Benefits of keeping a summer routine

With the coming summer break, now is a good time to develop a well thought-out summer routine to keep the children active and engaged throughout the long, hot summer months to come. Sure, a little downtime following the busy school year is in order. But don't let this go too far, allowing them to get bored without any plans at all on their daily schedules. Just like most other things, a happy medium is the ideal place to be when it comes to your child's schedule over the summer months.

While the summer break is generally an enjoyable time for the kids, parents often struggle with activities to keep daily schedules full and prevent boredom, especially in the later "dog days" of summer. For nine months during the school year, children are accustomed to daily routines: wake up and get ready for school in the morning, a structured day at school, ball practice in the evening, homework time and so on. But in the summer, things change. Pretty soon parents find themselves struggling with things to do to entertain their kids in an attempt to avoid the all too familiar negative consequences of a bored child.

Extended boredom in children often has several negative consequences. As a parent, I'm sure you can name more than a few yourself! For starters, more intense sibling conflicts and defiance can be common in bored children. Just think of the long road trips that frequently end in a screaming fight between the kids in the back seat. Summer is a prime time for this to occur as well. Children who spend many long days together generally end up getting on each other's nerves and arguing more than normal. When kids are together for extended hours with little to do, tension is bound to mount and fights typically ensue.

So how to avoid these hair-raising battles that leave the kids mad and parents frazzled? One idea for parents of more than one child is to schedule some one-on-one time with each one on a regular basis over the summer. While your son is at baseball practice, take your daughter out for ice cream. While your daughter is at a friend's house, take your son to a park. By spending some quality one-on-one time with each child, you'll reduce some of the sibling squabbles that are almost certain to result from too much time together.

What else can a parent do to maintain some type of structure or routine over the summer and avoid the problems that may arise from a total lack of structure? Create and post a summer routine on the refrigerator or another common area in the home. In your routine, schedule some structured time and unstructured time into each day. And for younger children, the more you can keep the schedule similar from week to week, the easier it will be for your kids to remember. Things like "Monday is Clean Our Rooms Day" and "Tuesday is Park Day" will make the weeks seem more cohesive for your younger kids.

Parents should include their children in creating the summer schedule. Just like adults, kids are more likely to "buy in" with something they helped to create. And remember, fun activities need not cost a fortune -- a trip to the park, a visit to the Nature Center or maybe a day at the movies every few weeks is a good place to start. And every day doesn't have to be full of community-based activities. Watching TV in the heat of the afternoon or playing catch in the yard just before dark can be just as fun as going to the movies. Involve the kids in planning these activities by asking them to make a "wish list" at the beginning of summer break with various activities they would like to do over the summer.

And don't think every minute of the day needs to be filled with fun. In fact, summer is also a great time to help build responsibility by assigning more chores. These should be age-appropriate, of course, but are a great way to teach kids that life is not always just fun and games. I'm sure you've heard the phrase "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Well, the same works in reverse. While chores are not as fun for children as playing in the pool, they do serve a purpose and summer is a great time to get them established.

When facing the long, unfilled hours at the beginning of summer, remember that children are familiar with schedules and routines during the school year and it helps to have something in place during the summer months as well. Make sure to include fun activities with a splash of responsibility (i.e. chores) and you will have a good all-around summer schedule that works for both you and the kids.

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Shannon Anderson

About Shannon

Shannon Anderson is a licensed professional counselor, a national certified counselor and owner and clinical director of Tender Hearts Child Therapy Center in Cape Girardeau.