The Trip Clip Blog

A solid morning routine can make a world of difference when you’re trying to get the kids out the door for school every morning. This picture list is simple, nice to look at, and works well for kids of all ages. I used one with my kids until they were around 10 or 11 and could remember all of this on their own.

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Here are the best things about having a printed morning routine hanging on the wall

1. It removes the nagging. Everyone knows what the expectations are so I don’t have to nag, I just ask how they’re doing on their list.
2. I don’t have to keep it in my head! Before kids I never knew how mentally taxing it would be to keep so many different things in my head for so many people all at once. With the list on the wall, I don’t have to keep any of it in my head – with one glance we can all see what’s done and what needs doing.
3. It puts the responsibility for getting ready for school firmly on my kids’ shoulders, not on mine. I still help them, and monitor their progress, but we all know it’s THEIR list, not mine. I’m not the one who needs to accomplish these tasks, and having their name at the top helps make that clear to everyone.  It removes me as an opponent and lets me be a support.
4. We are all less likely to forget something when it’s all written down!

There are many ways you can use the Trip Clip Morning Routine:

Print it and hang it on the fridge	Print it and use it with a kid-sized clipboard	Laminate it and re-use it every day with a dry erase marker

Turn it into a magnetic checklist	Use it on a mobile device

If the items on the list are not quite right for your family, you can easily edit this list using The Trip Clip website.  You can add more items, remove items, and even change the pictures or the text.

This summer we are trying a new chore system at our house for our kids who are 11 and 15.  We like to use the summers to introduce our kids to new chores. During the school year it can feel like too much to take on something new, but if they get into the routine over the summer they are often able to absorb the new chore into their school routine in the fall.

We started by making a list of shared daily household chores. There are other chores (like showering, or changing the sheets on their beds) that everyone needs to do daily or weekly, but we left those off of this list and focused on the ones that impact that whole family.

I used the Chore Chart activity from The Trip Clip to print out the list of chores and hang it on the fridge.

Once we had the list, we aimed to make it so that there are approximately 8 each day (2 per person). Some days there are a few more than 8, and my husband and I will pick up the extra chores those days. We’re hopeful that the extra jobs on some days will provide a little variety, and also teach them some additional jobs. And some days the kids will have to sign up for the wildcard “Parent’s Choice” in order to have 8 chores those days.

Next, I created magnets with our names on them using the Print Your Own Magnets feature of The Trip Clip. There are 2 name magnets for each member of the family.  The idea is that everyone in the family, including me and my husband, will pitch in to help get these household chores done. We find that modeling the fact that these chores are shared by everyone, and benefit everyone, is an important part of the kids understanding that it’s not just work we’re forcing them to do, but work that is inherently part of running a household. And it’s also not just work that only parents have to do!

Our plan is to each pick 2 chores every morning and put our name by them. Right now, we’re going to  let the kids pick first, and my husband and I will take what’s left. If they fight over chores, though, or maybe if they always pick the same chores, we may add some rules about not doing the same chore 2 days in a row.  We plan to see how it goes and then make adjustments as needed.

We introduced the system to them this weekend, and so far the response has been pretty positive. They like the idea of getting some choice, and also that my husband and I are doing it with them.

Check back here in a few weeks and I will post an update on how this is working for us!

The Trip Clip has a wide variety of printable activities you can use with the small, kid-sized clipboard and 4-color pen to make your road trip go smoothly. Here are a couple of free printables you can try out right now.

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The BINGO board is a fun way to keep your kids looking out the windows instead of staring at a screen while you drive.  Print multiple copies to have your kids work together, or you can make it a competition!  For the best competition, get them to only look out their own side of the car to find things.

The Count On It game is a like a scavenger hunt (with a little graphing and science built in). Have your kids watch for each of the items on the list and fill in a square each time they see one. The whole family can help keep an eye out for these things. Ask your kids to predict ahead of time which item they will see the most of on your trip. It’s like a little mini science experiment!  And it’s surprisingly fun to play together.

If you want to print a bunch of activities like this for your next road trip, try the Activity Book feature on The Trip Clip website.

Sometimes the thing I crave the most during the summer is just a little bit of structure.  It doesn’t have to be a lot, but something to help guide our days makes me feel like the whole summer won’t drift away without us making sure we did all of the fun (and educational!) things we’d hoped to do.

This chart gives just a little bit of structure without being overwhelming.

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These Summer Bored Boards offer 9 free printable BINGO boards with ideas sure to inspire creative play. Have your kids try to get a BINGO, or black out the whole board.  You can print these boards as is for free, or easily generate your own at www.thetripclip.com. There are over 500 images to choose from to inspire you and your kids to think of fun new activities to do this summer!

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Tips and free printables to keep your kids reading this summer!

1. Stock your Shelves

The right book can turn a reluctant reader into a voracious one. The trick is to keep putting books in front of them until something clicks. Try these steps and keep a shelf they have easy access to stocked with lots of choices.

If you need more ideas to get you started, try these:

2. Broaden Their Horizons

Once you get your kids reading, sometimes the challenge can be to get them to try new things. This Summer Reading Challenge is a great way to help make that happen. Treat it like the reading program at your local library – let your kids keep track of what they read and offer a prize if they complete the list. You can print it as is, or edit it to make it just right.

3. Make It Fun

The most important thing you can do to keep your child reading is make it fun.  This bingo board is a great way to do that.  Encourage them to get a BINGO in any direction, or black out the whole board if they can! You can print it as is, or edit it to make it just right.

If you have other great ideas about how to keep kids reading over the summer, share them in the comments below!

This is a super fun way to encourage your kids to read this summer! Challenge your child to get a BINGO in any direction, or even wipe out the whole board! You can also easily edit this board with your own challenges.  If you come up with good ones, share them with me at molly@thetripclip.com or in the comments below!

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