What It Means
A summer schedule is the loose daily and weekly plan a family follows while school is out. It usually keeps the anchors of the school year, such as wake-up time, meals and bedtime, while filling the days with camp, play, chores and time outside. A good one also plans the return: the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) suggests moving bedtime and wake time back gradually before school starts.
Try It: When to Start Moving Bedtime Back
Enter how much later summer bedtime runs than school bedtime. The AASM suggests moving it 15 minutes earlier each night.
Inside the AASM range for this age.
Below the AASM range for this age (9 to 12 hours for 6 to 12, 8 to 10 for 13 to 18). Try an earlier bedtime.
Above the AASM range for this age. If your child seems to need this much, ask your pediatrician.
How It Sounds at Home
- "Summer rules: you can stay up later, but we still get up by eight."
- "Camp is weeks two and five, the rest we're home."
- "Two weeks before school we start the earlier bedtime."
The Breakdown
How to build one
- Put the fixed weeks on the family calendar first: camps, trips, visits, and when each adult is working.
- Keep a steady wake-up time and bedtime. The AASM advises the same schedule on weekdays and weekends, and recommends 9 to 12 hours of sleep for ages 6 to 12 and 8 to 1010,000 stepsA popular daily step goal that began as the name of a 1960s Japanese pedometer; later studies find health benefits begin well below it. See more hours for ages 13 to 18.
- Plan for movement every day. CDC says children 6 to 17 need 60 minutes or more of physical activity daily.
- Give each day a simple shape, such as a morning block, lunch, quiet time and an afternoon block, and keep the family's screen-free times from your media planFamily media planA written set of family rules about screens and media, such as screen-free times and places, that each household makes to fit its own routines and values. See more.
- Add the household jobs each person owns, so chores don't drift for ten weeks.
- About a week or two before school, count back and start moving bedtime and wake-up 15 minutes earlier each night, weekends included, as the AASM suggests.
A sample home day (Buhata's own example, ages 6 to 12)
| Time | Block |
|---|---|
| 8:00 am | Wake up, breakfast, get dressed |
| 9:00 am | Outside or active play |
| 11:00 am | Chores, then free playUnstructured playPlay a child chooses and directs, with no adult-set rules, lesson or goal, like making up a game in the yard or building whatever comes to mind. See more |
| 12:30 pm | Lunch |
| 1:30 pm | Quiet time: reading, puzzles, drawing |
| 3:00 pm | Bucket-list outing, park or friends |
| 6:00 pm | Dinner, then wind-down |
| 8:30 pm | Bedtime routineBedtime routineThe same short series of calm steps a child goes through each night before sleep, such as brushing teeth, reading a book and lights out at a set time. See more and lights out |
Good to Know
CDC's summer health pages suggest camps and youth programs as a way for children to try new activities, make friends and stay active; Buhata's summer camp costSummer camp costWhat families pay for day or overnight summer camp; in a 2022 American Camp Association survey, most day camps charged $1 to $100 a day. See more page covers what day and overnight camp tend to cost and the IRS rule on day camp and the child and dependent care credit. The AASM's sleep ranges count hours per 24 hours. If your child seems tired during the day even with enough time in bed, talk with your pediatrician.
FAQ
Should kids keep the same bedtime in summer?
The AASM recommends a consistent sleep scheduleSleep scheduleThe set times a person goes to bed and gets up each day, planned so they get the hours of sleep recommended for their age. See more, including weekends, so keep bed and wake times steady through the week. If summer times run later, move them back 15 minutes a night as school nears.
How do I get my child back on a school sleep schedule?
The AASM suggests moving bedtime 15 minutes earlier each night and waking your child 15 minutes earlier each morning, weekends included, until the schedule matches the school-day wake time. A 90-minute gap takes about six nights.
How much activity do kids need in summer?
CDC says children and teens 6 to 17 need 60 minutes or more of physical activity every day.
Do It in Buhata
Calendar, Household Space and Reminders
Put camp weeks and trips on the Calendar in your Household Space in Buhata, and set a Reminder for the night you start moving bedtime back.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Summer bucket list
A family's list of things to do together over the summer break, written at the start and ticked off as the weeks go by.
- Summer camp cost
What families pay for day or overnight summer camp; in a 2022 American Camp Association survey, most day camps charged $1 to $100 a day.
- Sleep schedule
The set times a person goes to bed and gets up each day, planned so they get the hours of sleep recommended for their age.
- Bedtime routine
The same short series of calm steps a child goes through each night before sleep, such as brushing teeth, reading a book and lights out at a set time.
- Back-to-school prep
The jobs a family does in the weeks before school starts, from checkups and forms to supplies, a budget and shifting bedtime earlier.
Sources
American Academy of Sleep Medicine, "Get the kids to sleep and ready for back to school"; American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Education, "Back to school sleep tips every parent should know"; CDC, "Child Activity: An Overview"; CDC, "Summer and Health"
- aasm.org/get-the-kids-to-sleep-and-ready-for-back-to-school
- sleepeducation.org/back-to-school-sleep-tips-every-parent-should-know
- www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/children.html
- www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-education/staying-healthy/summer.html
Last updated .