Catholic Family Daily Checklist

Hello and welcome!

As promised, here is the Catholic Family Daily Checklist! Just click the button below to download and print—and I hope it brings joy, order, and FUN to your summer!

Please Note: When you click, you will find TWO PDFs.

The first is a big, colorful checklist that your whole family can use. This will work best for families with young children. The second PDF is a page with four separate checklists. This is what I use in my home now that my kids are older. Each child has their own checklist that they work through individually.

Summer is a wonderful but crazy time for families. There is so much more free time and fun, but also lots of obligations, and each year those summer days seem to just slip by!

But I’m determined to do things differently this year!

Experience has taught me that trying to impose a rigid schedule around here in the summer will backfire, so instead, we are adopting this simple family checklist that will work for any family! Join us in striving to do these simple, yet powerful tasks each day. Each of these tasks will help my family and yours get more out of summer and live the Catholic Faith well. Nothing here is too big or too specific, and yet ensuring these things happen in your home each day will have a deep impact on all members of your family.

In case you are staring at the checklist, curious about how to accomplish these things in your home, here are a few ideas:

DAILY TASKS

The tasks listed on this checklist are simple and good for adults and children alike. Also, lots of these tasks can be combined!

We encourage you to make daily tasks a habit at home, whether you do them together as a family or encourage your older kids to do them on their own. Train your kids (and yourself) to do each of these things each day. To accomplish this, print this checklist, laminate it, and give a copy to each child with a dry-erase marker. Then, before they are allowed leisure time, ask them to complete each task within a designated time and mark it as done on their sheet.

• PRAYER: We ask our children to start praying on their own when they are 10. The younger kids can count our family prayer time as their daily prayer task.

• MOVE: This means whatever it needs to mean for your child. Whether your child is training for a sport or simply stretching their legs at the park, let’s all get in a little bit of movement.

• LEARN: Again, you are the parent, so you decide what this means. I have a couple of kids who will be working on reading this summer. One is going through a program, and another will be reading to me for 15 minutes each day. Another one of my kiddos will be working on math facts. I set the expectation for “learning,” and it is up to them to make sure it is completed.

• PLAY: It amazes me how some days I have to force my kids to play with each other! In our house, playing together is an off-screen activity. My kids love board games, although sometimes they need a push to get started. My little ones love imagination games. At the start of the summer, I am investing in a few new board games and a fort-making kit.

• EAT TOGETHER: This is a must for our family year-round. Most every night, we sit down to eat supper together. We also have a designated time for lunch; otherwise, kids would just snack snack snack all day long!

• FRESH AIR: I live in Minnesota, so summer is our time to be outside. Maybe the climate where you live won’t allow this. Regardless, I think it is important to “get out” each day. Maybe it’s a trip to the store or grandma’s house, but getting a little bit of “fresh air” is good for us all! 

And, here are a few ideas for combining these daily tasks on days when you are all together as a family:

INVITE SOME FRIENDS TO PLAY AT THE PARK: While there, pray a Divine Mercy Chaplet (here is a guide), run around, and have a snack. (Congrats! You’ve just accomplished Pray, Move, Play, Eat Together, and Fresh Air!)

VISIT A DIFFERENT PARISH: Spend an afternoon or a Saturday visiting a different parish. Explore the statues and stained glass, pray before the Tabernacle, walk through the cemetery, and, if possible, meet the priest. (Congrats! You’ve just crossed off Pray, Move, Learn, and Fresh Air!)

I pray that these simple checklists bless your family!

In Christ Jesus,

Nancy