Last year at the end of the school year we did something for the very first time that worked so well for us, you are going to want in on this summer organizing tip for sure. Our summer plans included daily homework.

The day after school let out for the summer, I already had these two workbooks in hand from the local teacher’s store for my rising second grader and rising kindergartner. We don’t get out of school for another month, but some schools call it quits earlier than ours, so I wanted to give you time to order your books online or visit the local teacher store.

I let them know that we would be doing homework every single day right after the morning routine and that it was part of their requirement to get screen time. No yelling. No fussing. Just the facts.

The real trick to making summer homework work is pulling the pages out of the book. So simple, but it was a defined amount of work for her, with no opportunity to waste time searching for easier or more attractive pages. I just had to hang onto the completed pages because sometimes they related to the next few pages. I loved this BrainQuest book. Even though it’s rated for a 2nd grader, my kiddo got through everything with little help from me.

There are also “bridge” books made specifically for the summer, and they’ll be marked as bridge books from one grade to the next.

The younger one got just one page, front, and back. She was practicing her printing, matching, and coloring, just like she would be in school.

The beauty is that the work took about 15 minutes, which is exactly the amount of time I needed to get myself ready for our trip to camp or whatever summer adventure we had planned.
I admit—it’s not particularly creative to ask your kiddo to do worksheets—but the non-negotiable routine is what made it work. They absolutely did not lose skills during the summer, and they were both proud of themselves for finishing the books. We’ll be doing it again this year.  Do you have a summer homework routine for your kiddos?

ps- Ready to organize the entire house?  We LOVE this declutter course!  It’s perfect for busy families!

This post originally appeared on RealityMoms and HeartWork Organizing. It has been reprinted with permission.

Darla DeMorrow is a certified professional organizer (CPO®), decorator, personal photo organizer, speaker, and owner of HeartWork Organizing, LLC, based in Wayne, PA. After twenty years in corporate and small businesses, she is having more fun by combining two loves, making homes more beautiful and meeting interesting people… because boring people don’t need organizing. With two active kids, and a busy blog, she’s perfecting the art of “good enough” if it leads to a full night of sleep. You can find her at HeartWork Organizing, on Facebook, YouTube, and on Twitter.

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