June 2024: Kids and a Stress-Free Summer: How-To Tips
Hi, Practice Families!👋
It's finally summer! I don't know about your family, but everyone in my household has eagerly been awaiting the end of the school year and the kick-off to summer! Summer is a time for relaxing, traveling (or staycationing!), and a little freedom from academic demands and rigid timing constraints imposed by school schedules.
I've been working with kids and families for over 20 years-- and I've found that most families expect summer vacation to be a peaceful time to relax and reconnect. But let's be honest: kids still are kids, even during the summer! Traveling with kids often turns out to be a trip, not a vacation.😆 And kids generally do best with predictable structures, routines, and schedules. Plus, the more time we spend with our families, the more opportunities there are to butt heads, which can make summer a challenging time.
Good news, however. If you invest a little time now in planning ahead for the summer, you can significantly increase the chances of enjoying the summer you envision. Think about the behaviors or situations that have been stressful in past summers. How can you plan ahead to make these less problematic this time?
Here are a few ideas that might help increase the likelihood of a successful summer:
Stick to a routine
Even though it's tempting to go with the flow during summer, kids tend to thrive with consistent routines and structure. This doesn't mean you need to follow the school year routine, but setting a few consistent expectations can prevent daily struggles. For example:
Morning Routines: Avoid spending every morning trying to pry your kid out the door for camp.
Screen Time: Set clear rules about daily screen time to avoid arguments.
Bedtime: Keeping bedtime consistent helps make mornings smoother and eases the transition back to school.
If your kid has summer academic work, break it down into manageable chunks and create a plan to complete it bit by bit. Incorporating academic tasks into your regular routine can reduce feelings of overwhelm or resistance in your kid.
Plan activities
To avoid frequent complaints of boredom or intervening in endless sibling conflicts, plan some structured activities.
Balanced Scheduling: Mix planned activities with unstructured play. This approach provides structure while allowing flexibility.
Activity Ideas: Keep a list of backup activities for times when your kid declares boredom or siblings struggle to play independently.
Out of Home Activities: Planning activities outside the home, like camps or classes, can give everyone a break and enhance the quality of time spent together.
BTW, consider enrolling your kid in our summer Mighty Minds program, which teaches key stress management and emotion regulation skills—it’s perfect for getting your kid out of the house and learning valuable skills!
Think about contingencies
Use rewards strategically, such as offering screen time as an incentive for completing tasks or behaving well throughout the day. You could also use vacation souvenir spending money as motivation for meeting behavioral goals. Identify where you have leverage and use it to your advantage.
Pay attention to (and adjust!) your expectations
Be mindful of how you expect interactions with your kids to unfold and whether these expectations are realistic, considering your kid’s development, personality, and the situation's demands. Reflect on how your kid has handled similar situations in the past. If your expectations don't align with likely outcomes, consider adjusting them.
For example, prepare for potential disruptions and be okay with them. Preemptively addressing these issues can help set your kid up for success.
Click here for a few more ideas from the Child Mind Institute, and consider joining our summer programs. These tailored programs offer children, tweens, and teens the opportunity to learn research-based skills and strategies around managing stress, anxiety, and big emotions (or navigating social dynamics!). Plus, our team ensures that these sessions are not only educational but also fun—so your kid will gain lifelong skills while having a blast.
Hope you'll consider having your elementary, middle or high schooler join us this summer!
Warmly,
👋 Need a Quick Parenting Boost This Summer? Try A One-Time Parent Consult!
Are you seeking expert parenting advice this summer? For the first time ever, our experienced therapists are offering one-time or short-term consultations. These sessions are designed to help parents of children, tweens, and teens navigate parenting challenges and support their kids' emotional and social development.
Whether you need guidance on setting up a technology plan, troubleshooting specific behavioral issues or emotional concerns, navigating co-parenting disagreements, or reviewing previous assessment results and discussing next best steps, we're here to assist you.
Drop in for a one-time consult or a handful of sessions that allow you to apply new ideas, see how they work, and make adjustments as needed. Costs may be reimbursable through PPO health insurance, FSA, or HSA.
If you have an elementary schooler…
Rachel specializes in trauma-informed, strength-based therapy for school-aged children. With experience in schools, community clinics, and Stanford's outpatient clinic, Rachel utilizes various therapeutic approaches, including CBT, Play Therapy, and Mindfulness, to meet individual client needs. Learn more
Passionate about working with children, adolescents, and families, Logann creates a safe space for clients to explore their emotions using a strengths-based and relational approach. Drawing on evidence-based practices such as CBT, attachment theory, mindfulness, play therapy, and art therapy, Logann guides clients in identifying and utilizing coping skills to foster personal growth. Learn more
If you have a middle schooler, teen, or college student…
Ginna specializes in tweens, teens, and their families. She employs a strength-based, holistic approach using evidence-based interventions like CBT, family systems, attachment theory, and mindfulness. She offers individual therapy, leads adolescent groups for self-empowerment and coping skills, and provides parent coaching. Learn more
Specializing in trauma, anxiety, depression, ADHD, self-esteem, and social issues, Amelia integrates mindfulness and mind-body interventions in her practice. Amelia employs evidence-based CBT to address unhelpful thought patterns and supports parents in navigating caregiving challenges. Learn more
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to shoot us an email or just reply to this one. OR Want to talk live with our coordinator, Miranda? Schedule a call with her here!
Don't Forget: Summer Groups Still Open for August!
Limited spaces available, so sign up now for our after-camp sessions to prepare them for the new school year. Click below to view programs and register for each age group.
