Summer Schedule
Summer is upon us!
Several months ago, Matt and I were brainstorming what to do with Henry for the summer. We still have a nanny for Tate (which is awesome because I work from home right now while the site is being prepared for the school). I really wanted some kind of nature-based camp, but a) it’s hard to find something for three year-olds and b) I had a such a negative experience with his first daycare experience, that I’m cautious about where he spends his days. It’s so hard to know how a childcare facility will handle conflict between children. First and foremost, I want my children to feel safe. I don’t want a childcare facility to reinforce the idea that my child should “stick up” for himself.
At his last conference with his Montessori teacher, I asked her what she thought was the best way for a three year-old to spend the summer. Her first recommendation was that we stay home with him. When I told her that wasn’t an option, she recommended that he stay home with the nanny.
The truth is, I think Henry is going to love being at home this summer. It’s been harder and harder for him to want to go to school in the morning because he has to leave behind me, Tate, the nanny, and my co-workers every day. I like the idea of giving him a long, leisurely summer (like Simple Parenting).
With that said, I think it would be really helpful for him to have some structure to his day. Perhaps something like this:
- 7:00ish = Wake up and snuggle with us in bed; get dressed; make breakfast
- 7:45ish = Clear his breakfast dishes and wash the dishes (move the learning tower over to the sink and put on our water-work apron)
- Until 9:30am (when Tate goes down for his first nap) = Play with Danielle and Tate
- Continue independent play until 11am (with the option to fix himself a snack during his play/work time)
- 11:00ish = Begin lunch preparation
- 11:30ish = Eat lunch w/Tate and then clear and clean dishes
- 12:15ish = Walk to the park
- 2:30pm = Tate’s second nap; Henry and Danielle read books and then Henry plays in his room by himself quietly
- 3:15pm = Make a snack
- 3:30pm = Play with Danielle or go on an adventure with me (to the YMCA pool, library, play date, etc.)
- 5pm = Help with dinner
- Bath
- Evening walk
- 7:00pm = Books and bedtime by 7:15
I still need to figure out what he can make for his lunches and some new activities to put on his shelves, but I think the general schedule looks good!
5 Comments
BatGirl
Can you expand more on what you mean by "stick up" for himself? I would think that self-advocacy is a pretty vital skill to learn. The younger the better.
Sara E. Cotner
Hi, BatGirl! Yes, I totally agree that self-advocacy is a valuable skill to teach early on. I would like my son to be taught to use his words to tell other children that he doesn't like something or to ask them to stop. I don't want him hitting other children, even if those children hit him first. At his daycare, they were happy that he hit another child because that child had been pestering him first. They were glad that he stuck up for himself. That's not what I want him to learn at school.
Shawn
I don't have kids yet, but figuring out how to balance children and career and the specifics of how and with whom my young kids will spend their days is a huge concern of mine. I would much prefer a nanny at home, with my husband and I trying to arrange work schedules to maximize time at home, aw well. However, I'm curious about the cost of this versus daycare options? Any tips you have for how to identify someone and make it doable cost wise would be appreciated!
And so sorry to hear about the negative daycare experience – that's terrible!
Anthropolochic
Ooof….ya, that is a seriously crappy concept of assertiveness they were reinforcing at that daycare. If they thought their approach was so beneficial, what translatable adult skill could they possibly argue was being taught here? It wouldn't be appropriate for me to smack a co-worker who was pestering me for a report. How is it beneficial for a child to learn it is okay to hit someone who is irritating them? If the aggression from the other child was such that the people running the daycare thought it was okay for Henry to hit the other child, how did the interaction get to that point in the first place? That scenario implies they should have stepped in much earlier. Yeeesh.
I'm so sorry you guys had to deal with that.
But yay for spending time at home over the sum mer!. I loved that time at home as a kid. It's fleeting. I wish I'd had more summers like that.
Sara E. Cotner
Hi, Shawn! I honestly only recommend nannies for the first 12 months (and then in the summers, if daycare isn't a year-round program). After that, I think children really benefit from being in a community (as long as it's a good one). We've had good luck finding nannies on care.com. Best of luck to you and your family!