By: Courtney Miller
As May turns into June school gradually turns into summer.
As everyone knows, summer can bring a lot of fun but is everyone always prepared for the stress and/or boredom that is often also brought along. One of the main importance is trying to have a basic plan (things can always change).
Working Up A Summer Routine
With children, it is important to have fun without having too many activities planned. Children just got out of school, so try to plan a good balance between good activities and healthy/fun downtime. It is also important to try as close as possible to keep anxiety as low as possible. One of the best ways to do this is to keep sleep and wake-up time as similar to school time as possible. Keeping this stability will introduce the children to stability which will keep them comfortable with sticking with plans.
Involve The Children
It has already been discussed how to try to schedule the activities around the children’s schedule, but it is also essential to try to involve them in their choices on what to do. It will help the children feel heard and often enjoy the activities. With this everyone will be able to lower the stress and boredom. Children will also feel heard, which during the school year, at least at school, they often feel unheard.
Plan A Mix Of Activities
No matter who decides the plans it is important to set up different sets to help please everyone, help with boredom, and help with exhaustion. A good example would be to try and mix structured and unstructured activities throughout the day. For children structured provides guidance and learning whereas unstructured provides more freedom.
*Structured-museum
*Unstructured swimming, park
Make Room For Downtime
Not only do children need to have time for “freedom” but they also need time to recharge. This can include:
*Reading
*Engaging in imaginative play
*puzzles
*watching movies
*calming corner
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