Post #40 Summertime tips: Keep it simple!

Prolonged lock-down and closure of schools may mean that this year's summer break feels overwhelming. Structuring the day and planning activities may feel more challenging than usual. My next series of posts offer some summer tips which will hopefully help to make the summer more manageable and enjoyable. 

The summer break can feel overwhelming at the best of times, but when the summer follows on from months of home-learning it is not surprising if you feel anxious, stressed and not knowing where to start. This first tip focuses on how to structure summertime days, with an emphasis on keeping it simple. The secret is to try to find the right balance between providing the structure your son or daughter needs and at the same time making this manageable so that you can have some time to get on with chores, or dare I say to take a break!

You son or daughter may already use a schedule at home, or have been using one during home-learning. It may well be that they need the same level of schedule for the summertime. There are lots of examples of schedules in previous posts which may be adapted for the summer break. However, you may feel that you would like a simpler structure for the summer. 

If you want to make the day more manageable, you could try planning 1 main activity which you will do with your child each day. This shows your child what you or other family members will be doing with them each day, but also allows the summer free-play which you or you child might like.

Planning one main activity, which you will do together, frees up your time for chores and to take a break or do something you enjoy. Remember to use visual information which is meaningful for your son or daughter (objects, pictures, symbols, written). You might present a 'summertime activity' chart as in the example above, or you could put each activity on your household calendar if you use one. If your child follows a written schedule, then try using a dry-wipe board for 'summertime activities' as these are quick to add to or edit.

You might plan for a morning and an afternoon activity, depending upon the time you have available and your child's needs, for example:

Note that these are not schedules, but provide information about main activity/ies each day. 

If your child would find the above information too much, or if they use a first then schedule for example, then a simpler approach might be to present the activity/ies for today.

This 'summertime activities' approach allows your child to follow their schedule if they have one, with the schedule indicating when 'summertime activity' will be during the day. If your child does not follow a schedule, then they are free to play or occupy themselves as usual and know that there is a planned activity with you or another family member at some point during the day.