For a lot of children, summer means no school, warm weather and staying up late. While we want summer to be a time for our kids to relax and enjoy themselves, we also know children strive and feel most safe when there is a sense of routine to their every day.
If you can maintain structure during the summer, it will make the transition back to school easier. It also reminds kids they don’t need to forego structure in order to have fun!
Here are seven ways you can help:
- Have set bedtimes, wake up times and routines. The times may not be as early as during the school year, but should be consistent throughout the entire summer.
- Don’t throw away the rules and chore charts; maintain expectations. While kids are able to have some more flexibility, make sure they are still aware of rules and responsibilities throughout the summer. This will help avoid power struggles, so you can maintain a positive relationship with your child all season long.
- Have a visible schedule for your kids so they know when activities are happening throughout the week and aren’t caught off guard.
- Try to have your kids eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time each day – ensuring they are eating and drinking enough throughout the hot summer days. This also helps break up the day into smaller pieces, making it easier to manage.
- Get children linked with summer activities (i.e., summer camps, sports, summer school). This will help them remain active and social so they aren’t inside on their computers all day. Typically, summer activities have their own schedule which will help reduce daily chaos.
- Start getting back into the school year routine before school starts so you can work out all the kinks before the first day.
- Most importantly, have fun with them!
Summer brings a lot of excitement for many kids, but sometimes it can bring a bit of stress as well since routines are usually thrown off. Here are some tips to help find a balance for kids over the summer.
