--- title: Five Ways To Structure Your Summer Days description: Charisse Tierney shares ideas for adding structure to your summer days without losing that carefree, spontaneous feeling. image: https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/20240618%20CTierney%201.png ---                                           [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/five-ways-to-structure-your-summer-days#) [PARENTING](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/tag/parenting) # Five Ways To Structure Your Summer Days Jun 18, 2024 8:30:00 AM  |  by [Charisse Tierney](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/charisse-tierney) ![featured image](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/20240618%20CTierney%201.png) *Charisse Tierney shares some ideas for adding structure to your summer days without losing that carefree, spontaneous feeling. * --- Summer is here! As much as I would love to live in the moment, fly by the seat of my pants, and alternate lounging by the pool with whatever else I feel like doing when I feel like doing it, I know that our household will quickly dissolve into chaos without some structure to our summer days.   By combining the ideas below with a few of those carefree hours we all dream about each day, I find that our summer days go much more smoothly.    ## Five Ideas for Structuring Your Summer Days   #### Wake everyone up at a reasonable time.   I let my kids sleep in a bit later in the summer, but I still wake them up at what we have all agreed is a reasonable hour. Choose a time that will allow your family to complete morning chores, have a good breakfast, and feel ready without feeling rushed for whatever the day holds.     #### Have a gathering time each day.  Each morning we say a Morning Offering together to kick off our day. This summer we will also read together every day just after lunch, since that is when most of us will be home. Find a time in the midst of everyone’s work schedules and playdates to gather and pray, read, or just share a snack or cool glass of lemonade together. This helps to create a benchmark in the day that chores and other tasks can revolve around. And reading a good book together is a wonderful way to create connection and keep kids’ brains engaged over the summer!    ![null](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20240618%20CTierney%203.png?width=1080&height=1080&name=20240618%20CTierney%203.png)   ## Motivate Your Kids to Complete Their Chores   #### Determine a screen time schedule.  In our family, we have all agreed that screens are off until after lunch, chores are done, and we’ve spent some time reading together. Then we usually have some downtime in the heat of the day before turning screens off again. By having a consistent schedule and requirements for when screens will be used in our home, we avoid slipping into the summer screen slump of far too many hours of screen time each day.    #### Put some adventures on the calendar.  Spur of the moment fun is an enjoyable luxury in the summer, but be sure to put some adventures on the calendar also. Anticipation is part of the joy of days at the pool, day trips to new attractions, lazy days at the beach, and full-blown days or weeks long vacations. And knowing that certain chores or projects need to be completed before leaving for a trip to the beach is a great motivator for everyone!    ![null](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20240618%20CTierney%202.png?width=1080&height=1080&name=20240618%20CTierney%202.png)   ## Find Some “Me Time”   #### Schedule in some time for you.  As a homeschooling mom, summer means I can work on my own projects during the time I would normally be teaching my kids. In order to use my time well, I spend some time making lists of things I would like to do and setting aside blocks of time during the summer weeks to work on those things. Or maybe you need to set aside some time to relax and unwind as you adjust to having all of your public- or private-schooled kids home in the summer. Schedule a little time each day to breathe and remember that carefree, summertime feeling you used to have as a kid.    ![null](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20240618%20CTierney%204.png?width=1080&height=1080&name=20240618%20CTierney%204.png)   Regardless of your schooling choices, your work schedule, or your family’s lifestyle, summer always brings changes. Looking at my calendar and putting some plans into place at the beginning of the summer helps me feel confident that necessary tasks will get done and leave more time for spontaneous summer fun!     Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles. --- Copyright 2024 Charisse Tierney Images: Canva ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Ffive-ways-to-structure-your-summer-days%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Ffive-ways-to-structure-your-summer-days%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Ffive-ways-to-structure-your-summer-days%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Five%20Ways%20To%20Structure%20Your%20Summer%20Days) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Ffive-ways-to-structure-your-summer-days%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2Ffive-ways-to-structure-your-summer-days%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Charisse Tierney](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/Contriubutors/CHARISSE%20TIERNEY.jpeg) ### [Charisse Tierney](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/charisse-tierney) Charisse Tierney lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband Rob and seven children. Charisse is a stay-at-home mom, musician, NFP teacher, and a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechist. She is also a contributing author to *The Catholic Mom's Prayer Companion* and *Family Foundations* magazine. Charisse blogs at [Paving the Path to Purity](http://pavingthepathtopurity.wordpress.com/) and can be found on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/pavingthepathtopurity). ## Related Blog Articles [ Teaching Our Sons How To Look At Scantily-Clad Women Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2016/04/28/teaching-sons-look-scantily-clad-women) [ Putting Ourselves in the Presence of the Saints Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/putting-ourselves-in-the-presence-of-the-saints) [ Preparing Our Children for Spiritual Battle Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/preparing-our-children-for-spiritual-battle) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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