Summer Survival Guide ( Practical strategies to support carry of academic and therapy skills during the summer months)

 

If you are a parent like me then you have probably dropped your child/children to school for the last time this semester and looking forward to the summer break(albeit with mixed feelings).To be honest these break is usually a difficult time than the other shorter ones during the cooler months mostly because of the transition from academic routine and structure to the two month hot unstructured summer.

Having survived the long semester of daily school drop offs/pick ups, homework and exam agony; the challenges swiftly shift to home and personally to add on to the many caps I wear on a daily basis,the entertainment manager to my son during the summer break is the least I prefer.

Is the summer slide a myth or fact? Is the loss or regression of skills(either academic or therapy skills) that the children have worked hard to acquire a certainty during the summer break?

As an occupational therapist working with children with high/special needs  who thrive on schedules,predictability,  monitored diet and screen time than their neurotypical counterparts,Is the summer slide(regression) worse?

Unfortunately it is indeed true, research indicates that the summer slump(loss of skills) is real and it is worse in children with special needs.

Good news is that it can be managed.From my many years of working with children with high/special needs and talking to their parents about how they best they manage the summer months and not to mention that I am a proud parent of a mountain of a 5 year old son who explodes with energy, In the spirit of camaraderie with my fellow parents i decided to share my top strategies of making the most of the summer months.

Setting up a schedule

Keep a physical calendar throughout the summer months and schedule any family vacations,visit to relatives,weekend trips to amusement parks,play dates and most importantly family talks or reading together at the end of the day.

It is okay to allow for parental flexibility but maintaining basic routines like bedtime habits and scheduled chores is important.

Always schedule and use community resources e.g sporting activities,summer theater groups,amusement parks.

Playtimes should also be included but mostly after some work done.

Prioritize your Children's health and wellbeing

The unstructured summer months can lead to snacking and unhealthy eating.Parents should focus on healthy meals and snacks which should also be scheduled in our daily calendar.

Sleep time should be protected at all cost and routine bedtime routines should be ideally be the same as during school days(with little flexibility).

Physical activity should also be included in the daily routine,outside play,play dates with peers and even dance videos should work if being in the outdoor heat is not possible.

Summer screen time strategies

It is a fact that time spent on screen interferes with other developmental tasks and can displace important daily basic tasks and social routines.

Monitoring the time,monitoring the content ,monitoring online behavior,monitoring where and when of our children's screen time should remain a priority.

Parents should insist on free play mornings with no electronics while focusing on tasks and chores in the morning, then play video games or watch TV later in the day.

It also helps to decrease screen time and phase it off 2 weeks before schools re opening to rewire the child's brain back to academics/school work.

Parents should also familiarize with screentime risks which include solitary screen exposure and set boundaries for when you are not present to monitor.

Video game chats puts children at risk for cyber bullying,stranger contact and predatory behavior.Online content can also at times be disturbing,have offensive content and can promote unhealthy attitudes/practices.

Managing sibling fights/squabbles 

Another summer break hotspot is sibling squabbles and my advise to any parent is not manage/referee disputes but rather teach coregulation while encouraging perspective taking and respect.Let them come up with solutions collaboratively.

When having multiple children it can be a challenge scheduling different summer activities due to different timings especially due to age group differences.Parents should not divide themselves to cater for different children but rather divide the children.Keep one child engaged in an activity while meeting the needs of another/paying attention to the other.

My take away message for parents is to focus on your family values when planning for the summer break, thoroughly think of the experiences you expect for your children over summer and make a practical plan.

Happy summer break

to you all and please feel free to let me know what works for your family or if you tried any of the above strategies one worked for you.

References.

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https://childmind.org/article/screen-time-and-summer/