When I was a teacher, at the beginning of each school year I would get two personal days.
If I needed to go to an appointment that couldn’t be scheduled after school, I would use a personal day. Or, if I just needed a day, there were personal days.
When my kids were younger, I usually ended up taking them on their birthdays.
Now that they are older, my kids get their own personal days.
I let them choose their own days, but there are guidelines.
You can’t use a personal day on the day of a test, school even or sports game.
You get two each school year and you need to give advance notice of when you want to use it. (My kids usually use one on their birthday to go to Dave and Busters without their siblings.)
Once you use them, there are no more until the next school year.
They are pretty good at spacing them out. Teddy and Maizie have birthdays in November and December, so they take them then and then usually around May. Stella ends up taking one around the end of November and then her birthday in April.
There have been times where I’ve called an audible and had everyone take a bonus day, especially if it’s 90 degrees in the middle of May…then it’s a beach day.
Kids get overwhelmed by things just as much as adults. I found that them knowing they can just “take a day” when they feel the need to, helps them when they are reaching their breaking point.
Do you let your kids stay out of school for a “personal day”?
As my son gets older I will probably let him have a personal day here and there. I would have actually the same rules as what you have here. I think it sometimes just need a break just like adults.
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I couldn’t agree with this more! We let our children have two days off a year, depending on their grades and as long as there is not a test or something important going on that day.
This is an awesome idea! We actually allow our children to do something similar for their birthdays each year, no matter what day of the week it falls on.
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I think letting our kids take a personal day is a great idea. We do it as adults so it’s only fair.
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I think this is a great idea. Kids are under a ton of stress whit school. I will have to look at doing a personal day for my kids.
Yes, I think taking personal days is great. We’ve went to indoor water parks before and it was a blast. I think all kids deserve a break from school too.
Sounds like a fair system. I will start thinking of implementing something like this with my kids.
Yes yes yes! Kids need those every now and then too. I think it can be just the thing to give them the break that they need.
That is such a great idea! I think it will great if we let them do what they want for a day.
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My son is actually home with me today for a “personal” day. IT is close to spring break so I know he is dragging and ready for a break!
When my daughter was in high school we would joke about the 10 days she was allowed to miss during the school year. She thought they were personal days and I would always tell her not to use them unless it was an emergency. I would let her take a few during the year, but not 10.
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Couldn’t agree with you more about kids needing a personal day. All our children were excellent students and once a quarter they were allowed to pick a day they didn’t have to go to school. Never affected their grade. Sure many parents wouldn’t agree but it worked for us.
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Personal day off for kids would be a great motivation for them. It will make them look out to something on their school work and chores.
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Yes I love this! Monday I had my oldest who is in 3rd grade and my middle who is in preschool join my 3 year old and newborn and I with a trip to the zoo! They loved it! It was a special treat and we had a great time. Love spending time with my boys.
Who doesnt need a personal day? I remember my mom would let me play hooky once a year to have a fun day!
My younger kids do not get a personal day because we have so many snow days where their bus is not able to get them to and from school. My eldest would love to have personal days to be able to recharge. I love this idea!
I need a personal day about once a week! Personal days are easy ways to get “extra” things done that seem to pile up.
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Definitely a great idea! We like to take a family personal day when the temps get warmer.
My kids were homeschooled for a while which meant we could be more flexible with their schedules. It was nice to adjust their schedules to their needs.
School has gotten really tough for y son with the heavy workload he has leading up to his senior year. Making sure he has time to decompress is super important to me.
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Been hearing personal days with my friends who already have teenager kids. They said that giving some me time for them let their kids develop their attitude and social skills.
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We never let our sons have a personal day but I think that it is a good idea and can see the benefits for sure. My kids were very active in several different sports and activities in school which kept them very motivated in not missing many days.
My kids usually took personal days during their birthdays. Other than that, they are in school everyday, unless of course, they are sick. I think it is a good idea for them to have a day or two to relax, but I always reminded them that they should put it into good use.
It is good to inculcate discipline in the kids at an early age. This helps them discriminate what is right and what is wrong, and what is something that cannot be compromised.
This is a great post. I believe we all need personal days and not just adults. It actually teaches kids to take personal days when they are older in my opinion. Thanks for sharing the idea.
You gave me an idea! ANd i agree we all need that personal space 🙂
I could use a personal day today! lol! What a great idea.
Kids have so much going on these days. There poor little brains and bodies need a fun break.
Such a great idea. I am going to implement this in my house when my daughter starts school!
Perfect attendance is overrated. My kids take s personal day every once in a while too. Never more than a couple a year but enough to give them the time they need to be successful at school.
This is so true! When my kids were growing up .. we took personal days without guilt. Mostly just random days throughout the week. Places we wanted to go were less crowded and it was fun to spend the day together with nothing much to do.
Indeed. It’s like their personal space as they improve independence and having fun on their own. Just keep safe though.
My only school-aged child is in 4th grade. Last October we were in Arkansas visiting my mom for the weekend. It was almost 80 degrees and she lives 2 miles from a huge lake. We were really enjoying the lake that morning before we were scheduled to leave. The boys were having a BLAST and Rider always has straight As so I decided to keep him out of school the next day so we could stay an extra day!
That’s a great idea. I couldn’t agree with this more! It’s like their personal space as they improve independence and having fun on their own.
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Love this idea.. I always give my kids their personal space about once a week. Of course, still under supervision.
We’ve tried to encourage this with our kids now as they are getting into extra curriculars and really pushing themselves. Teaching them a healthy work/play balance is key to teaching them to live balanced lifestyles.
Really this is awesome idea.