best bet in keeping at least the first part of the day regimented. Each kid has a daily checklist (check out this printable version that you can copy and edit for yourself here!) that they have to get through before moving on to things like screen time (more on that later) or complaining that they’re bored. You can make YOUR must do list whatever works for you, but for my kids, I require that they have a little bit of everything done each day. Things like:
- outside time
- chores
- learning
- creative play
- gratitude journaling
These checklists are a lifesaver for days when I’m busy on calls all day and can’t respond to constant refrains of “what should I do now?” Once they complete their checklists, they earn a bit more freedom to engage in more passive or even screen-based activities within limits (ie: the Nex Playground, which is active screen time or picking a documentary on Disney+).
I’d like to believe that this setup has been wildly successful at giving my kids the right amount of control over their day while (hopefully) building a bit of discipline and responsibility through this autonomy.
System 3: Kid-Led Meal Planning
Dan and I have been on the same page about this for years: our kids should know how to cook. Honestly, they are both pretty competent. They can make LOTS of breakfast items like pancakes, waffles, eggs and French Toast. Linus is a bit more adventurous about cooking meat than Ella is, but she’s working on it. We want them to continue to practice and hone these skills, but let’s be honest – during the school year when everyone has homework, sports practices, theater rehearsals and strict bedtimes – it doesn’t happen a whole lot. So over the summer, we let the kids each plan one meal per week.
We created this downloadable printable for each kid to fill out for their dinner to make sure they are planning ahead and stay on top of what needs to be done. They have a deadline of filling it out each Sunday (so fun to watch them flip through cookbooks, magazines and even Pinterest to find inspiration for a recipe to make!). They hand me their meal, complete with a list of ingredients and I fold that into my meal plan and add their items to my online grocery order.
System 4: Summer Reading System
I still have the absolute fondest memories of Pizza Hut’s “Book It” summer reading program. I devoured page after page, knowing full well I was gonna get a personal pan pizza and a pitcher of Pepsi at the end of it. Sadly, we live nowhere near a Hut and I have no idea if they still even do this program. But, we do!
Ella has been doing this with her friends for three years. They all keep track of the books they read (easy downloadable printable HERE) and at the end of the summer, all the moms and daughters gather for an epic pizza party at our favorite local spot. Now, Linus is a real reader and he can join us.
System 5: Food Structure That Teaches
We have a few food rules in our house over the summer that may be a bit controversial.
- Everyone needs to have 30g of fiber every day. This is life changing.
- NO SNACKS. I said what I said. (BTW, it’s a different story if friends come over, etc. I shell out for snacks the kids love when they gather at my house, promise!)
- The kids need to understand the components to incorporate at every meal (see cooking system above) and identify it. What’s the protein? What’s the vegetable? Where am I getting fiber? They don’t need to be nutritionists, but they do need to be eating mindfully and based on knowledge.
System 6: Summer Job Board
You can see a post I did a while back on our family’s chore policy. There are chores in our house that are non negotiable and must be done (per the summer checklist!). These evolve as the kids get older, show different interests, negotiate trades, etc. They know they are expected to pitch in. But over the summer, I DO give them extra chances to earn extra money.
I post a job board with things that need to get done that day/week with parameters – this includes proposed payment, suggested chore doer (sometimes it’s Ella OR Linus, but a lot of times it could be either one) and expectations about results (what does this job look like when it’s done?). The kids can pick what they’d like to do to earn the money, and whoever gets their first, wins the job.
Since our family does a fair bit of Rover dogsitting, I have also cut them into this as part of their opportunities to earn. If they agree and commit to taking care of the dog (walking, feeding, etc.) AHEAD of the dog’s stay, they are eligible to earn a percentage of the revenue. Ella particularly loves this one, as animals are her jam. The only caveat? I do not remind her to do ANY of the dog chores and if she forgets, the price goes down.
System 7: Kid Goals
In addition to the reading goal, we’ve encouraged the kids to see all the free time of summer as a time to work on things that are important to them, but might require a bit more time to work toward. They are each planning to pick at least one thing to work on (without prompting) where they can set the goal, make a plan for progress and be really proud of themselves for the effort they’ve put in.
Some examples that have been thrown out so far:
- run an 8-minute mile
- learn new recipes (baking or cooking)
- build something (a piece of furniture, perhaps?)
- become competent at playing the piano
We’ll see what they come up with!
System 8: Screen Time System
Aside from the specific screen time we already covered (Nex Playground, documentary), the kids are definitely interested in spending at least SOME of their summer watching their favorite shows and movies. And I’m not insane. They get some screen time allowances!
Each week, they start off with four poker chips – each one represents 15 minutes of screen time that they have to cash in if they want to watch something. If they save ’em up and have eight poker chips the next week, they could potentially watch a two hour movie! They also have the opportunity to earn more screen time through specific chores or extra learning time (math worksheets, etc.)
System 10: Environment Setup
We make sure we are set up for success. The kids have TONS of things to do in all of the buckets where they are required to spend time.
Outside? They have chalk, bikes, scooters, jump ropes, soccer balls, a swingset, hoverboards, water toys, chickens (!), a creek and my parents’ pool right down the street (I basically take them any time they ask and just work under my parents gazebo while they swim). They have LEGO bricks galore, K’Nex, art supplies, three different marble runs, puzzles and unlimited access to books through our local library. All they have to do is tell me what they’d like to read and I can request it through my account to be picked up later that week! For Ella, it’s even easier – most things are available for her Kindle and she access them instantaneously.
And so?
We used to rely on camps a lot more. But tbh, it was hard for me to do that. I had to coordinate drop off and pickup schedules around my work calls and every week was a different schedule with different requirements (lunch in a paper bag, no a lunch box, no lunch, just snack, they have to have extra clothes, etc.). Now that they are a bit older and can play on their own, I love that for them and me. But that doesn’t mean we can just set off into the sunset skipping and hope for the best. We have to have constant conversations about expectations and reminders about checklists and just when it seems it will never sink in? We have an amazing Wednesday where everyone does their chores, gets along and makes an epic dinner.
All I can hope, is that all of this is making my kiddos independent and resilient – or that it will some day.
So tell me – what plans do you have for while you’re working this summer?
Less & More: The WFH Mom Edit 
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