Summer Success Reminders
- Family Time – Together with other family members, think about what sort of activities you might like to do this summer and begin to put them on your calendar! Be sure to get your child’s input.
- Expand your Child’s Horizons – Try something new in an area where you think there is a good possibility that your child will have fun.
- Academic Experiences – These activities don’t have to remind a child of school. A library summer reading program, trips to museums, fun educational movies, try and stick to a schedule as much as possible.
Structure – Because structure is important for kids with ADD/ADHD, create your own, specifically tailor it to summertime.
- Less Stress – Most often kids/teens are wanting to be “pressure free” for the summer, but please be reminded that those with high functioning autism, or some ADHD/ADD do not feel good when the days are wide open. It is often more stress inducing. While we need to learn to contain ourselves with no structure, I recommend coming off the intensity of the school year slowly, let structure be in your days, everyone knows what they can count on, this is remarkably better than falling off into nothing.
- Friendships – nothing builds social confidence like having a buddy.
- Sputter time – Make sure as you are structuring your child’s summer that they have time to be non productive, this is incredibly important as they have so much pressure to be productive, don’t we all? Structure the down time in small increments.
Set aside time for reading together.
- Stock the house with plenty of appealing reading material.
- Stock the house with food that is nutritious, so you don’t worry what they are having for a snack.
- Let your child see YOU reading for pleasure.
- ACTIVE – allow activeness, as this is a great precursor for good sleep and a good appetite.
- Sleep – sleep – sleep. Let the body rejuvenate. Essential for focus.