When the final bell rings at the end of the last day of school, it’s easy to expect students to jump for joy and throw their papers in the air in celebration. However, there are more than a handful of students who struggle with the changes of routine that come with the transition into summer. This is especially true for students who may struggle with things like anxiety, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders. There are a lot of students who thrive when there is predictability and structure, so big shifts in routine can be distressing.
If your child is one to struggle with change, there are small steps you can take to make this transition a little easier on them. Below is a list of tips to try during the shift from school time to summer break.
Maintain schedule
One aspect of summer that many people look forward to is the ability to stay up later or sleep in. However, it may be beneficial to maintain a similar schedule to that of the school year during the initial transition into summer. Although replicating the exact schedule of a school day may be hard, maintaining the same bed, wake, meal, and leisure times might be helpful. If you do hope to let your kids stay up later, try pushing bedtime back in increments (e.g., for one week bed time will be 9:00pm, the next it’ll be 9:30pm, then the next maybe 10:00pm). A similar progression can be done with wake times (e.g., for one week wake time will be 7:00am, the next it’ll be 7:30am, then the next maybe 8:00am). These shifts should always allow for about 9-12 hours of sleep for your children ages 6 to 12 and about 8-10 hours of sleep for your teenagers. Keeping consistency in your child’s typical schedule and then slowly introducing changes can lessen the discomfort that may come from harsh and immediate changes in routine.
Keep busy and encourage social connections
On a similar note to scheduling, without as many responsibilities in the summer time, it may be helpful to keep your children busy. If too much time with very little structure is a stressor for your little ones, try enrolling them in summer camps, sports teams, and/or music/art lessons. Even having just one plan or activity for the day or week that your children can anticipate and look forward to can be helpful in giving them a centre of gravity on what to expect (e.g., going to the lake, going to their aunt’s house). Try to be communicative about upcoming plans and invite opportunities for lots of social connection and social play.
Make routines visual
Children who thrive best with predictability may benefit from having these routines and schedules displayed visually. The visual schedule should provide as much detail as you believe is necessary for the amount of structure your child may need. Pictures can be helpful too depending on their age and developmental level. For older children, having a shared family calendar on display indicating upcoming dates and plans could also be helpful.
Limit screen time
With more free time and less homework, it’s easy to expect screen time to increase. Try to define the amount of screen time you are willing to give your children, the windows of time this screen time can happen, and any other rules you may have surrounding it. It’s important to set clear expectations. With the weather warming up, you’ll want to encourage your children to do outdoor and active activities, which will be great for their mental health and development. At this point, screens are a huge part of our world, so having the expectation to just throw them in the trash when it’s sunny out may be unrealistic. Try to encourage breaks and introduce opportunities for new games and ways of play to break up the time inside. There are also ways to make screen time more productive and healthier, get creative! For example, for your teenagers who may be clued to their screens once summer comes, try to encourage it as a more social event, such as suggesting a family movie night.
Incorporate some learning activities
To continue to engage your children and help them grow, try to incorporate some fun summer crafts and other learning opportunities. This is another way to add more structure to your summer days, while simultaneously encouraging creative thinking, fun, challenge, and learning. Below are examples of websites that provide some ideas for such activities.
https://www.create-learn.us/blog/summer-learning-activities
https://www.crayola.com/crafts/summer
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/craft-ideas/g20967550/summer-crafts
Be patient and give them time to adjust
The transition into summertime will look different for every child and every family. Whether summer is a time for family events, camping, lake days, day care, summer camp, or whatever it may be, the initial transition may come with some challenges. Try to be as communicative and explicit as you can regarding changes to the schedule, introduce them incrementally, and give them time to settle into new routines!
Enjoy your summer!
Maggie
Simply Counselling Services