Do you want to ensure you and your children enjoy summer vacation without losing your ever-lovin’ mind? Us too! With six young kids home ourselves, we are big fans of having the right rhythms in place to have a peaceful summer. Read on to learn about the three rhythms you absolutely need in your summer schedule so that you and your kids can THRIVE this summer! Also, grab the free printable kids’ lunches meal plan at the end of this post!

Summer as a kid is the BEST! No need to wake up to an alarm. No homework to dread. More freedom for playing outside, video games, and hanging with friends. But most importantly, there is a break from that bland school lunch or copious number of Lunchables!

But, when you are a parent (especially those of us working from home), summer with a bunch of kids at home can just be plain ole’ hard. You still have your everyday responsibilities like work, house care, and yard work, which is stressful enough, and then you add in watching/playing with /entertaining your kids all day on top of it all!

It can feel like summer hits, and our whole schedule is thrown off! We stress about how to entertain our kids while they are home, what to feed them, whether they have too much screen time, or are they getting outside enough.

If this is you, just know we can relate!

I work from home (mind you, I don’t have soundproof walls in my office), and my wife also runs our family businesses from home. Our six little kids (ranging in age from 9 to zero) are home with us all summer long, and before we learned how to harness the power of the right rhythms in our home, it was pure chaos.

Now, I want to be clear. I LOVE having all my little people home. Few things warm my heart more than coming out of our office and being swarmed by all the shouts of “Daddy!” and the hugs I receive.

But let’s be real.

I am constantly bombarded with a kid asking, “Dad, When’s snack time?” “What’s for lunch? “Can I watch a show?” Or the all-time classic… “I’M BORED,” (which I usually respond, “Hi Bored, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Daddy.”).

But I want to enjoy and embrace having my children at home, and I know you do too! They are only with us for a short time. 

And the world is changing, so going to the office may not be the status quo much longer. Many of our kids will likely work from home with their children someday, so I want to be a good example. I don’t want them to have a negative experience through the summer and dread being home with us. And I definitely do not want them to feel that they are a burden or less important than any other obligation or work I have going on.

We don’t just want you to survive this summer. We want you to THRIVE.

So, how do you do that?

Implementing intentional rhythms (or routines) into your summer schedule is key to thriving with your kids at home this summer. 

Rhythms vs. Routines

So what are rhythms? We talk a lot about rhythms here at Legacy Roots Co. because we believe rhythms are essential to living a deeply rooted life.

Rhythms are intentional daily patterns of activities, similar to routines, to help you not lose your sanity! 

What’s the difference between rhythms and routines? Routines are strict and rigid, and when thrown off, they bring stress and maybe even guilt or shame. 

On the other hand, rhythms offer grace. They have a flow. Like routines, they are consistent, but when something throws them off, things can still flow, and peace is maintained.

So this summer, let’s ditch the idea that we need to have some perfect “routine” in our kids’ schedules. Instead, will you join me in creating a home that overflows with peaceful and productive rhythms?

If so, here are the three rhythms we recommend you start with.

The 3 Rhythms You Absolutely Need in Your Summer Schedule

1) Summer Lunch Rhythm 

Does summer lunchtime drain you? Do you feel like you are scrambling every day around noon to try to figure out what to put on the plates of your starving littles? Does it seem to always end in mac and cheese?

Ya, us too…especially before we implemented an intentional lunch rhythm.

Here’s the problem: When we don’t have a lunch rhythm, we deal with one big daily problem: decision fatigue. 

Making a decision about what to feed your kids for lunch becomes even more challenging when they are breathing down your neck while you are staring into your fridge with zero ideas (PB & J for the umpteenth time?)

Here’s the deal.

We only have so much capacity for decision-making each day. The more energy we need to put into our decisions, the more exhausted we become. 

If we can make simple decisions ahead of time, it will save us time, energy, and mental capacity for other things. 

So how can we reduce decision fatigue? Best-selling author and business productivity expert Michael Hyatt offers a solution for all of us:

“When you reduce as much daily decision-making as possible, you free your mind and lower your stress levels. You also clear up brainpower for other, more important things.”

This same principle applies at home. Take the need for daily decision-making out of the process and reduce your decision fatigue.

A pre-planned lunch will free up significant energy and make your day (and your kids’ day) much more enjoyable. You will save time because you are always ready to execute! After your kids watch you a few times, they may even be able to help or prepare it themselves.

So what’s the solution? Have a specific and intentional summer lunch rhythm!

How do you create a lunch rhythm?

A consistent lunch rhythm has two parts: 

1) Pre-planned Lunch Menu 

2) Consistent lunchtime

Deciding on these two elements will prevent wasted energy, frustration, and stress at the midpoint of your day. 

The first part  (having a pre-planned lunch menu) doesn’t necessarily mean serving the same meal daily! Few personality types can embrace that. Having a lunch plan means knowing what you and your kids will make daily and having the right ingredients to make those meals. 

First, decide if you want to create a flexible two-week rotating menu (a list of ideas for week one and a different list of ideas for week two) or if you prefer to make a Monday-Friday schedule that you repeat every week on the same days.

Depending on the type of meal plan, decide on 5-10 lunch entrees your kids would enjoy regularly. 

Next, assign two to three sides to each entree. Some ideas include cottage cheese, yogurt, apple slices with peanut butter, grapes, chips or veggies, and hummus. 

The last step is to include all the ingredients from your plan in your shopping list each week. Having the right ingredients and side options on hand all week long will make your week smoother (without a bunch of small stops at the grocery store).

The second part of the lunch rhythm is choosing a consistent time to prepare and serve lunch every day. Choose a time that works with your and your kids’ schedule most days. This will also help you create a boundary with your work and take a break (if you work from home). 

Having a consistent lunchtime to prepare and eat will also create an expectation that your kids can plan on. When kids know what to expect, they ask fewer questions, complain less, and come home from the neighbor’s house on time. All of these things lead to more peace in your home and fewer opportunities for you to lose your mind. 

Of course, this “lunchtime” can be flexible and provide freedom for those days when something comes up (cause life always happens). Remember, this is a RHYTHM, not a routine. Rhythms provide grace and can be adapted as needed. Stayed at the park longer than you planned? No problem, adjust the time.

Having a specific lunch rhythm in your summer schedule is worth its weight in gold! The peace in your home will significantly increase as the stress, arguing, decision-making, and complaining decrease.

Need a place to start planning your summer lunches? Don’t know what to make? We’ve got you covered! Download our FREE Kids’ Summer Lunches Done-For-You Meal Plan HERE!

2) Quiet Time Rhythm

This is a game-changer.

Our all-time favorite daily rhythm as parents is our Quiet Time Rhythm.

Can you imagine 2 hours of calm, peace, no arguments, and no screens EVERY afternoon this summer? It may sound too good to be true, but I promise it can be your reality.

Even though our six kids range in age from 9 to newborn, we require all of our kids to participate in the quiet time rhythm. 

This is because we highly value rest. In a world that places significant value on work and the constant go-go-go, we want to teach our children that it is also just as valuable for the mind, body, and soul to have regular times of rest and renewal.

It’s no secret that we live in a noisy world. From the constant dings from our devices to the background noise of TVs and other devices, we all are bombarded with noise all day. 

The ultimate purpose of having quiet time daily is to support our kids in building a habit of silence in their daily lives. We know that having rhythms of silence in our walk with the Lord is vital to growing deeper roots in Christ. 

In a world that wants to avoid silence, we are training our kids to not only be comfortable in silence but to have an appreciation for it. 

Want to learn more about the practice of silence? Check out our article HERE.

So how does this rhythm work in our home? We have a few general “rules.” 

For one, everyone is to be quiet or silent for a two-hour block of time each afternoon, free of noise or chaos. 

And secondly, we do not allow any screen time during quiet time. The point of quiet time is to have intentional time where the kids can do something they enjoy but have a break from the noise, arguments, and screens in the middle of the day. This allows them to reset in a way that will bring them true rejuvenation.

For our kids under the age of 5, they nap in their beds…no exception. For the older kids, we give them options. 

The first hour is “toes-up time” (shout out to our friend Kirsten Lancour for this verbiage).

This is pretty straightforward- their toes must be “up.” They can be in bed, sitting at the table, or on the couch simply relaxing, napping, doing a puzzle, reading a book, or any other activity they can do in silence. 

The second hour is what we call “quiet time.”

The older kids can do things together quietly (without screens), such as playing a board or card game, art or craft project, going outside, or playing with their toys. The stipulation is that there will be no yelling, shouting, or arguing. The consequence of breaking that stipulation is more time in “toes-up time” alone.

I’ll admit this is a rhythm that our two extroverted children will say is their least favorite time of day, but our three introverts have thrived! We, as parents, know that our little extroverts need a healthy break also, so we just let them know that “we love you too much to argue” when they push back. 

Our peace in the middle of the day is vital to helping everyone keep their sanity. Watching the kids play games together or get creative about playing quietly has also been sweet. This may be a rhythm that our kids won’t thank us for now, but they 100% will when they become parents themselves!

3) Weekly Rest Day Rhythm (AKA The Sabbath)

All too often when I ask someone how they have been, or “what’s new?” their answer is “busy!” or “running all over…” and it’s clear they don’t know the last time they had the margin for proper rest and quality time as a family. We know (from personal experience) that this type of lifestyle leads to burnout, breakdown, and broken families. You can read our story HERE.

Half the time, our kids drive us crazy during the summer days because they just want our attention! When we make time to be together, their cups are filled, and they become much more understanding and cooperative. 

As parents, we are responsible for making the time to slow down and rest together. It will never just happen, especially in our modern culture with endless possibilities! 

It’s easy to blame our kids’ activities, sports, or friends as reasons not to honor the Sabbath. There is a recent new cultural expectation that if you have kids, then they need to be in a sport, dance class, school play, orchestra, or any other typical “activity” every weekend.

Sports and activities are wonderful and offer incredible benefits to our children! We do have our children in some activities for that very reason. However, when our kids’ activities interfere with our family time, sabbath and church attendance, then a line has been crossed.

Is this a sin issue? Absolutely not! I am only suggesting that there is wisdom in not allowing these extracurricular activities to come between the true rest you were created for. 

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

-Jesus (Mark 2:27)

The truth is that we all have the same 168 hours every single week. It is up to each of us to steward those 168 hours well. How we spend our time is a direct reflection of our priorities. We must invest quality hours into intentional time with our spouses and children. A weekly rhythm of resting together tells your children they are important and worthy of attention. 

Prioritizing rest also communicates to your family that resting is just as important as working.

Jesus didn’t have children but practiced the Sabbath weekly with his disciples. Our children are our disciples. If we want to lead our families like Jesus led his disciples, our lives should look like His. 

Jesus lived His life from a place of REST…not busyness.

A weekly rest day is imperative in deepening your roots in Christ and your family so that you are unshakable. Unshakable families are families on a mission. And missional families live the life they were created for. 

I love seeing families who are intentionally taking a weekly Sabbath. There is a distinct difference between families that rest and those that do not. 

Families who Sabbath are more peaceful, joyful, and missional. They don’t live rushed lives or have rushed conversations. Each family member shows up to the world as their best self because the fruit of the Spirit flows out of them from a place of regularly resting in God.

Implementing a rhythm of rest and Sabbath isn’t always easy, but it is always 100% worth it! You would think that having six kiddos, running multiple businesses, and ministry involvement would make it near impossible for our family to have a Sabbath every week. 

But the Lord is faithful to provide all we need even though we only “work” 6 days a week. Since implementing an intentional Sabbath in 2016, our life went from chaos, go-go-go, and disorganized to peaceful, intentional, and rhythmic.

If you want to learn more about how to get started with a rhythm of Sabbath and rest, we’ve got you covered! Check out our article: 3 Steps to Getting Started with Sabbath. 

We also created a FREE RESOURCE to help you plan your perfect rest day! Download your 101 Ideas for your Rest Day HERE.

In Conclusion

We hope that this summer as a family is your best one yet and that it’s a time that brings you closer together! It will take some intentional effort, but we promise it is worth the extra thought and planning that goes into creating your rhythms!

Discuss the following questions with your spouse or family, or if you are single- journal about these!

Journal and Discussion Questions

1. Which of the three rhythms (lunch, quiet time, and rest day) would support your family’s summer schedule the most?
2. What are your next steps to implementing this rhythm right away? 
3. What, if any, pressure do you feel to have your kids in weekend activities? Where does this pressure come from? 
4. What activities would you and your kids find rejuvenating and want to do more of this summer?

Keep going deeper!
-Christian