IHP 019: How to Set Up a Loop Schedule for Summertime Fun

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In today’s episode I talk about how you can set up a loop schedule to plan out some summertime fun!

My Notes:

This is Episode #019 and today we will be talking about how you can set up and use a loop schedule to plan out some summertime fun.

Have you heard of loop scheduling? If not, it is basically a list of things that you want to do or learn that is set up on a rotating basis.

Loop Scheduling can be used for things like:

• Homeschooling – I have loved using loop scheduling in my homeschool to cover some of those topics that don’t need to be done every day, but things I want touch on with my kids.
• Cleaning – some like to use loop scheduling for their cleaning tasks. They make a list of cleaning tasks that need to be done and then they work down the list, doing one item a day, then start over.
• Reading Schedule – You can use loop scheduling to plan out reading (either reading aloud to your kids or reading on their own). For example, you can set up a loop where they read a fiction book, a biography, a non-fiction book, and poetry. They get to choose the books, but they have to read through them in the order of the loop. It forces variety in their reading and makes sure they cover the kinds of reading you want them to cover.

But what I want to talk about today is using loop scheduling to plan out some summertime fun!

1 – Make a bucket list of all the things you and your kids would like to do this summer

2 – Group this list into categories, such as things to do at home, things to do outside, things to do away from home, water-related activities (swimming, sprinklers, waterpark) etc. Try to divide up the activities by putting similar things together. See if you can have at least four different groups of activities.

3 – Set up a loop schedule where you make a list of each of the categories. For example, my list might look like this: Game day fun, water fun, field trips, movie night. So now I have a loop set up for the order that we will do each type of activity, and I have lists for each of these categories with the things that we want to do under them.

4 – Decide on what days of the week will be for summertime fun activities. This might be one day a week or a few days a week. It really is up to you and your family’s schedule.

5 – Get a calendar out and mark the days that you will be doing summertime fun. Look at your loop schedule and start with the first type of activity. Choose one of the activities under that category and write it on the calendar. When you plan out these activities, you may want to only plan out for a week at a time. But you can go ahead and mark on your calendar the category of activity you want to do on each day that you are planning to do summertime fun. That way when it comes time to plan out your week, you can look at your calendar, see what category of activity to plan, look at your list for that category, choose one and write it in.

While all your summer days will not be filled with summertime fun activities, because we all have those projects around the house that we need to get to during the summer, it will give you and the kids something fun to look forward to as you do the “work” the other days.

On a side note, I am setting up a loop schedule just for me! I have things that I want to do this summer for fun so I am setting up a schedule for me too! My list will include things like: reading, crocheting, listening to the Homeschool Moms Conference sessions, baking, publishing a new book, etc. I am going to be setting aside time just for me to do these things. Being on the verge of homeschool burnout, I am realizing that I needed to make some time this summer to slow down and get refreshed!

I would encourage you to set up a loop schedule for yourself too! And if you are a homeschool mom, I highly recommend checking out the Homeschool Moms Conference that is going on right now. You have through June 10th to purchase your ticket, and you get lifetime access to all the sessions. That is how I am able to plan out time all during the summer to watch them! See the links below!

I hope that you can see how much fun loop scheduling can be. It forces you to be intentional while at the same time giving you and your kids some variety so you aren’t doing the same things all the time. It also gives everyone something fun to look forward to!

So, grab some paper and a calendar and set up some loop schedules for you and the kids for this summer!

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