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Summer Vacation

Should Your Child Follow a Routine During the Summer?

May 9, 2017 By Herman Davis Leave a Comment

Summer is practically here, and you know what that means? That’s right, schools all over the U.S. are closing their doors and going on summer vacation; but before you think about driving off to get to your vacation home, take a second to think about the importance of structure in your child’s life.

Since children thrive off the structure, it’s important that parents get them accustomed to routines. Whether kids are waking up in the morning before school, or going outside to play, they need routines to establish good habits. Kids don’t have too much control in their lives, but routines can give them a sense of organization, stability, and most importantly, independence.

In return, this should help children develop good behavior skills and a sense of personal control. When adults provide an environment that feels safe, children learn that they can trust others around them to help care for them. In other words, routines not only have emotional benefits but health benefits as well.

Summer schedules may sound like an oxymoron to some parents, but kids need them. Some children, for example, can experience a loss of cognitive ability during summer break, according to the National Summer Learning Association. By encouraging mental stimulation throughout summer, parents can help their child maintain a high level in math, reading, and spelling. Research by the NSLA also shows a positive effect on children when they’re enrolled in summer learning programs, compared to children who aren’t.

Most parents worry about over-scheduling their families, but Mollie Grow, a pediatrician in Seattle, says there is also such thing as “under-scheduling.” Although it’s important to have fun, take breaks, and play a little, routines give kids something to rely on during the summer, when they have more time and less supervision.

Ways Parents Can Handle Playtime

It’s important for stay-at-home dads to build playtime into their child’s day-to-day activities. This gives children an enjoyable activity to look forward to and allows them to burn off their energy. As a parent, be sure to plan what to do with your child’s free time. Some activities could include visiting a park, playing with LEGOs, or building a fort and playing board games. Change up the activity to keep your child engaged.

Of course, if you have older children who play team sports, you won’t have much of a choice when practice starts. However, it’s important to plan your schedule accordingly if it’s your responsibility to pick up your child from practice or games. Schedule your day so that you can still meet the needs of your child and complete your normal tasks even on practice days. Having a child who plays sports shouldn’t interrupt your entire day.

Ways to Keep Routine and Have Fun This Summer

Plan family time. Go on bike rides, hikes, or host a family barbecue for that matter. Or think big and plan a camping trip. Parents who model strong, healthy relationships and involve their kids in decisions about certain family activities will give those children the opportunity to express their voices. For younger children, parents can offer simple choices, such as, “Would you rather go to the beach or water park?” By giving your child an option, they’ll start to feel more involved in the decisions being made.

Are you and your family on a budget? If so, don’t worry. There are lots of low-cost options for families who want to engage in summer activities. The YMCA, for example, offers tons of great outdoor activities to children during the summer.

Allow them to socialize with other kids. For kids, in particular, being outside and participating in outdoor activities builds social skills. Going to the park, for instance, allows children to gain confidence as they play on the monkey bars, and ride their bikes.

Volunteer as a family. Volunteering offers vital help to people who are in need, and the community also benefits from it. As a matter of fact, volunteering and helping others can also help you and your family reduce stress and keep you all mentally stimulated. Although volunteering provides a wealth of benefits to the family, it doesn’t have to involve a long-term commitment or take a large amount of time out of your day.

Spending time with your family can be an amazing asset to a child’s development, both physically and mentally. Family time can also improve a child’s vocabulary skills and understanding of the world. Enjoy the long summer days and plan outings as a family.

Remember to have fun this summer. Take a break, relax in the sun, and incorporate structure into your child’s summertime schedule.

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Thanks for the read! I’m curious to know, what are some other ways parents can incorporate summer routines into their child’s summer schedule? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Summer and Kids’ Sleep Schedules: How to Find a Happy Medium

June 24, 2016 By Sean Morris 1 Comment

Verbally trying to convince your child that they need to get their sleep is an undeniable challenge. As soon as summer vacation hits, it seems that all the kids want to do is stay up too late and sleep in too long. As a parent with your kids’ best interests at heart, it can be frustrating to watch. Depending on the age of your kids, you may find it best to pick and choose your battles. However, with elementary age kids, it can be easier than you think to find a happy medium that will maintain the excitement of summer without ruining your kids’ sleeping habits.

Agree on a Reasonable Time

With school out, your kids are excited to capitalize on the sudden freedom of their schedule. Forcing them to maintain exactly the schedule they had during the school year is not a give and take solution.

Instead, agree on a time that is just slightly different than the typical bedtime and waking up. This ensures they are still getting proper sleep while allowing them the excitement of a different bedtime.

An alternative option might be to agree on a single sleep-in day. One day a week, it is agreed that – within reason – the kids get to stay up later and sleep in. This provides a similar agreement in which the excitement of the long summer days is taken advantage of while a healthy sleep schedule is being maintained.

Subtly Coax Sleepiness

Going to bed can often be a less than fruitful argument. Fortunately, though, Mother Nature is here to help your point of view along. Certain foods will encourage sleepiness, meaning they can make an ideal nighttime snack.

Cherries and cherry juice are the best way to get your child to feel tired and seek sleep on their own. Cherries are naturally high in melatonin, the hormone our brains produce for sleep.

Be sure to avoid excess sugars, fats, and empty carbs. Things like bananas with high magnesium may also encourage sleep as magnesium relaxes muscles. You might also consider getting your children into the habit of performing a certain bedtime routine which will work to signal their brains that sleep is coming.

For example, an hour before bedtime, they put pajamas on. Screens are off at this point, and you may supply a coloring book or other quiet, seated activity. A half an hour before bed, each child gets a cup of cherry juice. Fifteen minutes before bed, they brush their teeth. This slow lead up to bed will eventually teach their minds, Pavlov-style, to feel sleepy at the end of the routine.

Staying Up Late Credits

If your child wants to stay up late, you may want to consider a chore chart, each chore worth a certain number of additional minutes past bedtime. That way, they will only be able to stay up a short amount of time and will simultaneously be helping around the house.

Doing what’s right for our kids can be a difficult task, particularly when they are fighting against the positive habit of change. The key is compromise. Respect your child’s wishes and decisions – within reason – and they are far more likely to be receptive to your ideas as well. Keep in mind that summer is their vacation, and you wouldn’t want to have a sleep schedule if you went on vacation either. While their health is important, treating your kids like future adults is also critical in their development. Settle at a midway point and you will spend much less of your summer arguing with your kids.

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