The shift from the hustle and bustle of the school year into being home during summer break can be daunting for some families – how will you keep up with your child’s learning and development? How can you keep them entertained all day? How do you discourage the fallout of their set routines and make transitioning back to school in the fall less of a challenge?

Here are 5 tips to maintain your child’s learning, structure, and fun during summer break!

1.        Keep your routines!!!

Every family has their set routines, and for children before their school day, this can often look like slipping on shoes, grabbing bags, or munching on a banana before heading out the door. Once summer rolls around, they may not feel the need to do these things right after waking up anymore, especially if they’re not regularly going to camps or centers and are instead staying at home.

While this happens to most, one way to ensure your child isn’t disrupted by a drastic change or a lack of familiar routine anymore (as well as that they are staying on track for when school starts again in the fall) is to continue practicing a morning routine! You can stick with the same routine – maybe creating an outdoor sack or craft bag to pack every morning before heading to the spot where they’ll use these items - or create a new summer routine that makes the most sense for your family.

Whatever it looks like for your family’s needs, keeping a routine is a great way to practice and promote further development of independence for children with skills such as dressing and self-care that regularly take place in the mornings, without being overwhelmed by trying to master these skills while also feeling the pressure of running late in the mornings or when starting a new school year.

2.        Play every day (& get outside!)

One of the greatest parts about school for children is that there are usually play and social opportunities built in throughout the day. Social gameplay and opportunities to be outside are important factors in a child’s development as they influence gross motor strengthening and coordination, provide situations for interaction and turn-taking, and promote regulation.

In addition to just participating in play alone, being outside is grounding, offers a full range of sensory experiences for children, and requires little prep or planning – all you need is a sunny day and your imagination! And even if you may not have a kid-friendly yard for playing or the flexibility as a parent to offer daily outdoor play activities, encouraging your child to have some time walking barefoot in the grass or sand, and visiting a park nearby a few days a week can have such a positive impact on your child’s ability to learn from and better respond to the world around them.

3.        Have time at the table

Just as it’s important to make sure your child has the opportunity to be up and moving during the summertime, it is also important to keep time seated at a table part of their routine. However, this does NOT mean having to sit at a desk with paper and pencil to practice copying sentences or complete worksheets – unless that’s what your child is interested in!

Rather, you can use this time to introduce your child to finger painting, sensory bins, board games, summer crafts, or anything else that interests them or even better - that you can do together! This is a great way to promote comfort and build endurance with tabletop seating, as well as it’s an opportunity to trial seating adjustments and alternative seating options to fit your child’s needs best! All while also improving their attention to seated tasks – just as they would have to work on in a classroom setting.

4.        Read books before bed

This is possibly the easiest way to incorporate additional learning and structure into your child’s daily routine during the summer months – including a book in their bedtime routine (if you don’t already). Regardless of your child’s age or skill set, there is a book out there that can help them develop new skills or maintain the ones they have gained during the prior school year. These can also be a great motivator to transition your child into their bedtime routine - it is an activity that can be done together, is calming, and overall assists in winding down for a better night’s sleep.

5.        Set goals for your family

Do you have an activity you’ve been wanting your child to master or something that you have wanted to accomplish as a family? Summer break is a great time to work towards goals and give them a date you hope to achieve them by. One way to do this is by making a goal chart for the summer, where everyone can put down something that they want to have done or be able to do by the end of the summer, or even at the end of each week or month to keep you actively working on it! Actively keeping it up-to-date throughout the summer allows your family the chance to keep adding new things to work towards once one goal has been met. These goals could include tasks such as someone being able to write their name, tie their shoes, and finishing a large puzzle as a family – really whatever makes the most sense and is also fun for your family!

A great motivator is to have them set some goals for themselves, and for parents to have goals that they are working towards too, whether they be separate goals or goals you work towards as a family!