Creating a Family Schedule that Sticks
Managing a busy household schedule can be tricky! Between school, work, extracurricular activities, and appointments, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Without a solid plan in place, your schedule might end up controlling you instead of the other way around. The key to creating a family schedule that sticks is making it realistic, flexible, and easy to follow. Here are our best tips to help you get there!
Choose the Right Calendar System for Your Family
A wall-mounted calendar is essential in any busy household! Hang it in a spot like the kitchen or mudroom—any area where everyone can easily see it several times a day. For even better organization, consider setting up a family command center to streamline communication and keep everyone on the same page.
Unlike digital calendars, a physical wall calendar is something you can easily refer to. Plus, studies show that writing things down by hand helps improve memory recall compared to typing them into a phone or app.
If wall space is in short supply, a magnetic fridge calendar is your new best friend! It's space-saving and compact, making it ideal for smaller kitchens or homes where wall space is limited. Placing it on the fridge also ensures it's in a high-traffic area of the house, right where everyone gathers—whether for meals or quick check-ins. This makes it easy for the whole family to stay on top of schedules and appointments without the need to walk to another room. Plus, the magnetic feature makes it super easy to update and adjust, so it's a perfect fit for busy households.
When choosing your calendar, consider one that offers plenty of space for both daily tasks and larger events, with additional areas for notes, shopping lists, and anything else you need to keep track of. This way, your calendar becomes a practical tool for organizing every aspect of your family’s busy life.
Use Reusable Schedule Stickers
Reusable stickers are a game-changer for organizing your family’s busy calendar! These charming stickers feature illustrations representing various activities, appointments, and obligations. We have stickers for school, general scheduling, mindfulness, and extracurriculars! They’re not only space-saving—leaving more room on your calendar—but also reduce the need for cramped handwriting. Plus, their easy-to-identify designs make them perfect for young children who haven’t yet learned to read.
You can use these stickers for recurring commitments such as soccer practice, school pick-ups, work meetings, music lessons, and much more. Reusable schedule stickers help cut down on writing time and make it easier to update or adjust your calendar when plans change.
Essential Stickers to Get You Started
Looking for the best stickers to add to your family’s schedule? Our school board stickers feature a variety of school-related activities, like field trips, picture days, breaks, and more. Plus, our family schedule stickers cover all the essentials—from playdates and therapy appointments to outings with friends and other important events. Whether you're managing family activities or school commitments, these stickers make it easier to keep everyone on track!
Make It Personal with Face Stickies
One of our favorite strategies for family scheduling is using face stickies—and it’s exactly what it sounds like! These fun, personalized stickers feature each family member’s face, making it easy to identify who is involved in specific activities on any given day.
To make it even more effective, consider color-coding your writing for each family member. For example, you can assign orange for mom and green for dad so even your preschoolers can easily understand which activity belongs to whom. This visual system helps young children engage with the family schedule and be more involved in planning.
When you combine face stickies with our reusable schedule stickers, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to keep track of everything. Instead of writing out "Stacy’s soccer game," simply place a face sticky with Stacy’s photo next to a soccer sticker and jot down the time of her game. It’s a simpler, more visual way to organize the family schedule, making it easier for everyone to follow with fewer words to read!
Family Scheduling: Plan Your Week Together
Start each week with a family planning meeting to go over everyone's schedule and make any necessary adjustments. It’s a great way to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks and that everyone is on the same page. Encourage each family member to add their commitments to the calendar—whether it's a school event, after-school activity, work meeting, or family outing.
By involving everyone, you'll help them feel more accountable for their time and responsibilities. Plus, it’s a great opportunity for kids to learn about time management and how to plan. This meeting not only helps avoid scheduling conflicts but also fosters open communication within the family, so everyone knows what to expect in the week ahead. It’s a simple, yet effective way to stay organized and create a smoother, less stressful week for everyone!
Build Flexibility Into Your Schedule
Why does getting out the door always take longer than it should?! That’s exactly why it helps to build in a little buffer time before leaving- someone's shoes will go missing, planners will need to be signed, and that buffer means you can still get the kids to school before the bell rings.
For families juggling all the extracurriculars, carpooling with a friend can be a lifesaver. Taking turns with drop-offs and pickups means more breathing room in the schedule—who wouldn’t love that? The same goes for appointments—being a little more intentional about when they’re scheduled can help avoid those hectic, overbooked days.
And don’t forget to schedule some downtime for the kids! They work hard all day at school, and by the time they get home, they’re wiped. Instead of diving straight into homework, giving them a “brain break” can make all the difference. Let them run around outside, grab a snack, or just chill for a bit before jumping back into focus mode.
This goes hand in hand with a little planned spontaneity—yes, that sounds like an oxymoron, but hear us out. Leaving open pockets of time in the schedule makes it easier to say yes to last-minute fun—like a spontaneous park trip, grabbing ice cream, or working on a project together. And let’s be real, moms need this too! A little extra breathing room in the day makes life feel way less overwhelming for everyone.
Make It Fun and Engaging
A family schedule doesn’t have to feel like a chore—why not make it fun? Let the kids join in by decorating the calendar with stickers or drawings, turning it into a creative family project. When they feel involved, they’re more likely to actually use it! Another way to keep things exciting is by setting up a simple reward system. Kids can earn points for completing tasks on time, which could add up to a small treat or a fun privilege. But most importantly, the schedule should work for everyone. If it ever starts feeling overwhelming, it’s okay to tweak things! Keeping it flexible and enjoyable makes it a tool that helps, rather than something that adds stress.
