Typical Summer Day for Amish Children

Summer is almost here! For most kids, that means sleeping in, beach vacations, extra screen time, playing with friends at parks, and swimming at the local pool. But for Amish children, their summers look much different. In this blog, we explore what a typical day looks like for Amish children in the summer months.

Early to Rise

Unlike most American kids and teenagers, Amish children don’t sleep in just because it’s summer. In fact, summer months for the Amish tend to be the busiest as farming is such a vital part of their family income. Amish, including the children, often wake up as early at 4:00 am to get started on their chores before dawn. In Amish families, rising early doesn’t mean ending the workday early. In fact, it’s just the opposite. The extra daylight that comes with the summer season equals extra time to tend to crops and livestock.

First Comes the Chores

Farming and homemaking skills are such an important part of Amish culture that summer is really just an extension of this vital education for kids. Amish life revolves around the home and much of their time is spent together working on their property.

In the mornings, children immediately get to work on their morning chores, such as milking the cows, feeding their livestock, gathering eggs, and cleaning up the animal pens. After the morning chores are complete, most Amish families eat breakfast together and take some time to pray and do Bible readings. Once that’s complete, it’s back to work!

Most Amish families have an average of 7 kids, and most children are given chores starting at the age of 4 or 5. For the most part, Amish boys work alongside their fathers doing outside chores, while the girls stay inside doing housework with mom.

Typical chores for Amish children include:

• Washing, hanging, and sorting laundry
• Working in the garden and preparing food for upcoming meals
• Making clothing for the family
• Cutting hay, tending the fields, and other work around the property
• Working at farm stands/markets selling food or goods
• Assisting with family businesses, such as barn building, carpentry, roofing, etc.

Time for Some Fun

Amish life isn’t all work — they do leave time for fun! Most Amish children are very self-sufficient and can entertain themselves. Since Amish children are raised to look after one another, siblings easily find ways to have fun together, such as fishing, non-competitive sports, riding scooters, climbing trees, or playing at an adjacent family’s farm.

The Amish have a lot of recreational hobbies that most Americans would view as “work”, such as quilting and canning, which are often sold for additional family income. In fact, many Amish girls truly love the time spent quilting with their moms and grandmothers since it is a sanctioned channel for creativity. Learn more about this popular Amish hobby in this blog.

Early to Bed

Amish children typically continue playing outside in the Summer evenings. When it rains, you can find them inside playing a board game – such as Scrabble – ­reading, or writing. Since morning comes early, most Amish families are in bed by 8:30 – 9:00 pm. Rest and getting adequate sleep is imperative for the Amish since much of their day is spent doing manual labor.

Still curious about life on an Amish farm? At The Amish Village, you can explore an authentic Amish Farmhouse, tour our 12-acre property, or get a guided tour to answer all of your questions!