Navigating Summer "Routines" & Different Schedules
As usual, summer is flying by! Summer can be a busy time filled with summer camps, vacations, family time, and fun-filled memories. It’s often a balancing act for parents, though who are navigating work, different schedules, and new transitions with kids. Although summer can be a fun time, it can also be a time when kids get overstimulated or bored due to the different structure or lack of structure. As a therapist, I often work with kids during this time to collaborate on navigating boredom, creating a flexible structure, and maintaining certain developmental skills. I have included some ideas below to help you do the same as you navigate the rest of the summer.
Navigating Boredom:
There is so much freedom in the summer! This can be fun and exciting, especially for the first few weeks of summer. However, I often find with the kids I work with the newness of the summer wears off and boredom sets in. As a parent, I try to remember that boredom is actually healthy and important for helping kids build problem-solving skills and access creativity. Some kids do need some support with navigating boredom, though, so I find the following visual tools can be helpful.
Visual menu of options (4 - 8 years old):
Create a grid with six squares and draw an image of one play choice in each square (ex, Legos, art materials, dolls, playdough, etc). Work together to select options that motivate your child to use the menu. When your child has downtime and is bored, you can direct them to choose from their menu.
Flexible routine list (9 - 15 years old):
Many older kids and teens I work with have extended free time during the summer and often choose screen time to fill most of that time. Screen time is enjoyable to an extent, but I
often find kids are choosing it for extended periods due to boredom because they don’t know what else to do. Some kids will admit they are bored with the screen time too, but again they are not sure what else to do. So, I create a “flexible routine list” with them to help them increase structure and productivity. I encourage them to choose 4 or 5 tasks that they can engage with for 20 – 45 minutes each at any point during the day. These tasks may include reading, engaging in creative outlets, completing chores, exercising, moving, and spending time outside, among others. I encourage kids to complete at least a couple of tasks before engaging in screen time during the day.
Maintaining and Developing Skills:
The summer is a time that kids may not be gaining as many academic skills, but it is important to support the maintenance of skills they have built. The summer can be a great time to build life skills, too! Summer reading is the most common recommendation for older children, but here are some other ideas to support skill maintenance and development.
Math Skills
Math skills can be worked on within routines with younger children by cooking together (measuring ingredients), counting the number of blocks or other toys while playing, or identifying shapes while walking or driving in the car. For older kids and teens, it can be helpful to work on budgeting skills and money management during the summer.
Independent living skills:
If children learn household tasks early on and engage in those tasks consistently, it builds their self-esteem and supports their autonomy. Here are some age-appropriate household tasks:
- 2 – 3 year olds: Cleaning up toys, putting clothes in the laundry hamper, and putting their meal plate in the sink.
- 4 – 6 year olds: making beds, watering plants, bringing laundry baskets to the machines, unloading the dishwasher, and emptying small trash cans.
- 7 – 9 year olds: loading the washing machine, putting laundry away, helping with food prep, and loading the dishwasher.
- 10 – 12 year olds: vacuuming, putting away groceries, and mopping
- 13 – 18 year olds: Independent with laundry, cleaning bathrooms, dusting, and babysitting younger siblings.
Social Skills:
During the summer, kids are not in a set routine with their school friends. So, it can be helpful to schedule playdates with school friends for younger kids and encourage teens to make plans with their school friends if they are not inclined to do so on their own. This helps kids and teens maintain these relationships.
Emotional Skills:
- Focus on helping kids increase cognitive flexibility. Since the summer is a busy time and is often not as structured as the rest of the year, it can be a challenging time for kids who struggle with some
rigidity. It can be helpful to use frameworks such as “growth mindset” to identify thoughts with your child that support flexibility, such as “I can do this with help” rather than fixed mindset thoughts like “This is too hard”. A growth mindset also focuses on “the power of yet” (ex: “I don’t understand this yet, but I will get it with practice.”) Another framework that can be helpful is “stop, think, do”. This focuses on stopping to assess the challenge, thinking about options, and actively choosing the best option in that moment.
Here are some resources to support cognitive flexibility.
Workbook for ages 4 – 7 years old:
Big Life Journal:
Growth Mindset Activities Blog
Stop Think Do:
About the Author
Ashley Abesamra
Creative Counseling in Motion,
PLLC
Counselor, LMHC, BC-DMT (she, her)
My name is Ashley Abesamra. I am committed to meeting my clients with warmth, empathy, and presence.
I have experience working with early childhood, older children, adolescents, and adults. I enjoy supporting people with anxiety, depression, ADHD, relational challenges, life transitions, self-esteem, identity, perinatal health, and parenting challenges.