Transitioning Into Summer Vacation

With the end of the school year approaching, it’s natural to think that students might be relieved, they made it through another year. For some children, however, it’s the opposite. They do enjoy some parts of the summer: like swimming, having fun with their friends and family, and they definitely won't miss homework. Sometimes, the child will have trouble transitioning into the new “norm”, with constant transitions and ever changing rules in the following months, long weekends away with family and friends, and disrupting sleep routines.

We think of the summer months as carefree and relaxing, but many kids actually experience an uptick in anxiety during the break. Anxious kids rely on carefully crafted routines, and too little structure or shifting routines can feel overwhelming.

There are several factors that can negatively affect anxious kids during the summer.

1) New Routines
2) Over-Scheduling
3) Changes in Eating Habits
4) Changes in Sleep Habits
5) Too Much Screen Time
6) Travel Worries

These all have individual impacts on our students once they leave for summer vacation, but there are things you can do as parents that will help minimize the effects of the anxiety.

1) Get Back to Basics

Regular routines and eating habits (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Every day does not need to be a celebration, some days can consist of relaxing and participating in activities the child feels comfortable with.

2) Maintaining Usual Sleep Routines

Summer can be very hard to keep a sleep schedule. Some of our children might go to bed before the sun even goes down, which makes it very difficult to convince them that it is indeed bedtime. Regular sleep patterns and consistency will allow for healthy minds and bodies for our long summer days outdoors.

3) Setting Healthy Boundaries

Screen time can be very alluring for most children stuck at home during summer. Using screens can feel like the easy way out, especially during the long trips to the cottage, but allowing for specific time slots or boundaries that the child can abide by will push them to explore other time consumers and activities.

4) SLOW DOWN

Summer initially intrigues our ambition to explore and want to do everything we can in the little time we have. Students have two months of summer to experience what they can’t during the school year. We must also think of it as a time of break. Students have just spent ten months learning and developing their minds to a point where they need a break from everything, that is exactly what summer is.

Take time to slow down and relax, taking away as much pressure and anxiety as possible from the student during this time.

Here is an awesome link with some further details on how you as parents can help take away a little bit of your child's stress during the summer vacation:
www.kidsinthemiddle.org/tips/kicking-summer-anxiety/

Lastly it can sometimes be hard to find activities that the whole family can do. Here is a link to 100 Fun Summer Activities the whole family will enjoy and take away a little of that stress.
www.verywellfamily.com/summer-fun-ideas-kids-and-parents-3542627

Keep on being WILD!