Free from their school routines and extra curricular activities, many
kids can get bored quickly with the carefree days of summer. Summers
are meant to be a downtime for families, an opportunity to decompress
from an often hectic school year, but if left too unstructured, kids
can become bored and not so pleasant to be around. So to help every
parent out there maintain a peaceful easy summer here are a few tips.
Maintain some type of structure to your child’s day. For parents who
work outside the home, a day camp might be the best option here. Day
camps give kids just enough structure to help maintain routines, but
are often relaxed enough for kids to feel relieved from the daily
pressures of school and extra curricular activities. For parents who
don’t work outside the home, maintaining a routine can be a little more
of a challenge. Start by keeping bedtimes and morning times relatively
the same each day. Allow for the flexibility and pleasures of extended
bedtimes, but try and keep them consistent everyday. Plan recurring
outings (i.e. the library, swimming, museums, and picnics) for the same
day each week. Always make sure you have at least one “do nothing” day
built into the schedule. Monday’s are often a good day for these
because kids are often tired from the weekends and need a little time
to unwind.
Arrange for your children to have time to play with kids other than
their siblings. Nothing is worse than siblings who have grown tired of
one another after only two weeks of summer break. Prevent this by
arranging for your kids to play alone with their friends. Swap play
dates or arrange sleepovers, or arrange for your children to take a
camp with their friends.
Have backup activities on hand as a last minute response to a sudden
onset of the summer blues. Craft kits, science experiments, and yard
games are all good options. Have the supplies and ideas on hand and
stored in a box, so they are in easy access when needed.
Keep them learning with fun relaxed learning activities. Reading
contests and challenges are often a good way to keep their minds alert
and reading throughout the summer. Check with your local library for
one in your area. Summer activity books are another good option.
Designed specifically for summer breaks, these activity books help keep
the material they learned in school fresh in their minds.
Let them explore their interests by enrolling them in a camp or class.
Use the relaxing days of summer to encourage your kids to learn
something new or pursue an interest they didn’t have time to learn
during the school year. The relaxing summer atmosphere is often a good
time to try these things because kids often will feel less pressure to
succeed and perform.
Polly Schlafhauser is Founder and President of Families with Purpose, a
website dedicated to helping busy families enhance their family life
and plan family activities.