Sam's Lists

Yes, I am a list person.  I LOVE checking things off lists.  Always have, always will.  NO, Sam's Summer Checklists were not a way for me to push this obsession onto my son.  It was actually thought-out strategy two kill two birds with one stone.  First, I wanted to use them as a guide to teach Sam how to think through his options and come up with a way to fill his time that is either productive or entertaining, and how to balance/prioritize the two.  Second, I hoped that it might help me.
"Mommy, I don't have anything to do!"
"Sam, go check your list!"

What on Earth would you put on a weekly checklist for a 6 year old?  I am SO glad you asked.

Left Column: scheduled activities for the week, broken down by day.  Everything from swim practice and WOW Wednesday to playdates and trips.  Good to know what's coming at you on any given day.

Right Column: Ways for him to fill his unscheduled time, including play and responsibility.  A few chores each week, one or two "homework" assignments, a list of books to read, some ideas of things to play with Annabelle, some ideas of things to play alone.  Each week also included an outdoor water activity other than the pool (sprinkler, washing the car), and new "life skill" to work on, and a cooking lesson that he and I would do together.

We worked on things like tying shoes (still working...) and basic knife skills.  We learned to cook things like grilled cheese, with supervision, and tried our hand at some cooking experiments.  The candied popcorn turned out ok, but a bit gummy.  The rock candy was a slooooooower than expected process, but eventually we got some results.

I am happy to report that the system really did work for us!  Sam has always been a kid that requires a lot of attention and often needs help getting started on activities.  This helped him to see what his choices were.  Yes, he generally went for the fun options first and found himself with nothing but chores and homework come Saturday.  A lesson, right?  If I had to choose right now I would definitely use the the system again next year, but we'll see where we are in 8 months!