How to Create the Best Stay at Home Mom Schedule

Did you know that creating a stay at home mom schedule can help you to be a happier mom?

 

Taking the time to create a stay at home mom schedule will help you to be a more organized mom than ever before. 

I think we’ve all had those days that seem to fly by. We go through the motions of kids, meals, and errands, and finally fall into bed wondering what in the world we did with our day, right?

this is a sample stay at home mom schedule

It was three years ago that I realized my life was just quickly passing me by. I was in a total mom fog. I wasn’t depressed or anxious, but I wasn’t happy or joyful either. 

Living with intention

One night while scrolling on Pinterest (of course – all good ideas come from Pinterest, right?!), I came across the idea of living intentionally. 

Living with intention means that you take it upon yourself to create a life that is in line with your values. 

Instead of stumbling through my days, I wanted to start living my life on purpose. 

And to be able to do that, I needed a daily routine – a stay at home mom schedule that would work day in and day out. 

Here I’ll be sharing the stay at home mom schedule that has worked for me for the past three years!

Before we get into the nitty gritty, be sure to grab your Daily Routines for Moms printable pack from the FREE Printables Library!

There are ten pages of productivity tips, printable schedules and routines, habit trackers, and more.

It’s all here to help you create your own stay at home mom schedule and become a super organized mom who lives with intention!  

Click on the image below to get your stay at home mom schedule planner now!

One of the best ways to start creating your personal daily schedule is to divide your day into three parts: morning, afternoon, and evening. Easy enough, right? Keep reading to see what to do during each time of day.

Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission if you click through or purchase at no cost to you.

Stay at home mom morning schedule

The importance of waking up at a specific time every morning can’t be overstated! A recent study of over 1,000 people revealed that those who start their day with a strict wake up time feel happier in areas such as work-life balance, personal life, and financial situation than those who don’t have a specific wake up time. While I’m not going to give you an exact hour and minute to wake up, I highly encourage you to decide now to start waking up at a consistent time BEFORE your kids. Hear me on this: getting up before your kids is THE game changer for your whole day. wake up early for your stay at home mom schedule If you’re not sure how to make waking up before your kids a habit, check out this post – I’ve got you covered! To decide what time you need to set your alarm in the morning, let’s figure out what you want to do with your mornings first.

Do you want to focus on getting in some self-care? Would you like to get a jump start on the day’s tasks? Do you prefer to do something active to wake yourself up?

Ideas for your morning routine

Here are some ideas of things you might include in your morning routine:
  • Enjoy a small breakfast or cup of coffee
  • Sit outside and enjoy nature
  • Take a shower and get dressed
  • Put on a little makeup – here’s my six-minute makeup routine
  • Send a text or DM to a friend
  • Create a grocery list
  • Start some laundry
  • Gather items for errands (ie: library books)
  • Prep for meals (ie: mix a salad dressing or cook some noodles)
  • Make your bed
  • Drink water

How to create stay at home mom morning schedule

When you know what you want to do in the morning before your kids wake up, creating your routine is very simple. 

Check out this easy step-by-step process: 

  1. Choose two or three things that you want to do every morning 
  2. Figure out how much time these activities will take
  3. Write out your morning schedule so you will see it everyday.  There’s a mom’s morning routine page in the Daily Routines for Moms printable pack already waiting for you! 
  4. Get a clear picture of when your kids typically wake up (write it down for a week!)
  5. Set your alarm for the amount of time it will take to do the things you want before your kids wake up

take the time to create your own daily stay at home mom schedule

It’s really important that you set realistic expectations for yourself! If your kids wake up everyday at 5am, it would be best to choose one or two less time consuming activities that you could do before they wake up.

Even if you only get fifteen extra minutes to write in a journal and say a prayer, you will feel refreshed and more in control of your day when you follow a morning routine. 

Finally, writing down your stay at home mom morning schedule is hugely important! Don’t skip this step, okay? Writing it down helps you remind yourself what you want to focus on and helps you feel more committed to carrying it out.

I highly recommend displaying your schedule where you can see it easily right when you wake up. And don’t forget – download the Daily Routines and Schedules for Moms Printables for a great place to write down your morning routine! 

mom morning routine

Just a quick note: if you are a mom of a newborn or have a kid with special needs, this morning schedule can be tricky. If it is too much for you right now, that’s okay – you can give it a try when you have a more stable sleep schedule. 

Kids’ morning routine

Once your kids wake up, it is super helpful to have a set routine for them too! 

Creating a routine provides both familiarity and stability for your kids and can help them to be more agreeable during the day. What mom doesn’t want more agreeable children, am I right?!

Whether your kids are younger or older, here are some ideas that you might consider for your kids’ morning schedule:

  • make their beds
  • eat breakfast
  • get dressed or take a shower
  • pray
  • read
  • practice a musical instrument
  • brush their teeth
  • do their hair 
  • practice math facts
  • work on a logic puzzle
  • clean the breakfast dishes
  • empty the dishwasher

For customizable morning routine checklists for your kids, get my other free printable pack right here! 

Structured morning schedule

After the kids’ finish their morning schedules, it’s a great idea to have some structured morning time together.

(If you are a homeschooling family like we are, having a structured morning time is the best way to make sure school gets done!)

Some fun structured morning activities for days without school include:

  • reading out loud together
  • having a family devotional
  • getting errands done
  • going to lessons, such as swimming lessons or music lessons
  • doing art projects
  • playing learning games
  • going to the library
  • taking a walk together

Lunchtime

Lunchtime can vary greatly for stay at home moms (or can be overlooked completely!), but I highly recommend choosing a set time to have lunch – whether your kids are at home or not.

What you eat for lunch doesn’t have to be fancy or require a lot of time to prepare.

But taking the time to feed your body something healthy for a midday meal is a great way to give yourself some needed self-care. 

Afternoon stay at home mom schedule

Now let’s cover some suggestions and ideas for the stay at home mom’s afternoon schedule. 

divide your day into three parts to create the best daily schedule for moms

Quiet time

Oh, I love quiet time!

Quiet time is pretty self-explanatory: it’s time for everyone to be quiet in their rooms. 

Although my kids are old enough that they no longer need naps, I still insist on a quiet time everyday. 

Staying relatively still gives them some time to relax, read,  or play quietly with their toys. This time away from screens and too much mental stimulation has become a welcome routine for everyone – but it can take a while to establish the habit! 

If you aren’t currently having quiet time, you will want to start small! For the first week of quiet time, you could set a timer for only ten to fifteen minutes. The following week, set the timer for twenty or thirty minutes. Gradually work your way up to one hour. 

During quiet time, you could give yourself some time to relax with a good book, catch up on social media, start dinner prep, work on household chores or even take a nap! 

 

Unstructured afternoon time

After having a fairly structured morning, it is nice to have a less structured afternoon. 

The afternoon is a great time for kids to play with friends, have some screen time, or play outside.

Letting kids choose their activities during the afternoon can help them learn how to make important decisions about how they use their time. 

At our house, we limit video games to two hours on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoons. My kids set a timer and switch off choosing the game they play together. Having a set expectation for video games helps them to not spend too many hours playing. 

While kids have unstructured time, this is a great time for you to work on your own hobbies, business, or accomplish other household tasks. 

Start dinner time

Next, having a set time to start dinner preparations is a really important part of the stay at home mom schedule. 

I have come to see that the time I start dinner has a huge impact on all whether or not my kids get to bed on time – and whether I get to bed on time too! 

For me, I know I need to start dinner prep no later than 5p (but 4:30p is better) if I want the kids to be in bed by 8:30p.

If you feel unmotivated about dinner or find yourself scrambling around your kitchen wondering what to make for dinner everyday, check out this post about meal planning!

Mom’s evening routine

Creating an evening routine is so important for the stay at home mom schedule to work well!

We hear frequently how necessary morning routines are (and I agree!), but we often overlook creating an evening routine for our stay at home mom schedule. 

Here’s why I think BOTH morning and evening routines are essential:

Think of the morning and evening routines as bookends to your day. If the bookends are sturdy, they hold up all of the books in the middle, right?

Taking the time to create a morning and an evening routine will help you keep everything else in between much better organized.

Also, when you have an intentional start and end to your day, you can feel better about what you accomplished and more prepared for the day ahead.

To create your evening stay at home mom schedule, it helps to break down the evening into three parts: after dinner, after kids are in bed, and before your bedtime.

After dinner

At our house, our after dinner hours are very focused on getting the kids ready for bed and the kitchen cleaned.

Some things you may consider for your evening after dinner routine are:

  • clearing and cleaning the table
  • washing the dishes/loading the dishwasher
  • sweeping the floor
  • cleaning the kitchen counters
  • taking out the trash
  • doing a short, restful activity as a family, such as playing a board game or card game
  • going for a family walk
  • picking up and organizing bedrooms
  • review kids’ homework or study together
  • prepare lunches for the next day
  • check your meal calendar and make sure you have all ingredients

After kids are in bed

Once your little sweethearts are tucked in, it is helpful to do a few quick things to help you prepare for the next day.

Here are a few ideas:

  • do a quick pick up around the house
  • prepare for tomorrow’s chores – for example, bring laundry baskets to the laundry room
  • set backpacks, your handbag, and anything items for running errands near the door (but make sure they’re not a tripping hazard!)
  • set out breakfast dishes

This doesn’t have a to take much time at all!

But spending these few minutes preparing will give you a huge jumpstart on the next day and help you feel super motivated to get going.

an evening routine is the perfect way to end your daily stay at home mom schedule

Before bed

This is the perfect time for you to relax and unwind after your day.

Although the you may feel a strong temptation to sit down in front of the TV and do nothing else, carrying out the final routine of the day for your stay at home mom schedule can set you up for success the next day.

Again, what you do doesn’t have to be earth-shattering or intense, the routine just needs to happen.

Here are some of my favorite suggestions for what to do during your pre-bedtime routine:

  • turn off screens one hour before bed (or wear blue light blocking glasses like these ones!)
  • develop a personal skin care routine
  • set out your clothes and workout clothes
  • write a gratitude list of five things that happened during the day
  • spend time with your spouse
  • read a book
  • run a diffuser
  • do some light stretching or bedtime yoga
  • review tomorrow’s schedule

For scheduling my days, I absolutely LOVE the Spaces Planner! It is designed for any woman who needs a combination of structure AND flexibility throughout the day – which is why it’s perfect for moms!

Check it out by clicking the image below:

spaces planner

Remember, your evening routine is the bookend on your day so be sure that it is intentional and will set you up for success the next day too!

Final thoughts about how to create the best stay at home mom schedule

If you’ve never created a stay at home mom schedule for yourself before – that is okay!

Remember, you can start by simply dividing your day into three parts: morning, afternoon, and evening.

Next, decide what activities are most important to you and use the FREE Daily Routines for Moms printable pack to help yourself become the super organized mom you want to be!

I can’t wait to hear about your intentional mom life that comes as a result of creating a daily schedule that works for you!

Related articles about being an organized mom:

How to Be More Productive as a Mom

Insider Secrets to Waking Up Before Your Kids

5 Home Organization Secrets to Save Time

Let me know your thoughts on creating the best stay at home mom schedule!

How to Create the Best Stay at Home Mom ScheduleHow to Create the Best Stay at Home Mom ScheduleHow to Create the Best Stay at Home Mom ScheduleHow to Create the Best Stay at Home Mom ScheduleHow to Create the Best Stay at Home Mom Schedule

Jen Bradley, the founder of Jen Bradley|MOMs

Hi there! I’m Jen and I’m so glad you’re here. I am a mom who believes that meaningful connections with our families can happen in small and simple ways. Read More …

 

Get your free 2024 Fun National Days Calendars here!

Check out our Etsy shop here!

Recent Posts

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Featured products and deals:

27 thoughts on “How to Create the Best Stay at Home Mom Schedule”

  1. It’s so funny that my day goes just like the schedule you have in your first image. 😆 My sahm schedule is pretty much that during the school year, but in the summer I’m more lax.

  2. Oh my gosh! I love this! I am all about living your life on purpose – especially when it comes to being a mom! Just like you said, I struggled with my time management in the beginning and then I created a mom routine that WORKS for me! I have heard the phrase “living an intentional life” when refering to faith and even marriage; once I had my baby I learned how important intentionality can be! I absolutely love this post! Thanks for sharing how you manage your days! I will have to borrow a few pieces of your routine!

  3. I talk about living with intention often. I feel it’s very important. It’s so easy to just let life pass us by if we don’t live intentionally. This looks like a great schedule for stay at home moms. Something they can use as is or tweak a bit as needed.

  4. I am still working with the big three blocks of the day type of schedule.
    I love to schedule and plan my day, but my family always has other ideas or likes to mess it up and I get flustered when they don’t stick to it.
    But even a general schedule and a goal for each part of the day helps so much with being productive.

  5. This is so awesome and helpful! Can’t wait to try it out. Love the intentional living phrase! Just subscribed to your page!

  6. Thanks for sharing, very detailed and accurate blog post. I think this is just the reminder that I need at the moment to start following a proper routine. So much to do and I think if I get into a routine, a lot will be achieved during the day.

  7. I love that you pointed out how important having a routine can be for moms. When I became a mom I really struggled until I started following a daily routine. Having a schedule makes all of the difference!

  8. Thank you!! What a great schedule and advice! I have never used onevand my children are school aged now, but with virtual learning Im going to need to organize the day better. This eill be a great help.

  9. Great schedule for any mom at home with kids! This leads to a productive day with learning as well as fun with time for relaxation and de-stressing. Thanks for sharing

  10. This is great! I can attest to having a strict wake up time. I feel so much better and the day runs smoother when I feel like I’m on task in the morning.

  11. I definitely find that when I schedule and plan my day, I get so much more accomplished than when I “wing” it. This is true every time! I also appreciate that you schedule some down time into your day. I don’t tend to do this, but I really should. It’s more realistic, and it allows for a bit of decompression, which is so important!

  12. With my children getting older and our decision to homeschool, I’ve been looking for daily schedule ideas and tips. This is so timely and really helps me out a lot. I’ve saved the schedule to Pinterest to reference later!

  13. With my children getting older and our decision to homeschool, I’ve been looking for daily schedule ideas and tips. I want to make sure that they have a really great routine in place early on (oldest is 4) so that it’s not a terrible transition when it’s time to actually “register” for homeschool. This is so timely and really helps me out a lot. I’ve saved the schedule to Pinterest to reference later!

  14. Great time management. I haven’t woken up at 6 am since covid stopped all the kids from attending school. Now we all sleep in until 8ish—including my two year old. Horrible lol. This post is very motivating :)))

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top
40K Shares
Tweet
Share46
Pin40K
Email
Share