School’s Out

Hey Parents, school’s out for Summer…now what?

First, I recommend emptying out those lunch bags and back packs.  Go through those end of year papers. Set aside what you need and make a pile of those you don’t. Pro tip: find a local vocational training or special education program that will take your papers for a shredding task. Stick those Summer Reading Lists to your Fridge so they don’t get lost.

Next, create a loose schedule.  Having structure in the day will help keep down undesired behaviors due to boredom but too much scheduling and too strict adherence to routines can also trigger behavior leading to monster meltdowns!  Include a variety of activities in your schedule from quiet reading time at the library to water balloons on the trampoline to road trips to amusement parks and museums.  Vary your schedule, interspersing high stimulation, long travel days with days to chill at home.

And if you have a child who tends to be leery of schedule changes or new experiences, individual calendars or daily planners for kids who like to visualize their week and need a heads up on what’s coming. Also, preset your kiddos for activities by showing them websites, videos and pictures or the places you are going to visit.

Flexibility is the key, swim day cancelled because of thunderstorms? No problem! Switch to living room fort movie day. Oversleep one day? Good for you, skip the big breakfast you planned and have a yard picnic lunch. Bedtime is up for negotiation on nights there are family bar-be-ques or 4^th of July fireworks but drinking water and eating plenty of Summer fruits and vegetables is mandatory. Model flexibility for your children and reinforce with praise when they go with the flow.

Need to do more than just entertain your kids each day? Set yourself up for success. Have easy to grab water bottles, juices boxes and healthy snacks in the fridge so the kiddos can grab what they need when you are in a meeting. Make checklists for chores that need to be completed each day and add to the list what rewards can be accessed when these chores are completed.

Have independent activity stations set up around the house such as cozy reading corner, yard mini obstacle course, bedroom Lego building, etc. so that your child has multiple engaging activities to do while you work or complete your chore list. If you have multiple children, have them rotate through activities separately for part of the day to reduce the likelihood of arguing. You can randomly assign activities by writing the activities on those leftover popsicle sticks and then shuffling the sticks and pulling out three for each child. Again, tie in a reward for staying with the activity and following the play schedule.

Need help keeping order outside too? Keep bins in the yard with sunscreen and bug spray for easy access. Have a drying rack or hamper outside for those wet items and trash bins around the yard for those popsicle wrappers. Reducing effort to getting to the hamper or trash can increases the likelihood they will be used but for extra motivation tie in end of the day desserts with a picked up yard. If you are really good at planning, purchase solid colored beach towels and assign a color to each of your children so you can track who is following the rules and who needs some reminders. Having one less thing to attend to at the end of the day is always a win.

Summer Break can feel like an oxymoron to parents who feel they waiver between Ring Leader and Referee. Don’t let the break actually break you! Environmental arranging, presetting, and rewarding the behaviors you want to see can keep help you decrease unwanted behaviors and increase the fun!